Forensic and investigative scientists rely upon state-of-the-art scientific discoveries and technologies as tools to seek answers to critical questions in a variety of settings. Molecular, organismal, environmental, and ecological sources of information are often analyzed and interpreted in industrial, regulatory, legal, medical and associated professions.
Graduates of our accredited Forensic and Investigative Sciences program will be competitive for employment opportunities in quality assurance laboratories, homeland security and investigative services at local, state and national levels. Students will be prepared for opportunities to enter post-graduate studies or professional schools including medicine, law, and veterinary medicine.
Students are expected to complete courses in the semester they are outlined on the curriculum or with prior advisor approval. Students who deviate from the curriculum as outlined or planned with advisors may be forced to delay graduation.
Accreditation
The B.S. Forensic and Investigative Sciences – Science Emphasis program is one of two bachelor’s degree programs in the state of Texas that is nationally accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC) of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.
Learn more about the FEPAC accreditation, including:
- Vision, Mission, Goals and Program Objectives
- Performance Disclosures
- Internships
- Program Requirements
- Faculty
- Annual Newsletters
- Forensic and Investigative Sciences Enhancement Endowment
- Career Options in Forensic and Investigative Science
Undergraduate program enrollment and graduation data
| Academic Year | Science Emphasis Enrollment | Science Emphasis Degrees Awarded | Law Emphasis Enrollment | Law Emphasis Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-2026 | 269 | N/A | 302 | N/A |
| 2024-2025 | 264 | 41 | 322 | 56 |
| 2023-2024 | 262 | 24 | 192 | 32 |
| 2022-2023 | 194 | 19 | 136 | 9 |
| 2021-2022 | 264 | 26 | 7 | 2 |
| 2020-2021 | 208 | 16 | 2 | 1 |
Career options in forensic and investigative science
Graduates of the Forensic and Investigative Sciences program are competitive for employment opportunities in quality assurance laboratories, homeland security and investigative services at local, state and national levels. Graduates will also be well prepared for success post-graduate studies or professional schools including medicine, law and veterinary medicine.
The American Academy of Forensic Sciences maintains a Job Board for forensic science professionals. Students can also explore prospective careers in this major through the Texas A&M Career Center.
Science Track (FEPAC Accredited)
Alumni Employment
Law Track (Not FEPAC Accredited)
Alumni Employment
Forensic science employers who have hired our students…
- A&M Forensics and Engineering
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Onexel
- Americorps
- Analyte Health
- Aqua-Tech Laboratories
- Arlington Police Department
- Armstrong Forensic Laboratory (AFLAB)
- Bexar County Criminal Investigation Laboratory
- Bode Technology
- Bryan Police Department
- College Station Police Department
- Collin County Sheriff’s Office
- Colorado Mental Health Services
- Colorado State Police
- Customs and Border Protection
- Dallas County Crime Lab
- Dallas Police Department
- Diosynth Biotechnologies
- Haltom City Police Department
- Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
- Houston Forensic Science Center
- Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
- Joe Guerrero’s Law Firm
- Korean Doping Control Center
- Lake County Government
- McKinney Police Department
- Midland Texas Police Department
- Military Police Corps
- National Health Services, UK
- New York State, Division of Criminal Justice Services
- Othram
- Plano Police Department
- Prodigy Learning Center
- Quest Diagnostics
- Rodriguez & Gimbert PLLC
- Steps to Progress LLC
- Steward healthcare
- Tarrant County Courts
- Taylor Farms
- Texas A&M Agrilife
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
- Texas Engineering Extension Services
- Travis County
- Trinity Mother Francis
- Unified Metropolitan Forensic Crime Laboratory, Colorado
- United States Army
- United States Navy
- UNT Health Science Center
- US Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs
Places our students have done their internships…
- A&M Forensics, Inc.
