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What degree would be better forensic science, criminal justice or criminology?

I'm a student at community college looking to transfer soon and I'm undecided on which degree would be best if I wanna become a crime scene investigator and possibly FBI Agent in the future. Forensic studies at USF sound like a good match but St.Leo University has a Criminal Justice degree with a forensics concentration and I'm confused as to which degree would help me more overall. If anyone has experience with what degrees work better thank you.
#law #forensic #college #forensics #criminology #criminal-justice #FBI
#FBI-agent

law criminal-justice forensic forensics criminology fbi fbi-agent
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Estelle’s Answer

I have a good friend who is a forensic scientist. One of the biggest challenges she faces is the difficult situations when she is called in from the coroners office to investigate a death. Most of the time she does her job with little mental stress, but some times due to the situation or the person who died, it stress her greatly mentally. Otherwise the lab work is very typical and could get repetitive at times and somewhat boring. You have the credentials necessary, but I would suggest taking some classes in forensic science, especially the ones concerning work with the police and legal systems. You will be called upon to investigate deaths and give your expert opinion on what happened and when it happened. You will need to know the legal aspects, chain of custody, confidentiality, how to present you opinion to the court etc
Now criminal justice is what is sounds like, police and working with the alive public. There are a bunch of differences in the two careers, but If you are really wanting to go work the FBI consider the following degrees. The FBI has both types of professions, criminal and forensic.
Criminal Justice.
Computer Science.
Cyber Security.
Finance.
Forensic Accounting.
International Studies.
Public Safety Administration.
Psychology.
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Ian’s Answer

Viviana,
This is a great question I'm very glad that you asked it. This is one of those rare opportunities where I can comfortably say that one of these degree choices is superior for your specific goal. If your primary interest were to work as a crime scene investigator then I would say that a degree in forensic science is going to serve you to the highest degree because this will incorporate the biology education and forensic skills that you need to be successful in that role. This will look fantastic on a resume as it will show that you are dedicated long-term to the career of your choosing. I would shy away from things like criminal justice or criminology as these degrees will not directly aid you in finding work as a crime scene technician and you certainly wouldn't be a competitive candidate with that education alone. From another perspective if you were to change your mind and decide that you wanted to become a police officer or correctional deputy, your degree in forensic science would likely stand out more than other individuals who hold criminal justice degrees. In general a criminal justice degree doesn't prepare an individual for much other than becoming a patrol officer or sergeant within a police department and the market is heavily saturated with applicants who've majored in criminology or criminal justice. The forensic science degree is your best possible bet and would likely leave you with the wider range of career options from that point forward and allow you to pursue a master's degree if you were to choose the educational route.

Thank you very much for your question and I hope you're able to make the right career and education decisions moving forward.

Ian Z. Burgos
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Jaida’s Answer

Hi there Viviana!

It sounds like you have some exciting plans coming up. While I went directly to a four year college, I have many friends and colleagues who went to community college and loved it. They also saved a lot of money!

I went to school for Criminal Justice (CJ) and Crime Analysis (I studied crime data). From what I learned along the way, crime scene investigators need a science background. Biology is very important as you will need knowledge of the human body to work in crime scenes. Make sure blood and violence do not bother you!

Make sure the colleges you are interested in, like USF, are offering degrees in specifically Criminal Forensics. There are many sectors of forensics like anthropology or computer science and I wouldn't want you to be misled. If you went the criminal justice option at St. Leo, you would learn about crime in general. I studied Criminal Justice and learned about crime theory and concepts. I enjoyed it, but if you are looking for hands on skills such as investigations or policing tactics the curriculum probably won't cover it.

In terms of making your decision, I would first decide what your career goal is... For a crime scene investigator, I would suggest a science major such as biology with a minor in forensics or criminal justice. A good friend of mine who works at the state crime lab has her BS in Biology and a minor in Criminal Justice. Biology is crucial for the work they do. If you want to do more of a police or FBI Agent job, there is not a specific major that you need so you could choose criminal justice, biology, or even something completely different like fashion design!

I would try and go on a ride along with your local police department. You will be partnered up with an officer who can offer insight into a lot of different criminal justice jobs! Check out Embry Riddle University as well as John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Both of these colleges were apart of my college search back in the day and are considered some of the best in forensic science and CJ.

Best of luck!

Jaida recommends the following next steps:

Go on a Ride Along
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