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Forensic scientist
Forensic scientists prepare traces of physical evidence for use in courts of law.
Annual Salary
£20,000 to £45,
Working hours
37 to 40
Future employment
There will be 4% more Forensic scientist jobs in 2022.
In your local area
What's it all about?
What you'll do
Forensic scientists use a range of techniques to find and study evidence from a variety
of sources, like blood and other body fluids, hairs, textile fibres, glass fragments and
tyre marks.
Your main role will be looking for evidence to link a suspect with a crime scene, but you
may also specialise.
Your day-to-day tasks may include:
blood grouping and DNA profiling
analysing fluid and tissue samples for traces of drugs and poisons
examining splash patterns and the distribution of particles
analysing handwriting, signatures, ink and paper
providing expert advice on explosives, firearms and ballistics
researching and developing new technologies
recovering data from computers, mobile phones and other electronic equipment
attending crime scenes, such as a murder or fire
giving impartial scientific evidence in court
Entry requirements
You’ll usually need a degree or postgraduate award in forensic science. You may also
be able to get into this career with a science-based degree like chemistry, biology, life
sciences, applied sciences or medical sciences.
If you want to specialise in electronic casework (recovering data from computers,
mobile phones and other electronic equipment), you may need experience and
qualifications in computing, electrical engineering, electronics or physics.
To start as a forensics lab support assistant, you’ll need A levels, a BTEC or an HND in
science.
The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences (CSFS) has more information about
careers in forensic science.
Salary
£20,000 to £45,
Starter salary: £20,
Experienced salary: £25,000 to £35,
These figures are a guide.
Working hours
37 to 40
You’ll usually work 37 hours a week, Monday to Friday. Your employer may use a shift
or on-call system for dealing with high priority work.
You’ll be based mainly in a laboratory, but may also visit crime scenes, which could be
distressing
You’ll wear special clothing to prevent contamination and protect you from hazardous
substances.
Career path and progression
With experience, you could move into management and direct other forensics staff as a
forensics manager or casework examiner.
You could also work as a reporting scientist, acting as an expert witness in court.
Criminology
As a criminology graduate with critical thinking, analytical and communications skills, you're attractive to employers both inside and outside the criminal justice sector
Job options
Jobs directly related to your degree include:
Community development worker
William Horncastle MA Criminology student
Typical employers
Major employers include:
central and local government the police and prison services the court services security services non-profit-making organisations, including the NHS, educational institutions and charities that work with young offenders or victims of crime.
Opportunities also exist in the private sector, for example in private security and in law practices.
It's also possible to work in a range of social welfare posts, such as mental health support and drug rehabilitation, housing (as housing officers or in outreach support roles), as homelessness officers, and in refugee and victim support/counselling.
Find information on employers in law enforcement and security, social care, charity and voluntary work, and other job sectors.
Employers hiring criminology graduates now
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Graduate Leadership Programme 2019
Police Now Various locations Competitive salary
Leadership Development Programme
Frontline Various locations Competitive salary
View more public services and law enforcement jobs
Skills for your CV
Studying criminology develops your understanding of the social and personal aspects of crime, victimisation and responses to crime and deviance, as well as building specific skills such as:
generating and evaluating evidence making reasoned arguments and ethical judgments critical thinking analysing and interpreting data report writing.
If you study other subjects alongside criminology, you should consider the complementary skills they provide you with, for example, an increased awareness of psychology or politics related to criminology topics.
Also consider your more general skills in areas such as research, written and oral communication, IT, time management and the ability to work productively both in a group and individually.
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Further study
Most criminology graduates who go on to further study choose from a range of vocational areas including social work, teaching and law conversion courses.
Some students choose to progress to Masters courses, including MAs in criminology or criminal justice, which will enhance subject knowledge, possibly with a view to going on to further academic research. Courses relevant to specific client groups also exist, such as a Masters in alcohol and drug studies.
There are also many postgraduate courses where a degree in any subject is accepted for entry, offering the possibility to change career direction. To find a course that interests you, search postgraduate courses.
What do criminology graduates do?
More than two thirds of criminology graduates are in employment six months after finishing their course.
Destination Percentage
Employed 63.
Further study 19.
Working and studying 7.
Unemployed 4.
Other 4.
Graduate destinations for criminology
Type of work Percentage
Retail, catering and bar work 21.
Technicians and other professionals 14.
