Forensic Science Programs in Vermont

Updated September 22, 2026

Vermont’s one confirmed school in this federal data set, Champlain College, teaches digital forensics, not laboratory forensic science. Vermont’s forensic science technicians, a separate lab-based occupation tracked by BLS, earn a median $74,110 a year as of May 2025 data. Detective work is a different Vermont career entirely, with its own law-enforcement certification path.

You already know evidence doesn’t collect, process, or testify itself. Someone runs the lab work, and that’s where a forensic science degree points you, toward chemistry- and biology-based lab work like the kind covered under the BLS Forensic Science Technician occupation. In Vermont, that’s a genuinely small field: about 30 people work as forensic science technicians statewide, per May 2025 BLS data. If detective work interests you too, it’s worth knowing upfront that it’s a separate career track with its own hiring and certification process, not something a forensic science degree leads to on its own.

Find out how by contacting forensic science schools in Vermont.

Featured Programs:

What Can I Do with a Forensic Science Degree in Vermont?

“Forensic science” isn’t one path. Depending on the degree you choose, you could end up in a chemistry- and biology-based crime lab, in a digital forensics unit recovering data from phones and hard drives, or in forensic psychology assessing offenders, a track that requires separate psychologist licensure on top of the degree. These are different jobs with different training. The degree you pick should match the one you’re actually after.

What a Forensic Science Degree Actually Covers

The Bureau of Labor Statistics says forensic science technicians typically need a bachelor’s degree, usually in a physical science, biology, or forensic science itself, built around lab methods like DNA analysis, toxicology, and evidence processing. That’s different preparation from digital forensics, which focuses on recovering and analyzing data from computers, phones, and networks, or from forensic psychology, which layers criminal-behavior and assessment coursework onto a psychology degree and still requires state-specific licensure to practice. None of these substitute for one another, so confirm which track a program actually teaches before you enroll.

Where to Study Digital Forensics in Vermont

One Vermont institution appears in federal education data under the CIP family that includes forensic science: Champlain College, in Burlington. Its current programs, though, are digital forensics specifically, not laboratory forensic science. Champlain offers an online A.S. in Digital Forensics (60 credits) and an online M.S. in Digital Forensic Science (30 to 36 credits), with the graduate track advertised as completable in as little as 10 months at two courses per term. Coursework in a program like this typically covers computer and network security, investigating cybercrime, and recovering evidence from mobile devices.

Institution	City	Control	Credential Levels (per federal CIP-family data)
Champlain College	Burlington	Private nonprofit	Undergraduate Certificate, Bachelor’s, Graduate Certificate, Master’s

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. Confirm current program names, format, and admission requirements directly with the school before you apply, since federal reporting can lag a school’s current catalog.

What These Careers Pay in Vermont

Vermont’s forensic science technicians, the lab-based BLS occupation this degree most directly prepares you for, number about 30 statewide and earn a median $74,110 a year, per May 2025 BLS data. ProjectionsCentral’s 2024-34 state projections put growth at roughly 12%, from a base of 30 jobs to about 40, though the field stays small enough that most years bring only a handful of openings.

If you’re curious about detective work as a related but separate path, Vermont detectives and criminal investigators number about 190 statewide and earn a median $106,330 a year, per the same BLS data set (BLS, May 2025). That’s a distinct law-enforcement career, not an extension of a forensic science degree. Getting there runs through Vermont’s own hiring and certification pipeline: a law-enforcement agency has to sponsor you, you sit for the Vermont Police Academy entrance exam through NTN FrontLine, and you clear the state’s medical, physical-fitness, psychological, background, and polygraph screening before training starts. Full-scope Level III officers complete a 17-week residential academy, and once certified, they keep it current with 30 hours of continuing training a year under VCJC Rule 20. ProjectionsCentral projects about 2% growth for this occupation through 2034, with an average of 20 openings a year statewide.

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

Do I need a forensic science degree to work in a Vermont crime lab?

Most lab technician roles want a bachelor’s degree in forensic science or a closely related physical or biological science, per BLS guidance. That’s different preparation from a digital forensics degree, so confirm the program you choose actually teaches the lab science a crime lab hires for.

What’s the difference between a forensic science technician and a detective?

A forensic science technician works with physical evidence in a lab. A detective is a sworn law-enforcement officer who investigates cases and can use that evidence, but reaches the job through Vermont’s own police hiring and certification process, not a forensic science degree. They’re related fields, not a career ladder.

How long does a forensic science or digital forensics program take in Vermont?

It depends on the program and level. Champlain’s online A.S. in Digital Forensics runs 60 credits, and its M.S. in Digital Forensic Science is 30 to 36 credits, advertised as completable in as little as 10 months at two courses a term. A traditional four-year bachelor’s in lab-based forensic science elsewhere typically runs closer to 120 credits.

Is Champlain College the only place to study this in Vermont?

It’s the only Vermont institution that appears in the federal CIP-family data covering this field, but its current programs focus on digital forensics specifically, not laboratory forensic science. If you’re after the lab science track, you’ll likely need to look out of state or online.

Does a forensic science degree qualify me to become a Vermont police detective?

No. Detective work runs through Vermont’s own law-enforcement pipeline: an agency has to hire or sponsor you, you take the Vermont Police Academy entrance exam through NTN FrontLine, and you pass the state’s medical, fitness, psychological, background, and polygraph screening before training. Full-scope Level III officers complete a 17-week residential academy. A forensic science or digital forensics degree can be a useful credential in that process, but it isn’t a substitute for it.

Key Takeaways

One school, a narrower focus than it looks – Champlain College is the only Vermont institution in the federal CIP-family data covering this field, but its current programs are digital forensics, not laboratory forensic science.
Lab work pays $74,110 median – Vermont forensic science technicians, a distinct BLS occupation of about 30 jobs statewide, earn that as of May 2025 data.
Detective work is a separate career, not a next step – it runs through Vermont’s own law-enforcement certification pathway (VCJC, Vermont Police Academy, Level II/III), not through a forensic science degree.
Match the track to the job – lab forensic science, digital forensics, and forensic psychology require different coursework and lead to different careers. Confirm which one a program actually teaches.

Worried about paying for the degree? The scholarships guide lists awards built for criminal justice majors, with eligibility, amounts, and deadlines.

Read: Scholarships for Criminal Justice Majors and Grad Students

Looking for Forensic Science Programs in Another State?

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