How much schooling do you need to be a Crime Scene Investigator?

Answer 1

that varies by state. The best thing would be to contact your local police department to find out the requirements.

Answer 2

Go to the front section of your phone book and call the number that sounds closest to forensic science and crime scene investigation, morgues, etc. If you get an automated answering system, keep hitting options that sound close until you get a person on the phone.

Tell them you're interested in becoming a forensic scientist and you were wondering if anyone there would be willing to talk to you about that sort of thing, or if they know a better place you should call.

I did that and I ended up talking to the chief medical examiner for the county. Our county has millions of people in its population, so I was impressed that this man was willing to talk to me for over a half hour. He told me way more than I ever thought I could learn from one phone call. He told me about what he looks for when he's hiring forensic scientists and how much schooling they need to have and where to get it. He gave me a run-down on a day-in-the-life of a forensic scientist. He even gave me more ideas of other jobs in that same field that I didn't even know existed. It was awesome. And then he gave me the cell phone number of a forensics guy I could talk to if I wanted to know even more.

Just be polite, tell them you're a student and you're considering that line of work, have at least a few questions ready so you know what you want to ask about, and you'll get far. People love talking about themselves, and they love giving career advice to students because it makes them feel like they may have touched a life.

In Arizona a person can get a crime scene certification program at one of the local colleges. It's not even a whole degree program, just a certificate program. And that's all they need as far as education goes.

You can also try talking to the academic advisement department at your local community college and see if they can point you in the right academic direction. Whichever school you go to, make sure they are regionally or nationally accredited or both. Regionally is higher quality than nationally, and it helps you to be sure your credits and time spent will be worth something when you're done.

Answer 3

You do know it isn't anything like CSI on TV, right? Most of the CSI's work is tedious paperwork and testing, going through piles of evidence that reveals nothing useful, and a lot of waiting for results.

In most cases, you won't be going out and catching the bad guys, nor will you get to interview suspects. You will spend time waiting around in court rooms for hours while absolutely nothing happens.

OK - as long as you understand all that... you need at least a first degree, and then you need to take additional courses, dependent on the specialization you want to make. And there aren't many jobs, so be prepared to move out of state to find work.

Contact your local University first, and ask about degrees in criminology.

Answer 4

Masters Degree in Forensic Psychology= 6 yrs of college

Answer 5

its more like an AA and you have to become a police officer and have experience before you can actually be part of the crime scene dept... my dream exactly but i do not wish to be a police officer =/

Answer 6

A BA in physical anthropology is a good start....

Answer 7

Special colleges for that,,,John
Jay in NYC, is one of them.