Forensic Science & Technology

Stem Major

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

3,502

growing 7.99%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,418

growing 4.56%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$29,775

growing 4.53%

Average Wage

$63,414

growing 1.48%

People in Workforce

1.1M

growing 1.78%

Average Employee Age

39.6

growing 0.736%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Forensic Science & Technology degree recipients are , West Haven, CT, and Melville, NY. The locations with a relatively high number of Forensic Science & Technology degree recipients are Melville, NY, West Haven, CT, and Goodland, KS. The most common degree awarded to students studying Forensic Science & Technology is a bachelors degree.

Protective Services Criminal Justice & Corrections

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Forensic Science & Technology and the types of students that study this field. University of New Haven awards the most degrees in Forensic Science & Technology in the US, but Caribbean Forensic and Technical College and Hilbert College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology.

Tuition costs for Forensic Science & Technology majors are, on average, $6,418 for in-state public colleges, and $29,775 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Forensic Science & Technology programs are Public, 2-year institutions (93 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (1,575 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forensic Science & Technology

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology, is Public, 4-year or above (1,575 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Forensic Science & Technology programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,418

Median In-State Public

$29,775

Median Out of State Private

University of New Haven has the most Forensic Science & Technology degree recipients, with 154 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Caribbean Forensic and Technical College
34.4%
Hilbert College
20.5%
Oklahoma State University Center for Health Sciences
18.4%

Out of all institutions that offer Forensic Science & Technology programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Caribbean Forensic and Technical College and Hilbert College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology, with 34.4% and 20.5%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Forensic Science & Technology

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Forensic Science & Technology.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Protective Services graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Protective Services majors is $63,414 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

The industry that employs the most Protective Services majors is Justice, public order, & safety activities , though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

$63,414

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,231

1.48%

1 Year Growth

± 2.76%

The average salary for Protective Services majors is $63,414 and the most common occupations are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Protective Services majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Protective Services majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Protective Services majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common occupations Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Police officers, Other managers, and Security guards & gaming surveillance officers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Protective Services majors working as Probation officers & correctional treatment specialists, Detectives & criminal investigators, and Firstline supervisors of police & detectives.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Protective Services majors are Physicians, Nuclear medicine technologists and medical dosimetrists, and Information security analysts.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

1.1M

2018 Workforce

± 25,691

1.78%

1 Year Growth

± 3.25%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.78%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.1M in 2018.

The largest single share of Protective Services graduates go on to work as Police officers (10.7%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Protective Services by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common industries that employ Protective Services majors, by number of employees, are Justice, public order, & safety activities , Elementary & secondary schools, and Legal services.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The highest paying industries of Protective Services majors, by average wage, are Miscellaneous nonmetallic mineral product manufacturing, Plastics product manufacturing, and Support activities for mining.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

1.1M

2018 Workforce

± 25,691

1.78%

1 Year Growth

± 3.25%

The number of Protective Services graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 1.78%, from 1.08M in 2017 to 1.1M in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Protective Services graduates by share is Justice, public order, & safety activities , followed by Elementary & secondary schools. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Protective Services.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Protective Services majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Protective Services majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Protective Services in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Protective Services is 39.6, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Protective Services degrees, and White students earn the majority (1,879) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

39.6

Average Age in 2018

± 0.274 Years

0.736%

1 Year Change

± 0.969%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Protective Services. The most common ages of employees with this major are 28 and 27 years old, which represent 3.6% and 3.57% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Forensic Science & Technology are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and < 1 Year Postsecondary Certificate.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Protective Services are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (72.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Forensic Science & Technology.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
1,879 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
774 degrees awarded
Black or African American
374 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Forensic Science & Technology for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
663 degrees awarded
White Male
284 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
209 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Forensic Science & Technology. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Forensic Science & Technology is from the 2 Digit Course Protective Services.

Most Common Countries of Origin

Mexico
10,450 degree recipients
India
4,861 degree recipients
Dominican Republic
3,369 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Laos
4.15 times more than expected
England
3.15 times more than expected
Trinidad & Tobago
2.43 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Laos that hold Protective Services degrees (4.15 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is Mexico (10,450 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Forensic Science & Technology field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Forensic Science & Technology majors need many skills, but most especially Speaking. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Forensic Science & Technology majors need more than the average amount of Speaking, Active Listening, and Monitoring.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Forensic Science & Technology majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Speaking is very distinctive for majors, but the Speaking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension are the three most important skills for people in the field.