Thanks to modern television, everyone knows what a criminalist does. Or at least, they think they do. The reality can be a little bit different, and one place where it differs is that there are many types of forensic scientists, each with their own type of forensic scientist degree. A few programs in the specialty do exist now, but are not always recommended for a variety of reasons.

There are six major areas of training for criminalists. Medical examiners, dentists, and forensic anthropologists make up one part, laboratory technicians, technical analysts, crime scene analysts, forensic engineers, and academics in the fields of the social scientists make up the others. Sometimes a person will work within multiple categories, but usually a separate degree is best for each.

Medical examiners are, of course, doctors. They must have a four year undergraduate degree, then complete four years of medical school, and finally complete a residency in some form of medicine that offers exposure to forensics. Besides the extended period of training required, medical examiners must be able to work with dead bodies every day.

Analysts who work in the lab work in one of two fields. Lab technicians generally have chemistry degrees, including chemical engineering or biochemistry, while technical analysts might have computer science degrees. Their jobs are to analyze the evidence that investigators bring in from the scene, and supply information about it. The jobs can be dull on occasion, but offer regular hours and little danger.

Those investigators who actually go out to the scene of a crime and collect evidence are called crime scene analysts or crime scene investigators. A bachelor’s degree with a focus in a natural science and an area of concentration in criminal justice or law is generally required. Forensic engineers are responsible for interpreting the engineering evidence related to a crime, such as when buildings are damaged by the commission of a crime. These investigators have engineering degrees.

Academic experts for law enforcement can come from consultation with experts in the fields of anthropology, sociology and psychology, or occasionally, from those employed full time in the field. Most academics who offer advice to law enforcement are not full-time employees, however, and the situation is the same with dentists whose expertise is called upon from time to time. Insufficient funding typically prevents the full-time employment of these experts by law enforcement agencies.

Sometimes, psychological profilers are employed full time by a law enforcement agency, working as crime scene investigators. Then, their talents can be called on when needed, while they can be useful in other areas as well. These individuals usually have degrees in criminology and psychology, either a double major or one undergraduate and one graduate degree. These jobs are rare, however, and the minimum training is often not enough to snag one.

While working in forensics can successfully marry the right person’s love of science and justice, the jobs are not often like what is portrayed on television. It’s a good idea to make sure that you know what your future profession would really entail, before embarking on a specialized degree. And while programs that offer a forensic scientist degree do exist now, they are not as good as some other majors for keeping your options open. There are not always jobs available, and degrees in forensics are not that transferable, while chemistry degrees, for example, are.