Forensic Science and Technology Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Forensic Science and Technology maps to BLS occupations averaging about $111,866, with roughly 211,810 workers nationwide in those roles. About 54,278 bachelor's completions in IPEDS 2023; median in-state published tuition is about $5,220.
Key Statistics
Forensic Science and Technology: what the data shows
Common questions about forensic science and technology degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a forensic science and technology degree?
A Forensic Science and Technology program is classified under NCES CIP 43.0106 in the Criminal Justice and Corrections field family (43.01).
Moved from 43.0106 to 43.0406
IPEDS counted 54,278 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of forensic science and technology degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 43.01 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Corrections (CIP 43.0102)
- Corrections Administration (CIP 43.0113)
- Criminal Justice (CIP 43.0103)
- Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration (CIP 43.0104)
- Criminal Justice - Police Science (CIP 43.0107)
- Criminalistics and Criminal Science (CIP 43.0111)
- Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations (CIP 43.0119)
- Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection (CIP 43.0123)
- Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism (CIP 43.0116)
- Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation (CIP 43.0117)
- Juvenile Corrections (CIP 43.0110)
- Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis (CIP 43.0118)
- Law Enforcement Investigation and Interviewing (CIP 43.0114)
- Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management (CIP 43.0115)
- Maritime Law Enforcement (CIP 43.0122)
- Protective Services Operations (CIP 43.0120)
- Securities Services Administration/Management (CIP 43.0112)
- Security and Loss Prevention Services (CIP 43.0109)
- Suspension and Debarment Investigation (CIP 43.0121)
How long does it take to get a forensic science and technology degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 43.0106 in our file:
- 28,147 Associate (30.0% of IPEDS total)—about two years of full-time study
- 54,278 Bachelor's (57.9% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 11,212 Master's (12.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
- 37 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)—varies by program
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Biological Scientists, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 43.0106, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a forensic science and technology degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Forensic Science and Technology to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Conservation Scientists | 25,590 | $67,950 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 22,510 | $99,240 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a forensic science and technology degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Criminal Justice and Corrections bachelor's program family: median debt $21,330, median earnings $55,378 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 0.57.
About 5.0% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $5,220 and median net price is $12,560.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Forensic Science and Technology and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$5,220 Median In-State Public
$27,900 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Forensic Science and Technology majors are, on average, $5,220 for in-state public colleges, and $27,900 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Forensic Science and Technology programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Forensic Science and Technology from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Forensic Science and Technology.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 2 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 3 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 4 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
| 5 | Southern New Hampshire University | NH | 163,164 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Forensic Science and Technology programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 2 | Barstow Community College | CA | $1,104 |
| 3 | Taft College | CA | $1,108 |
| 4 | Antelope Valley Community College District | CA | $1,124 |
| 5 | Woodland Community College | CA | $1,124 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Forensic Science and Technology programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 2 | New Mexico State University-Grants | NM | $68 |
| 3 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 4 | College of the Sequoias | CA | $480 |
| 5 | College of San Mateo | CA | $536 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Forensic Science and Technology programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Forensic Science and Technology programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Forensic Science and Technology is in CA (5,014 completions). That state represents about 9.2% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is WV (4.29% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| CA | 5,014 | 9.2% | 1.11% |
| TX | 4,785 | 8.8% | 1.63% |
| NY | 3,744 | 6.9% | 1.36% |
| FL | 3,647 | 6.7% | 1.59% |
| AZ | 2,266 | 4.2% | 1.63% |
| PA | 2,245 | 4.1% | 1.31% |
| AL | 2,025 | 3.7% | 2.99% |
| VA | 1,965 | 3.6% | 1.60% |
| NJ | 1,709 | 3.1% | 1.98% |
| NC | 1,560 | 2.9% | 1.26% |
| WV | 1,539 | 2.8% | 4.29% |
| OH | 1,486 | 2.7% | 1.07% |
| GA | 1,476 | 2.7% | 1.29% |
| MA | 1,463 | 2.7% | 1.15% |
| IN | 1,375 | 2.5% | 1.33% |
| NH | 1,308 | 2.4% | 2.07% |
| IL | 1,249 | 2.3% | 0.90% |
| CO | 1,124 | 2.1% | 1.57% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 43.01 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Corrections CIP 43.0102
- Corrections Administration CIP 43.0113
- Criminal Justice CIP 43.0103
- Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Administration CIP 43.0104
- Criminal Justice - Police Science CIP 43.0107
- Criminalistics and Criminal Science CIP 43.0111
- Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations CIP 43.0119
- Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection CIP 43.0123
- Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism CIP 43.0116
- Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation CIP 43.0117
- Juvenile Corrections CIP 43.0110
- Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysis CIP 43.0118
- Law Enforcement Investigation and Interviewing CIP 43.0114
- Law Enforcement Record-Keeping and Evidence Management CIP 43.0115
- Maritime Law Enforcement CIP 43.0122
- Protective Services Operations CIP 43.0120
- Securities Services Administration/Management CIP 43.0112
- Security and Loss Prevention Services CIP 43.0109
- Suspension and Debarment Investigation CIP 43.0121
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 43.0106 in the survey year used in our extract (93,674 total across levels below).
- 28,147 Associate (30.0% of IPEDS total)
- 54,278 Bachelor's (57.9% of IPEDS total)
- 11,212 Master's (12.0% of IPEDS total)
- 37 Doctorate (0.0% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $111,866. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Forensic Science and Technology graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $124,288 | 59,710 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,151 | 16,600 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Conservation Scientists | $90,227 | 25,590 |
| Animal Scientists | — | 2,470 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $122,337 | 22,510 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Criminal Justice and Corrections CIP family (264 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Forensic Science and Technology graduate.
- $21,330 median federal loan debt among completers
- $55,378 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 0.57 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.0% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$111,866 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Forensic Science and Technology majors is $111,866.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Forensic Science and Technology majors.
Occupations by Share
211,810 2023 Workforce
The number of Forensic Science and Technology graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Forensic Science and Technology by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Forensic Science and Technology in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Forensic Science and Technology.
Age distribution for Forensic Science and Technology degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
54,278 Total Degrees Awarded
23,700 Male (43.66%)
30,578 Female (56.34%)
Gender distribution of Forensic Science and Technology degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
24,577 White (45.28%)
14,497 Hispanic or Latino (26.71%)
8,327 Black or African American (15.34%)
2,003 Two or More Races (3.69%)
1,585 Asian (2.92%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Forensic Science and Technology degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Forensic Science and Technology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Forensic Science and Technology.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Forensic Science and Technology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Forensic Science and Technology majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Forensic Science and Technology majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Forensic Science and Technology majors.
About
Moved from 43.0106 to 43.0406
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Forensic Science and Technology.
CIP Code
43.0106 - Forensic Science and Technology
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $21,330 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $55,378, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.57. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Forensic Science and Technology graduate.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $111,866. The largest mapped role by headcount is Biological Scientists, All Other (59,710 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $5,220 in-state at public colleges and $27,900 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.