Criminal Justice Major-Criminal Justice Degree Is Within Reach
Forensic science is the use of scientific principles to resolve legal questions. The field is growing in popularity, possibly because of the number of crime series on television. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, forensic scientists were among the 30 fastest growing careers in 2008. That year the number of forensic science technicians jumped 30%. It would not be surprising to learn that many of those obtained a degree in criminal justice online.
As a result, more colleges and universities are offering forensic science classes and degree programs. There are more than 130 forensic science programs now being taught nationwide. If this is one of your interests, you can earn your degree online. The colleges often offer the same courses and degree programs as traditional colleges. If you choose to attend school from a distance, all the choices are up to you. You not only select your college, you also choose when to study. This type of schooling revolves around your schedule.
There are colleges that offer a forensic science major. However, people in the field may also have undergraduate degrees in physics, chemistry or biology. There are several careers for someone who chooses forensic science as a major. Some of these jobs require more schooling, while others are available to those with a bachelors degree.
A medical examiner is the highest paid career in the field of forensic science. A medical examiner is a doctor trained in pathology. Medical examiners use body tissue and blood to analyze the cause of a person’s death. Medical examiners not only have undergraduate degrees in science, they also attend medical school and then spend years specializing in pathology before they ever get the job.
If it’s the criminal mind that intrigues you,forensic psychology may be the field for you. Forensic psychologists may work in the justice system, helping to identify and analyze suspects, help victims recover or testify in court. Forensic psychologists not only have a bachelors degree, they also complete graduate work and sometimes a doctorate degree. Forensic psychologists earn an average salary of $53,000 a year.
If you are not interested in graduate programs, there are still lots of uses for your forensic science degree. Crime laboratory analysts look at the evidence of a crime scene and try to connect it to a suspect. Lab analysts can also major in other sciences, like biology or chemistry. The typical salary of a lab analyst is $28,000 to $45,000 a year, often depending on experience and location.
While analysts spend most of their time in the lab, crime scene investigators work in the trenches so to speak. They are the people at the scene of the crime who gather and process the evidence. Crime scene investigators work closely with police officers and lab analysts. Depending on their experience, CSI’s can earn $20,000 to $50,000 a year.
While most people with their forensic science degrees may end up working in a lab or with law enforcement, there are also teaching jobs available. If you have an interest in science, this growing field may interest you. Online college makes it easier to investigate your associate criminal justice degree. There’s no need to change your life, you can test the waters with one online class. If you like the field, you can go for your online criminal justice degree. If not, there are hundreds of other subjects you can study, all on the web.
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