List the educational background needed for the job

The B.S. in Forensic Chemistry is a 4-year program.  192 quarter hours are required for graduation, of which 61 hours must be in Chemistry, 19 hours in Law Enforcement Technology, 20 hours in Biological Sciences, 15 hours in Physics, 8 hours in Mathematics, and 5 hours in Psychology.  The rest of the courses entail general education requirements and courses from arts and sciences.

List some institutions where you could receive formal education

Some of the institutions that offer a B.S. Degree in Forensic Chemistry are:

Ohio University
Hull University in Northeast England
College of William and Mary
University of Wisconsin-Madison

List positive and negative aspects about the career

Positive aspects of the job are the ability to solve a crime and the satisfaction of helping society as a whole fight crime by identifying criminals.  You also get to show off your knowledge and get to know a person just by looking at their bones. Negative aspects of the job are the sad parts of identifying a family member in a homicide or working long hours in a lab.

Are jobs available?

There are a significant number of jobs available.  There are only 175 bone detectives practicing in the U.S. and Canada.  A quick search of the Internet identified 10 web sites.  One listed over 450 jobs in biology, medicine, chemistry, math, engineering, physical sciences or environmental sciences.  Since the rate of crimes nationwide will probably continue to rise, the field provides many avenues to pursue, i.e. forensic science, environmental chemistry, pre-law, pre-medicine, etc.  Analysis of crimes and evidence from the scenes of crimes continues to be a wide reaching field.

What is the salary?

Salaries vary depending on the specific field chosen.  Teachers in colleges tend to earn from $45,000 to $70,000 with earned doctorates.  Those starting out in the field in such places as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a local law enforcement area may only start at the high $20’s to low $30’s.  The best method to earn a higher salary is to choose a career that will eventually lead to a higher salary.  If an individual chooses an environmental field with a pharmaceutical company, the salary may tend to be higher.

Is there a future for this occupation?

There is definitely a future for this occupation. Again there are only 175 bone detectives practicing in the U.S. and Canada.   Many crimes are committed every day where the police department or law enforcement agencies need assistance.  In addition, the concern about the effects of pollutants on the environment continues to grow.

What is the purpose of this work?

The purpose of this work is to help solve crimes whether they involve homicide, theft, fraud, arson, food adulteration, environmental pollution, unsafe chemicals, and dangerous working conditions. You use many different things, not just bones. You use hair, blood, fibers, firearms, fingerprints and computers to help solve a crime.
 
 

What kind of problems do they deal with?

Forensic Chemists deal with all kinds of problems in identifying chemicals for solving crimes or identifying the age of particular bones, hair particles, DNA, method of death, etc.  Most of the time not all the bones are available or they are badly decomposed.  Sometimes all you find are the bones and no hair, DNA or clothing.  There could also be no records of the suspected person being missing, so how do you check your findings.