- A&M Forensics, Inc., Accident Scene Reconstruction
- Air Force Office of Special Investigations
- Arizona Department of Public Safety – Central Regional Crime Lab
- Austin Forensic Science Department
- Austin Police Department
- Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office
- Brazos County Juvenile Services Department
- Brazos County Public Defender’s Office
- Brazos County Sheriff’s Office
- City of Palm Springs Police Department
- College Station Police Department
- Dallas County Office of the Medical Examiner
- Dallas County Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences
- El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Bureau of Investigation, San Antonio Office
- Fort Worth Police Department Crime Laboratory
- Garland Police Department
- Grand Prairie Police Department
- Harlingen Police Department
- Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences
- Houston Forensic Science Center
- Houston Police Department
- Illinois State Police
- Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department
- League City Police Department
- Leander Police Department
- Mesilla Marshal Department
- Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Crime Laboratory
- National Center for Missing and Exploited Children
- Quality Forensic Toxicology
- Rick Davis & Associates
- San Antonio Police Department
- Sexual Assault Resource Center of Bryan
- TAMU Ento
- Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office
- Texas Department of Public Safety
- The Center for Clinical and Forensic Psychology
- UTA Police department
- Washington County Coroner’s Office
Research topics…
- A Scoping Review of Predictable Traits in Forensic DNA Phenotyping
- A Survey of Forensically Important Flies (Diptera) in Toco, Trinidad
- Ability to affect the results of a Phenolphthalein Test with Household Chemicals
- Accuracy of Facial Composite Recognition and Identification within Age Groups from 5-12, 13-17, 18-30, 31-50, 51-65, and above 65 years old.
- Active Ingredients Related to Amphetamines
- Active Ingredients Related to Amphetamines: Quantifying the Pseudoephedrine Content in Common Cold Medicines
- Adapting Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) Protocols for Use in a Small-Scale, Portable Thermocycler
- Analysis of Sugars and Caffeine in Coca-Cola from the United States and United Kingdom
- Clarity of Shoe Impressions in Different Soil Types
- Commensalism in Necrophagous Arthropods May Lead to the Discovery of Clandestine Burials
- Community, Creativity, and Identity in Generative Role-Play Based Learning
- Comparison of Concealment Methods on the Visibility of Accidental Marks on Shoe Soles
- Comparisons of Sugars in Coca-Cola, Ketchup, and Bread from the United States and the United Kingdom
- Determining an Attacker’s Height from Angle of Stab Wound
- Dietary Effects on the Development and Reproduction of Hermetia illucens (L.) (Diptera: Stratiomyidae) Using Novel and Established Diets
- Differences in Longevity of Chrysomya rufifacies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Macquart) and Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera: Calliphoridae) (Fabricus) Adults
- Effect of Caffeine on Post-Mortem Blood Coagulation
- Effect of Sunlight Versus Shade on the Magnitude of Presence of Forensically Important Species of Diptera in Northeastern Trinidad.
- Effectiveness of Leuco-Crystal Violet on Washed Blood Meal Spatter
- Effectiveness on Retail Cleaning Supplies in Hiding Blood Splatter from Luminol
- Effects of Dextromethorphan on Decomposition and Insect Colonization in Chicken Exposed Postmortem
- Effects of Quicklime on Insect Colonization
- Efficiency Testing of Wet Wipes From 5 Brands on the Cleanup of Blood Spills
- Eliminating the Texas Rape Kit Backlog
- Fingerprint Powder is not the Most Reliable Fingerprint Collection Method
- Forensics Meet the Imagination of the Blind Getting Positive Media Attention on “Can the Blind Solve the Crime?” Is there substantial evidence in imagination?
- Habitat Preference of Forensically Important Diptera in Toco, Trinidad, WI
- How Eyewitness Testimony is Affected Over Different Durations of Time
- How the Angle of Photography Affects Blood Spatter Analysis
- Identifying Key Ingredients in Cough Syrup
- Investigating the Effects of Acute Heat Shock on Third Instar Cochliomyia macellaria1
- Micro-expressions in private versus public environments
- Putrefaction Impact of Bivariate Differences in Decomposition Environments: Substantiated through a Plastic Tarp
- Relationship Between Where a Spent Shell Casing Lands and the Shooter’s Location Based on Type of Gun
- Research on the effect of transfer medium viscosity on patent footwear impression resolution and size.
