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Thanks to modern television, everyone knows what a criminalist does. Or at least, they think they do. The reality can be a little bit different, and one place where it differs is that there are many types of forensic scientists, each with their own type of forensic scientist degree. A few programs in the specialty do exist now, but are not always recommended for a variety of reasons.

There are six major areas of training for criminalists. Medical examiners, dentists, and forensic anthropologists make up one part, laboratory technicians, technical analysts, crime scene analysts, forensic engineers, and academics in the fields of the social scientists make up the others. Sometimes a person will work within multiple categories, but usually a separate degree is best for each.

Medical examiners in the US are MDs– that is, they have similar training to your family physician. After four years of undergraduate and four years of medical school, the future medical examiners break off from the family physician track and take a residency in a field with good exposure to forensics. The ability to work with dead bodies on a regular basis is a prerequisite.

Analysts who work in the lab work in one of two fields. Lab technicians generally have chemistry degrees, including chemical engineering or biochemistry, while technical analysts might have computer science degrees. Their jobs are to analyze the evidence that investigators bring in from the scene, and supply information about it. The jobs can be dull on occasion, but offer regular hours and little danger.

Crime scene investigators are the stars of the show on television, though they are, of course, only one part of the system. These investigators have, at a minimum, a bachelor’s degree with a major and a minor, one in a natural science and one in criminal justice or law. Their job is to process the scene of a crime for evidence that can be used to figure out what happened, and to prosecute the guilty parties. Forensic engineers do a similar job, except that they assess structures involved in crimes, and engineering degrees are required.

Academic experts for law enforcement can come from consultation with experts in the fields of anthropology, sociology and psychology, or occasionally, from those employed full time in the field. Most academics who offer advice to law enforcement are not full-time employees, however, and the situation is the same with dentists whose expertise is called upon from time to time. Insufficient funding typically prevents the full-time employment of these experts by law enforcement agencies.

Sometimes, psychological profilers are employed full time by a law enforcement agency, working as crime scene investigators. Then, their talents can be called on when needed, while they can be useful in other areas as well. These individuals usually have degrees in criminology and psychology, either a double major or one undergraduate and one graduate degree. These jobs are rare, however, and the minimum training is often not enough to snag one.

Doing the job of any of the forensic scientists is not easy. Long exposure to humanity’s darker side can be emotionally dangerous, and those who work in the lab can easily become tired of the routine nature of the job. Most people are in a better position if their degrees are in fields other than forensics itself, because then if there are no available jobs in law enforcement, they can find one elsewhere. Having a forensic scientist degree can be more a problem than a benefit.

A forensic scientist degree will assist you to study for a career in law enforcement. Earn a forensic scientist associate degree online or at your local community college.