Top Criminal Justice Schools
- CTU Online Click for Recommended Degree Program
- Everest University Online Click for Recommended Degree Program
- University of Phoenix Click for Recommended Degree Program
Criminalist Jobs
Are you interested in going back to school and earning a degree in a field that is both exciting and rewarding? If you are, and you are also looking for a way to provide yourself and your family with the financial stability to live comfortably, earning a degree as a criminalist could help you to do just that. A criminalist is a forensic scientist who examines and analyzes the physical evidence found at a crime scene. In this article, you will learn about criminalist jobs as well as what is involved as far as job responsibilities and educational requirements. From there you will be able to make a decision as to whether this is the right career choice for you.
What is a Criminalist and What Do They Do?
The first thing you need to know is that a criminalist is a forensic scientist who studies the physical evidence, such as fibers, weapons, hair and body tissues found at a crime scene. Criminalists will also run laboratory tests on these vital pieces of evidence using high tech equipment such as chromatographs or spectrographs. Criminalists can choose to have a field of specialty, such as handwriting analysis, fingerprinting or biochemistry. You can expect to usually work a forty hour work week, however, you may also have to work longer, irregular hours. You may have to travel to get to the crime scene, but most of your time will be spent in a laboratory examining your findings and drafting reports. Sometimes, you will have to appear in court as an expert witness and testify. You must also be able to present your findings in a professional manner.
In order to become a criminalist, you must go back to school and earn at least a bachelor’s degree, if not a master’s or doctorate in a field such as forensic science, chemistry, physics, biology or physical anthropology. Taking courses in trigonometry, geometry, pharmacology, statistics and quantitative analysis are also beneficial. If you want better job opportunities, earning either a master’s degree or a doctorate degree is highly recommended.
Criminalist Jobs
There are a great deal of criminalist jobs available. You could be a crime scene investigator, a latent print examiner, or a firearms examiner. The most common criminalist jobs involve going to the crime scene and gathering evidence to take back to the lab and examine. As was previously mentioned, you could have a field of specialty as a criminalist.
Now that you know what kind of criminalist jobs are available to those who have obtained a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree or doctorate degree in forensic science or a related field, you should be able to make a decision as to whether this is a field you want to continue your education and earn a degree in. If it is, contact a school of your choice and speak with someone in the admissions office about getting signed up for some courses. Earning a degree will allow you to obtain one of these criminalist jobs and have a brighter and more financially stable future.
