What does a forensic scientist do?
Forensic science is a field in which science is applied to law. Forensic scientists usually work within the criminal justice sector, and their roleinvolves working with three broad scientific fields: chemistry, biology and toxicology.
They use these disciplines to study crime scenes and analyse evidence to create a forensic history of the crime and facilitate criminal investigations. Forensic scientists can work for the police or for the government, or they can choose to work in private forensic services. Forensic scientists work within a variety of different services, including:
- Ballistics and firearms
- Arson and explosives
- DNA analysis
- Bloodstain pattern analysis
- Fingerprints
- Trace evidence
- Electronics
- Alcohol, drugs and toxicology of bodily fluids
- Medicolegal work
There is room for specialisation in forensic science, and many forensic scientists choose to specialise in one of the services listed above.
Forensic scientists often work directly at crime scenes, collecting physical evidence and examining the scenes, but a lot of their work is conducted in a laboratory environment, and administration is also an important part of their job.
They may also be involved in tasks like interviewing victims or witnesses, and liaising with external stakeholders such as the police, government agencies and legal staff.
Forensic scientists can often be confused with crime scene investigators, but there are many key differences between these two careers. They require different qualifications, have different job specifications and use different technologies to carry out their work.
The key differences are as follows:
Forensic scientist | Crime Scene Investigator (CSI) |
A lot of the work is carried out in laboratories where they perform forensic data collection and analysis from evidence gathered in crime scene investigations. | The majority of the work involves visiting and analysing crime scenes. |
Forensic scientists usually must have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree to work in the field. | Although it is beneficial to have a degree in forensic science or other natural science subjects, crime scene investigators can also start off as police officers and progress to crime scene investigators from there. |
Forensic scientists have a lot of room for specialisation in a wide variety of areas. | Crime scene investigation does not allow for many specialisations, although the skills transfer to other jobs such as working for government organisations. |
How to become a forensic scientist
To become a forensic scientist, you first need to have completed secondary education. After this, you can get into the job through either a university course or an apprenticeship.
At university, you can get a degree in forensic science directly or in one of the related subjects like chemistry, biology, medical sciences or physics, and apply for a forensic science job from there. You can also opt to get a postgraduate qualification in forensic science or a related subject.
If you choose to do a forensic science degree in the UK, you should research carefully and choose a course that is accredited by the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS). This will show potential employers that you have acquired all the skills and competencies deemed by the CSFS as necessary or beneficial for the work of a forensic scientist.
If you choose to do another undergraduate degree first, or you only decide after your undergraduate studies that you would like to become a forensic scientist, it may be beneficial to take a postgraduate course in forensic science or a subspecialty such as archaeology or toxicology, due to the competitive job market.
Alternatively, you may undertake a relevant apprenticeship to access a job in forensic science. Relevant apprenticeships include research scientist degree apprenticeships and laboratory scientist degree apprenticeships.
There is also the option to apply directly to a roleafter secondary education, but this is usually only possible if you have a lot of laboratory experience and qualifications in science, chemistry in particular. This would also probably mean that you would enter a job as an assistant forensic scientist initially, and you would probably need to gain further qualifications to progress to becoming a forensic scientist.
There is a set of core functional skills forensic scientists will use in their daily work, in addition toa strong academic background and knowledge in forensic science or a related subject. These include:
- Analytical thinking
- Problem-solving skills
- Teamworking skills
- Spoken and written communication skills
- Good colour vision (this is important for physical evidence characterisation, and comparison, and may be important in laboratory work as well)
It is important that you develop these skills (aside from good colour vision which is not within our control) alongside your academic qualifications if you would like to become a forensic scientist.
How long does it take to become a forensic scientist?
Depending on what route you decide to take, becoming a forensic scientist usually takes between three and six years after finishing secondary education.
Most undergraduate courses will take three or four years to complete, and if you choose to take a postgraduate qualification this may take another one to three years, depending on whether this is an MSc or a PhD.
A day in the lIfe of a forensic scientist
Forensic scientists usually work between 37 and 40 hours a week, but this can vary depending on the employer and the forensic specialty they work in. There may also be options to work part-time or flexible hours, again depending on the employer.
Forensic science is often not a 9 to 5 job, and forensic scientists should expect to be working unsociable hours at least occasionally, although some may have to do this quite regularly. Many forensic science jobs also require on-call commitment, in other words, hours when you may not be physically at work the whole time but should be available to be called into work. Forensic scientists may also need to travel, for example to visit crime scenes, interview people associated with the case or attend court hearings.
While some forensic scientists visit crime scenes, most don’t do this very often, and the majority of their work is carried out in the lab. Administrative and IT work is also a big part of a forensic scientist’s job, and a fair amount of the workday will be spent doing administrative tasks.
Forensic scientist: Career options
Entering the field of forensic science comes with many career options, and although the first role you apply for will be competitive, there are plenty of options to advance your careerafter that.
Promotions are usually based on experience, so it may take a few years before you progress from your initial role. Once you have required the necessary experience in the entry-level forensic scientist role, you may be able to progress to reporting officer. Reporting officers usually have their own caseload and are often called into court as expert witnesses.
The next step in the career of a forensic scientist is a casework examiner. Casework examiners often specialise in a particular area of forensic science, and carry out research, publish papers and attend conferences within this area. At this point, forensic scientists are more likely to be asked to attend crime scenes personally.
As with any other job, there is also a managerial/leadership route to take within forensic science. This is dependent on the company and on your preference of workload type because managerial work often requires more delegation, administrative tasks and quality assurance tasks, and may not require as much hands-on work.
If you decide to try something other than aforensic scientist job, a forensic science degree and working background is directly applicable to jobs like analytical chemist, toxicologist, biomedical scientist or detective.
How much does a forensic scientist earn in the UK and US?
The average salary of a forensic scientist in the UK ranges from £18,000 per year at entry level to £45,000 per year for an experienced forensic scientist. The median salary for a forensic scientist in the US is $56,101 per year, but it can range from $40,000 to $88,000 or slightly above.
Resources:
- National careers service. Gov.UK. Forensic scientist. Available from: https://nationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- Department of Justice. NI gov. Careers in forensic science. Available from: https://www.justice-ni.gov.uk/articles/careers-forensic-science (accessed Nov 2023)
- Prospects. Forensic scientist. Available from: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- Indeed UK. How to become a forensic scientist. Updated Jul 2023. Available from: https://uk.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/how-to-become-forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- NCC home learning. Career insights: become a forensic scientist. Available from: https://www.ncchomelearning.co.uk/how-to-become-a-forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- Blore, J. Forensics Colleges. How to become a forensic scientist. Updated Jun 2023. Available from: https://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/htb/how-to-become-forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- CPD Online College. How to become a forensic scientist. Available from: https://cpdonline.co.uk/career-guides/how-to-become-a-forensic-scientist/ (accessed Nov 2023)
- LearnHowToBecome.org. Careers in forensic sciences. Updated Feb 2023. Available from: https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-center/forensic-science-careers/ (accessed Nov 2023)
- University of Strathclyde. How to become a forensic scientist. Published Feb 2022. Available from: https://isc.strath.ac.uk/blog/how-to-become-a-forensic-scientist (accessed Nov 2023)
- Prospects. Forensic science. Published Jun 2022. Available from: https://www.prospects.ac.uk/careers-advice/what-can-i-do-with-my-degree/forensic-science (accessed Nov 2023)