- Testing Common Household Substances for False Positives Among Differing Presumptive Blood Analysis Tests
- Testing Gunshot Residue on Dark Apparel After Shooting a .22 Long Rifle
- The Affect of Gun Class on GSR
- The Capability of Acuminate Ice-generated Puncture Lethality and Depth in Mammalian Torso
- The Connection Between Lying and Eye Movement
- The Correlation between Behavioral Characteristics and Lie Detection
- The Detection of GHB in Wine
- The Differences in Blood Spatter Patterns Created by Diverse Textures and Structures of Objects
- The Effect Of Ananas comosus Concentrations On The Rate Of Decomposition
- The Effect of Being Led to Believe a Fabricated Event Occurred on Eyewitness Testimony
- The Effect Of Pineapple Enzyme Concentrations On The Rate Of Decomposition
- The Effect of the Presence of Iron in Common Household Substances on the Luminol Blood Detection Test
- The Effects of Blood Glucose Levels on the Attraction of Forensically Important Flies
- The Effects of Household Cleaner on Bones
- The Effects of pH on the Decay of Animal Bones
- The Effects of Playing Sports on Average Height of 18 year old Males and Females
- The Effects of Pre Washing Fabrics on the Removal of Bloodstains
- The Impact of Sunscreen on the Attractancy of Forensically Important Flies in Toco, Trinidad
- The Power of Priming: An Examination of the Effects of Associative, Repetition, and Semantic Priming on College Students
- Utilizing Gel Crystallization of Ba(NO3)2 in GSR using NaR
- Validation Study: Forensically Relevant Fly Activity of Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) Carcasses & Impact of Tissue from Different Fish Species on the Growth of Black Soldier Flies (Hermetia illucens) Larvae
- Visualizing Calcium Signaling in Collectotrichum graminicola
- Voluntary thermal maximum of third instar Lucilia eximia (W) (Diptera:Calliphoridae).
Average salaries for common forensic science positions
| Job Title | Description | Average Salary |
| Crime Scene Investigator | Work with law enforcement to identify, isolate and secure the crime scene and preserve, collect and record evidence at crime scenes | $48,725 |
| FBI Special Agent | Conduct surveillance, gather and analyze data, monitor online activities, collect evidence | $73,322 |
| Forensic Nurse | Work with doctors on helping to identify and treat victims, preserving evidence, and working with law enforcement in solving crimes | $42,000 |
| Forensic Chemist | Analyze physical evidence and samples for clues to solve crimes. Be able to clearly and concisely respond to challenges to their findings in a court of law | $59,252 |
Correspondence contacts
- Program Matters and Outreach: Adrienne Brundage
- Scientific Inquiries: Contact a member of the Interdisciplinary Faculty Group
- FEPAC Accreditation: Adrienne Brundage
Complaints
Texas A&M University is committed to providing an educational and work climate that is conducive to the personal and professional development of each individual. To further that commitment, the university has developed procedures for students to pursue grievances within the university community. For general guidelines on filing complaints, see Student Grievance Procedures in the Student Rules: https://student-rules.tamu.edu/studentgrievanceprocedures/.
Complaints to FEPAC
The policy of FEPAC is to review in a timely, fair, and equitable manner any complaint it receives against an accredited program that is related to FEPAC’s Accreditation Standards and/or Policies & Procedures and to take follow-up action, as appropriate, including enforcement action, if necessary, based on the results of its review. Furthermore, FEPAC policy will review in a timely, fair, and equitable manner, and apply unbiased judgment to, any complaints against FEPAC and to take follow-up action, as appropriate, based on the results of its review.
To file a complaint with FEPAC, visit the FEPAC Policies and Procedures (Section 4.2 Complaints) at https://www.aafs.org/sites/default/files/media/documents/2023%200212%20FEPAC%20Policies%20%26%20Procedures.pdf, or use the contact information below:
The Forensic Science Education Program Accreditation Commission (FEPAC)
Website: http://www.aafs.org/fepac
Contact Information:
American Academy of Forensic Sciences
410 North 21st Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Telephone: 719-636-1100
Fax: 719-636-1993
Complaints Procedures: Policies and Procedures (See: Complaints against accredited programs)
Other Information: Must be in writing and signed.
Send to:
FEPAC
410 N 21st St
Colorado Springs, CO 80904