Quick answer: Forensic science is laboratory science, so a fully online route is limited. The credential runs through a FEPAC-accredited bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a natural science. Programs, the careers this degree opens, and what they pay are covered below.
Forensic science is laboratory science, so a fully online route is limited. Criminal law, evidence handling and general chemistry and biology theory work at a distance; instrumental analysis, microscopy and casework practice do not. FEPAC-accredited programs are campus-based for that reason, and online offerings are more often criminal-justice degrees with a forensic focus.
A credible curriculum is heavier on science than on criminal justice: general and organic chemistry, biology and genetics, instrumental analysis, statistics, and then forensic specializations such as trace evidence, forensic biology and DNA, toxicology or questioned documents. Courtroom testimony, evidence law and quality assurance run alongside, because analytical work that cannot survive cross-examination has limited value to an agency.
Before you request information anywhere, check a program’s FEPAC accreditation status and weigh its laboratory science content - a forensic label on a criminal justice curriculum is a different qualification. With that filter set, compare forensic science programs enrolling now:
Every school listed is verified in federal IPEDS data both to award this degree and to offer programs that can be completed entirely by distance education at this level. Whether this exact degree is delivered fully online varies by school, so confirm the format before you apply.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by BOC Score with the highest at the top. 10 of them carry a score.
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal about the institution rather than about this subject. Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard
Look at the science content first. A program labeled forensic science that carries little laboratory chemistry and biology is a criminal justice degree with different branding, and crime laboratories generally hire from science backgrounds. Check FEPAC accreditation, ask how much hands-on instrumentation time students actually get, and ask where recent graduates were hired, since laboratory positions are competitive and agency internships frequently decide who gets them.
FEPAC, the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, accredits forensic science programs, and crime laboratories frequently prefer FEPAC-accredited graduates or a straight natural-science degree over a general criminal justice qualification. Certification through the American Board of Criminalistics is typically earned after employment rather than before it.
Separately from programmatic accreditation, the institution itself should hold accreditation from a recognized institutional accreditor. Credit transfer between institutions is decided by the receiving school and genuinely varies, so get any transfer evaluation in writing before enrolling.
Ask these before an application fee, and get the answers in writing rather than over the phone:
Before you shortlist schools, it also helps to be precise about the job this degree points at.
Forensic science technicians divide between crime scene work and laboratory analysis. Scene work is documentation, recovery and chain of custody; laboratory work is instrumental analysis of biological, chemical or trace evidence. Both ends carry a courtroom obligation: the analysis has to survive cross-examination, which is why documentation discipline matters as much as technique.
This is the licensed tier above credentials many readers already hold. The rungs run:
The national framework is the constant: a FEPAC-accredited program, then the American Board of Criminalistics certification administered through American Board of Criminalistics. What sits on top of that framework is set jurisdiction by jurisdiction, and this site does not hold a sourced dataset of per-state rules, so confirm the specifics with the hiring agency and its state crime laboratory system before enrolling.
Employment is projected to change by 12.8% between 2024 and 2034, with roughly 2,900 openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Openings come from growth and from replacing people who leave the occupation, which is why the annual figure can look large relative to the percentage.
This field requires blunt framing. Interest in forensic science far exceeds the number of positions: the occupation is small, laboratory roles are competitive, and hiring is concentrated in public agencies with slow, budget-dependent cycles. Many applicants also arrive with a criminal justice degree and discover that laboratories recruit from chemistry and biology instead. Anyone committed to it should treat the science coursework, an agency internship and a FEPAC-accredited program as the three things most likely to determine outcomes, and should keep a general science career as a viable fallback.
Forensic science technicians earn a median $72,060 per year, or $34.65 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $72,060 |
| Median hourly wage | $34.65 |
| Employed nationally | 19,120 |
| Bottom 10 percent | $48,250 |
| Top 10 percent | $117,250 |
| Middle half | $57,830 to $94,520 |
| Projected change, 2024-34 | 12.8% |
| Annual openings | about 2,900 |
Wage and employment figures: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Growth and openings: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34.
| State | Median annual wage | Employment |
|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $124,790 | 370 |
| California | $102,100 | 2,800 |
| Connecticut | $85,910 | 120 |
| Colorado | $84,010 | 510 |
| Montana | $82,200 | 60 |
Highest-paying states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Cost of living is not held constant, so a higher median does not automatically mean more disposable income.
This site does not publish tuition figures, because there is no sourced dataset behind them and the number varies enormously by institution and residency. What can be stated is the wage structure the degree leads into. The middle half of forensic science technicians earn between $57,830 and $94,520, with the bottom 10 percent at $48,250 and the top 10 percent at $117,250 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The gap between the 25th and 75th percentile is the honest range to plan against - not the median alone, and not the top figure.
| State | Employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2,800 | $102,100 |
| Florida | 1,920 | $64,140 |
| Texas | 1,900 | $59,870 |
| New York | 1,140 | $81,670 |
| Arizona | 900 | $63,250 |
Largest employing states, BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment concentration and pay do not track each other, which is why the highest-paying states above are not the same list. State and metro pages linked below carry the full distribution.
Only partly, and this field deserves a blunt answer. Laboratory coursework and instrumentation practice are not replicable at a distance, and FEPAC-accredited programs are campus-based. Fully online offerings marketed as forensic science are frequently criminal justice degrees with a forensic concentration, which is a different qualification.
The national median annual wage is $72,060, or $34.65 per hour (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $48,250 or less and the top 10 percent earn $117,250 or more, across 19,120 forensic science technicians nationally.
Most commonly a bachelor's degree in a natural science such as chemistry or biology, or a FEPAC-accredited forensic science degree. Laboratory positions in particular tend to be filled from science backgrounds rather than from general criminal justice programs.
Employment of forensic science technicians is projected to change by 12.8% from 2024 to 2034, with about 2,900 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Growth is strong in percentage terms, but the field is small, so the absolute number of openings each year is limited and competition for laboratory positions is real.
Not usually as a condition of hire. Certification through the American Board of Criminalistics is generally pursued after employment, once a technician has casework experience in a discipline. Agency and laboratory requirements differ, so confirm with the agencies you are targeting.
Not closely. Real casework is slow, documentation-heavy and narrow: analysts typically specialize in one discipline rather than working a case end to end, and much of the job is quality assurance, backlog management and preparing to defend an analysis in court. Backlogs and courtroom obligations shape the work far more than any single dramatic result.
Best Online Forensic Science Degrees in 2026 - the top schools ranked by BOC Score The careers this degree sits above or beside:
Related reading across the degree silo:
State pay, licensing and metro-level data for this degree. Wage and employment figures on every state page come from BLS OEWS, May 2025.
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About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
