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Criminal Evidence Management

What Criminal Evidence Management Majors Need to Know

Studies in Criminal Evidence Management build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Criminal Evidence Management graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Criminal Evidence Management emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Criminal Evidence Management program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Criminal Evidence Management careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Criminal Evidence Management graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Criminal Evidence Management professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Windows	Operating system software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Criminal Evidence Management graduates include:

• Investigator
• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Police Officer
• Criminalist
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Police Investigator
• Identification Officer
• State Trooper
• Sheriff’s Detective
• Police Inspector
• Drug Enforcement Agent
• Border Patrol Agent
• Fraud Investigator
• Special Investigator
• Detective

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Criminal Evidence Management graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	35.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	25.3%
Some college courses	12.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	11.9%
Postsecondary certificate	7.8%
Master’s degree	3.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.2%
Doctoral degree	0.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

How Much Do Criminal Evidence Management Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Criminal Evidence Management graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,812
4 years	$44,073
5 years	$49,815

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,815 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Criminal Evidence Management Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Criminal Evidence Management graduates earn a median of $44,073 four years after completion — roughly 16% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Corrections Administration	43.0113
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other	43.0199
Corrections	43.0102
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103
Criminal Justice/Police Science	43.0107
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies	43.0104
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0111
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations	43.0119
Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection	43.0123
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0116

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.