Forensic Chemistry

Types of Degrees Forensic Chemistry Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many forensic chemistry graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	306
Master’s Degree	27
Associate Degree	4
Basic Certificate	1

What Forensic Chemistry Majors Need to Know

In an O*NET survey, forensic chemistry majors were asked to rate what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important in their occupations. These answers were weighted on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the most important.

Knowledge Areas for Forensic Chemistry Majors

Forensic Chemistry majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Chemistry - Knowledge of the chemical composition, structure, and properties of substances and of the chemical processes and transformations that they undergo. This includes uses of chemicals and their interactions, danger signs, production techniques, and disposal methods.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.

Skills for Forensic Chemistry Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to forensic chemistry:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Abilities for Forensic Chemistry Majors

Forensic Chemistry majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Forensic Chemistry Major?

People with a forensic chemistry degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Chemistry Professors	9.9%	$79,550
Chemists	6.5%	$76,890
Clinical Research Coordinators	9.9%	$123,860
Forensic Science Technicians	16.9%	$58,230
Natural Sciences Managers	9.9%	$123,860

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Forensic Chemistry?

This major is dominated by women with about 81% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of forensic chemistry majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	8
Black or African American	22
Hispanic or Latino	47
White	209
International Students	3
Other Races/Ethnicities	17

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Forensic Chemistry, too. About 1.0% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Forensic Chemistry

Some degrees associated with forensic chemistry may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to forensic chemistry have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)	3.0%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production)	1.6%
Some College Courses	8.3%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	5.9%
Bachelor’s Degree	45.1%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	2.9%
Master’s Degree	14.0%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.1%
Doctoral Degree	9.6%
Post-Doctoral Training	9.2%

Online Forensic Chemistry Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	1	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	4	0
Post-Master’s	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	0	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Forensic Chemistry

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to forensic chemistry.

Major	Number of Grads
General Chemistry	18,809
Other Chemistry	603
Polymer Chemistry	85
Chemical Physics	52
Analytical Chemistry	40
Environmental Chemistry	23
Physical Chemistry	10
Theoretical Chemistry	8
Organic Chemistry	6
Inorganic Chemistry	1
Cheminformatics/Chemistry Informatics	1

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.