Crime Scene Investigation vs. Laboratory Science

"Forensic science" covers two kinds of daily work that people often assume are one job. One happens at the scene: photographing, documenting and collecting evidence. The other happens in a laboratory: analyzing that evidence with instruments and scientific methods. The two connect, but the training, the employers and the hiring rules are different. This guide sets them side by side.

What each role does

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) treats both under one occupation, forensic science technicians, and describes the split in its Occupational Outlook Handbook:

• Crime scene work. Technicians photograph and sketch scenes, collect and preserve evidence, maintain chain of custody, and search for fingerprints and DNA.
• Laboratory work. Technicians perform chemical, biological and microscopic analyses, review DNA results, write technical reports and operate laboratory equipment.

The FEPAC accreditation standards draw the same line. The commission has separate undergraduate curricula for crime scene investigation and for laboratory-oriented tracks such as biology and chemistry. The crime scene track requires one statistics course, two laboratory sciences and at least 9 semester hours of crime scene coursework (evidence recognition and collection, latent prints, bloodstain pattern analysis, scene safety and similar topics). The biology and chemistry tracks require the full chemistry, biology, physics and calculus sequence. See forensic science prerequisites for the details.

Education routes

BLS says a bachelor's degree is typical for forensic science technicians, that an associate's degree may be enough for some positions, and that common fields include physical science, biology and forensic science. It also says technicians usually learn on the job under moderate-term training before working cases independently, and that laboratory specialties usually take under a year to learn.

Programs make the field-versus-laboratory choice visible in their curricula:

• Utah Valley University offers one forensic science major with two emphases. The forensic investigation emphasis lists forensic photography, fingerprint processing and examination, and bloodstain pattern analysis. The forensic laboratory emphasis lists forensic drug chemistry and toxicology, forensic DNA analysis, genetics and organic chemistry. Both emphases list matriculation requirements that include college biology and chemistry with labs.
• The University of Central Oklahoma lists laboratory examination of impression evidence, fingerprints, firearms and glass in its forensic investigations curriculum.
• The University of Wisconsin-Platteville teaches forensic investigation with simulated crime scene practicals in a crime scene house and outdoor research facility, and encourages majors or minors in biology or chemistry; its page does not itemize those courses.
• West Virginia University operates a Crime Scene Training Complex with four crime scene houses, a vehicle processing garage and a ballistics test center.

A crime scene track is not a shortcut around the sciences. The FEPAC standards still require laboratory science coursework for it, and the programs above ask for chemistry and biology.

Sworn or civilian

BLS notes that some crime scene investigators for police departments are sworn police officers who have met police academy admission requirements. It does not say how common this is, and agencies differ.

The New Jersey Institute of Technology's catalog is more specific for its region: it says crime scene investigation positions may be sworn law enforcement or civilian roles depending on the agency, and that in many northeastern jurisdictions crime scene personnel are required to be sworn police officers. Those are the catalog's words about its job market, not a national rule.

The practical consequence is that a crime scene career may run through an academy in addition to, or instead of, a science degree. Our guide on academic degrees vs. police academy training explains how those requirements are set separately.

What laboratories and agencies set themselves

BLS reports that credentials are typically not required, but that for independent casework a technician may need to pass a proficiency exam through the state or be approved by a laboratory or accrediting body. State rules can go further. The University of North Texas states that its forensic science concentration students take the Texas General Forensic Analyst License Exam in their last semester, and that passing makes them eligible for the forensic analyst license once they have a job in the field. That requirement belongs to Texas, not to every state.

Background checks are common. The University of Central Florida's forensic science page says background checks similar to those for law enforcement officers are likely a condition of employment, and the Platteville page notes that agencies require background checks and health assessments and that some records or conditions may limit eligibility. Whether a given record would disqualify an applicant is up to the hiring agency.

BLS also shows who hires. In its 2025 breakdown, local government accounted for 64% of forensic science technician jobs and state government for 27%. Most hiring therefore happens at agencies that publish their own standards, so read the job posting for the target agency instead of relying on the degree title.

Certificates and degrees

A certificate is not a degree, and BLS describes degrees as the typical entry credential for the occupation. This directory lists degree programs, so it cannot tell you whether a specific agency accepts a certificate in place of one. If you are weighing a short credential against a degree, ask the hiring agency what it accepts.

Salary and outlook, in context

For all forensic science technicians, BLS reports a median annual wage of $72,060 in May 2025 and projects 13% employment growth from 2025 to 2035, about 2,700 jobs from a 2025 base of 20,100. These are occupational statistics for everyone in the occupation, not outcomes of any degree or school, and they do not distinguish crime scene work from laboratory work.

Choosing between them

• If you like chemistry, instruments and written reports, the laboratory route suits a laboratory-based program.
• If you want fieldwork, look at the crime scene investigation subject page and check whether target agencies hire civilians or sworn officers.
• If you are unsure, a program with both emphases, like Utah Valley's, keeps the decision open for longer.