Forensic Science A Far Ranging Field For Dedicated Individuals

In the world of criminal justice, it's takes more than just nabbing the perpetrator to nail a conviction. It also involves collecting evidence to get the conviction. While good police work is essential before the arrest, much of the best evidence is gathered after the arrest, and the people who do that collecting are the forensics experts. Because of this, the world of forensic science is one of the fastest growing professions in the U.S.

Still, a forensic expert will tell you they had to do anywhere from two to six years of post-secondary education in order to get that first position. As anyone will tell you, getting that vocational certificate or college degree doesn't come cheaply. The best way to cut the cost of tuition, text books and fees is with grants and scholarships.

Anyone who does a quick scan will quickly learn one thing: there are a lot of different forensic specialties. Further, they are as different from one another as night and day. For instance, as history will testify, it wasn't the Untouchables who finally nabbed Al Capone. What got him was obtaining his financial records and then arresting him on tax evasion. What the books usually forget to mention is this was the start of forensic accounting.

So the first decision is to decide what area a student wants to specialize in. If they really are interested in forensic accounting, they will find grants and scholarships specifically set up for this. Believe it or not, one of the biggest is from no less than the FBI, which gives students up to $1,000 a year to specialize this way. If you are interested in computer science-related forensics, there are similar organizations willing to help.

There are also general scholarships and grants available to all students studying a wide array of forensic specialties. Two such organizations are the American Society of Crime Lab Directors and the Northeastern Association of Forensic Scientists. The former awards $1,000 to undergraduate juniors and seniors. The latter goes case by case.

Another important source is the very obvious ones, such as the federal and state government, as well as the university one is enrolled in. Many of these aren't as academically-oriented, basing their grants on financial need. At the same time, it must never be forgotten that the Pell can be as much as $5,000 a year, and that pays an incredible amount of tuition.

Most important is to sit down and discuss your financial needs with an on campus or online college advisor. While it never hurts to go to a search engine and see what you can find out for yourself, these professionals more than likely know sources you've never heard of. Further, they can help considerably when it comes to filling out the applications and other paper work.

So anyone wants to become a forensics expert - no matter what area of specialty - should be as diligent in their hunt for scholarships and grants online as they will be on the job. Do it right, just as you'll perform when taking the necessary on-campus class or course online program, and it will truly pay off.