Forensic Science Technicians are responsible for investigating crimes. They collect data and analyze physical evidences. They are specialized in various areas such as firearm examination, DNA analysis, etc. They also perform tests on substances and weapons like fiber, body fluids, tissue, hair, glass, etc for determining their significance to investigation. They prepare reports for documenting their findings. They need to use laboratory techniques and should provide expert opinions to investigators. They must be able to provide correct opinion on their laboratory findings and need to identify and classify materials, substances and the other evidences collected from the crime scene. In order to become a forensic science technician, you need to earn a degree and certification in forensic science.
Forensic Science Technician Degree
There are lots of forensic science technician schools, which offer diploma in forensic science. You can earn a diploma by attending fewer classes and some sort of training. You need not undergo lengthy degree programs. Students need to attend a minimum of 75 hours classes for getting a diploma. After the completion of this course, they can get an entry level job as forensic science assistant.
You can also enter in the field of forensic science with a crime scene technical certificate. This certificate is not a substitute for forensic science technician degree. However, this certification course helps students to attain necessary skills for becoming an entry level forensic science technician. They will also get training in the preparation of reports, physical evidence evaluation and working in a lab.
Some forensic science technician schools offer associate degree in forensic science to students. This program is a combination of general academics and natural science courses. Students will also be trained to conduct crime scene investigation.
Another degree offered by some best forensic science technician colleges is Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. This degree program offers different courses in natural science, general academics, and upper division forensic sciences. Most of these programs are organized as criminal justice. The course covers topics such as sociology of criminal justice, juvenile delinquency, etc.
In order to get a highest paying and highly reputed job in forensic science, you must earn a master’s degree in forensic science. It takes around two years to complete this course. Students will also get advanced technical training in laboratories and in-depth theory based classes. Master’s forensic science technician degree program also allows students to learn about sociology and culture of crime. They will also be proficient in generating toxicology reports, analyzing DNA, etc.
There are a number of online forensic science technician schools which offer online associate’s, graduate level and certificate programs to the students. Some of such schools are American InterContinental University, Upper Iowa University, South University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Arcadia University, Griffin Technical College, Florida International University, Alfred State SUNY College of Technology, University of Illinois at Chicago, etc. You should select an accredited course for getting a forensic science technician degree.
Qualifications
If you are interested to select forensic science as your career, you should choose a high school course in science and mathematics. You must also have deep knowledge in applied science, maths and physics. You must also have organizational skills in interpreting laboratory results. Analytical thinking, attention to details, high mechanical aptitude, etc are also inevitable. The also need to analyse fingerprints, ballistics, handwriting, chemical and medical evidences, documents, etc. A highly experienced forensic science technician salary is upto $83,970 per year.