Forensic Science Degrees in Louisiana

Updated September 23, 2026

Louisiana State University offers a Forensic Chemistry concentration through its Chemistry department, and two more institutions appear in federal Security Science and Technology CIP-family data covering the broader field. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for forensic science technicians, and Louisiana employed about 240 of them as of May 2025.

Forensic science work starts long before anyone reads a lab report—it starts with a technician logging a chain of custody so tight a defense attorney can’t crack it in court. If you’re weighing whether this specialty fits you in Louisiana, here’s what the training looks like, what the state’s labs actually require, and where you can study it.

Browse sponsored forensic science programs below, then keep reading for what the job and the requirements actually look like in Louisiana.

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What Forensic Scientists Do in Louisiana

The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory is accredited in seized drugs, fire debris, impressions, DNA, latent prints, toxicology, firearms and tool marks, crime scene investigation, and bloodstain pattern analysis, all under ANAB’s ISO/IEC 17025 standard. That range is the job in miniature. A technician might spend a morning on trace evidence and an afternoon testifying about it in court.

Working the job means precision under pressure. A contaminated sample can compromise the analysis and the credibility of the result, which is why forensic science programs put so much weight on lab protocol before anyone touches real casework.

Where to Study Forensic Science in Louisiana

Louisiana State University offers a Forensic Chemistry concentration through its Chemistry department, one of several tracks inside the B.S./B.A. Chemistry program (LSU College of Science). That’s a named, forensic-science-specific credential, confirmed directly with the school.

Beyond LSU, two more institutions appear in the federal Security Science and Technology CIP-family data, the broader category federal reporting uses that includes but isn’t limited to forensic science. Their listed credentials cover the security-science family generally, not a confirmed forensic-science-specific program, so treat the table below as a starting point for your own research rather than a forensic science degree list.

Institution	City	Credential Level(s)	Control
Louisiana Delta Community College	Monroe	Associate’s Degree	Public
Southern University at New Orleans	New Orleans	Bachelor’s Degree, Post-baccalaureate Certificate	Public

Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying. School and program data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, institution file May 2025 and field-of-study file April 2025. Data accessed September 2026.

Education and Hiring Requirements for Forensic Science Work in Louisiana

BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for forensic science technicians nationally, with fields of study in physical science, biology, or forensic science. An associate degree may be sufficient for some positions (Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024). Louisiana’s own hiring standards run stricter than that floor.

The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory hires Crime Lab Analysts with a bachelor’s degree carrying at least 12 semester hours in biology or chemistry, plus 12 more hours in a biological science, chemistry, forensic science, physics, criminalistics, or pharmacology. A criminal justice degree does not meet that bar. The lab’s student internship program runs on the same logic. Chemistry, biology, forensic science, and related natural science majors qualify. Criminal justice and psychology majors don’t. The internship is currently paused through Fall 2026 while the lab moves into a new facility.

There’s no single license or exam that covers every Louisiana forensic scientist. Requirements are set by the hiring lab and the specialty. Some roles carry their own credential on top of the degree. The state’s Crime Scene Primaries, for example, hold International Association for Identification (IAI) crime-scene certification. Sworn law enforcement work like detective and patrol positions runs on a separate track entirely, certified through the Louisiana Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) system, not through any crime lab requirement.

Pay and Related Careers in Louisiana

Louisiana employed about 240 forensic science technicians as of May 2025. BLS has not published a median wage estimate for the occupation at the state level for that period; the underlying figure is marked as not released (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). The role is projected to grow 13% in Louisiana between 2024 and 2034 (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34).

Related Career: Detectives and Criminal Investigators

Detective work is a separate law enforcement career, not a forensic science pathway, though the two fields cross paths constantly on a case. Detectives and criminal investigators in Louisiana earned a median $60,450 a year as of May 2025, with the bottom 10 percent making $39,020 and the top 10 percent clearing $131,730 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). Growth is projected at 1.6% between 2024 and 2034 (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34). Detective and patrol work is sworn law enforcement, certified separately through Louisiana’s POST system, not through crime lab hiring standards.

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Forensic Science Technicians and Detectives and Criminal Investigators. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state-level data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.

Frequently Asked Questions

What degree do I need to become a forensic scientist in Louisiana?

BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for forensic science technicians nationally, in a field like physical science, biology, or forensic science (Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024). Louisiana’s crime lab hiring standards go further, requiring specific coursework in biology or chemistry. Louisiana State University offers a named Forensic Chemistry concentration through its Chemistry department.

Can I work in a Louisiana crime lab with a criminal justice degree?

Not for a scientist role. The Louisiana State Police Crime Laboratory explicitly excludes criminal justice and psychology degrees from its Crime Lab Analyst and internship eligibility, requiring coursework in biology, chemistry, forensic science, or a related natural science instead.

How much do forensic scientists make in Louisiana?

BLS has not published a May 2025 median wage estimate for forensic science technicians in Louisiana. A related but separate role, detectives and criminal investigators, earned a median $60,450 a year in the state as of May 2025.

Is forensic science a growing field in Louisiana?

Forensic science technician jobs in Louisiana are projected to grow 13% between 2024 and 2034 (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34).

Key Takeaways

LSU offers a named Forensic Chemistry concentration – a confirmed, forensic-science-specific credential through the Chemistry department, verified directly with the school.
Federal CIP data adds two more Louisiana schools – Louisiana Delta Community College and Southern University at New Orleans, though their listing covers the broader security-science-and-technology family, not a confirmed forensic-science program.
Louisiana’s crime lab hiring bar is stricter than the national floor – a bachelor’s with specific science coursework, and criminal justice degrees don’t qualify.
State wage data is limited – BLS has not published a May 2025 Louisiana median for forensic science technicians, though the state employed about 240 of them and projects 13% growth through 2034.

If cost is what’s holding you back, Criminal Justice Programs’ financial aid guide covers scholarships built for criminal justice majors.

Looking for a Criminal Justice Program in Another State?

Want the bigger picture? Read the full guide to Compare Forensic Scientist Schools & Training Programs.