Annual Salary
£18,000 to £45,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
Swap to Maths or STEM or go back to all job sectors
Swap to Maths or STEM or go back to all job sectors
Forensic scientists prepare traces of physical evidence for use in courts of law.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: on call; at short notice
There will be
2.4% more Forensic scientist jobs in 2027.
In this role you could:
You may need to wear protective clothing.
You could work in a laboratory, in a court or visit sites.
Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree or postgraduate qualification in:
Entry to jobs is competitive, so it may help to choose a university qualification accredited by The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
You'll usually need:
The following science degree apprenticeships may be relevant to this role:
It will help if you do your aprenticeship with a company that provides forensic science services, or with a police force that has its own in-house lab facilities.
You'll usually need:
You can apply directly to forensic services providers if you've got a lot of lab experience, and qualifications in science, especially chemistry.
You'll need to:
If you want to specialise in recovering data from computers and mobile phones, you'll need relevant experience and qualifications. Useful subjects include computing, electrical engineering, electronics or physics.
You can join The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences for professional development and advice. The society has student membership, for undergraduates aiming to get into a forensic science career.
You can find out more on careers in forensics from The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
With experience, you could move into management and direct other forensics staff as a forensics manager or casework examiner.
You could also work as a reporting scientist, acting as an expert witness in court.
You can find out more on careers in forensics from The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences.
You'll need: