California students looking for an online bachelor’s degree in forensic science do not have a huge list of strong choices, and that is worth knowing before comparing schools. Many programs marketed around “forensics” are actually criminal justice degrees with a forensic specialization. Those can be useful for investigative careers, but they are not the same as a science-heavy forensic science degree built around chemistry, biology, laboratory methods, and physical evidence.
For students who want a true online or mostly online forensic science bachelor’s, Arizona State University and Utah Valley University offer some of the clearest options currently available to California residents. Both universities provide multiple forensic pathways, but their programs differ in how much laboratory science they require and how much in-person work may be involved.
If you are still comparing undergraduate and graduate routes, see our broader guide to online forensic science degrees or the main guide to forensic science colleges and degree programs in California.
Online Forensic Science Bachelor’s Options
| School | Program | Credits | Main Focus | Online Considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | B.S. in Forensic Science | 120 | Broad forensic science, biology, chemistry, evidence analysis | Online coursework with required in-person lab components |
| Arizona State University | B.S. in Forensic Science — Death Investigations | 120 | Medicolegal death investigation, anatomy, biology, chemistry | Online with two in-person lab experiences in Arizona |
| Utah Valley University | B.S. in Forensic Science — Forensic Laboratory Emphasis | 124 | Crime laboratory science, chemistry, biology, instrumental analysis | UVU publishes an online graduation plan; students should confirm individual lab delivery |
| Utah Valley University | B.S. in Forensic Science — Forensic Investigation Emphasis | 124 | Crime scenes, fingerprints, photography, reconstruction, death investigation | UVU publishes an online graduation plan; course availability should be checked term by term |
The biggest difference is between laboratory forensic science and forensic investigation. A student who wants to become a criminalist or laboratory analyst generally needs stronger chemistry, biology, mathematics, and laboratory preparation. Someone interested in crime scenes, evidence collection, forensic photography, fingerprints, or reconstruction may be better served by an investigation-focused curriculum.
Arizona State University — Online B.S. in Forensic Science
Arizona State University’s 120-credit B.S. in Forensic Science is one of the most direct online bachelor’s options for California students who want a degree centered on forensic science rather than criminal justice.
The curriculum combines natural science, mathematics, forensic analysis, ethics, and evidence-focused coursework. Students can take classes in areas such as forensic biology, DNA, forensic chemistry, toxicology, comparative evidence, forensic anthropology, and crime-scene methods.
This is a broader forensic science degree rather than a narrowly investigative program. Students interested in laboratory careers can use electives to strengthen biology or chemistry, while others can build more experience in criminalistics or evidence analysis.
Plan for some travel
The degree is online, but it is not entirely remote. ASU lists required in-person laboratory coursework for its online Forensic Science B.S. Students may need to complete accelerated laboratory experiences in Arizona, and some chemistry labs may also require in-person work unless an approved equivalent is completed elsewhere.
California students should factor travel, lodging, and time away from work into the cost of the degree rather than comparing tuition alone.
ASU Online lists 40 classes and 120 credits for the program. For the 2026–27 academic year, tuition for most ASU Online undergraduate programs is $580 per credit hour, before applicable college or program fees.
For students who want a broad science-based forensic degree and can accommodate periodic laboratory travel, ASU is one of the stronger distance options.
Arizona State University — B.S. in Forensic Science, Death Investigations
ASU also offers a 120-credit forensic science bachelor’s with a concentration in Death Investigations.
This program keeps a foundation in biology and chemistry but shifts more of the curriculum toward medicolegal death investigation. Students study areas connected to anatomy, human remains, death scenes, forensic anthropology, entomology, and related forensic methods.
It is a better fit for someone drawn to medical examiner or coroner work, death investigation, forensic anthropology, or scene-based medicolegal careers than for a student primarily interested in drug chemistry or traditional crime-laboratory analysis.
ASU currently requires two in-person experiences for online students in this concentration. One covers organic chemistry and biochemistry laboratory skills at the Tempe campus. The other is a five-day hands-on forensic science experience at the West Valley campus.
That makes the program online in the practical sense of completing most coursework remotely, but California students should expect to travel to Arizona.
Utah Valley University — Two Different Online Forensic Science Paths
Utah Valley University offers a B.S. in Forensic Science with two emphases:
- Forensic Laboratory
- Forensic Investigation
Both require 124 credits, and UVU’s current catalog publishes an online graduation plan for each. Because both degrees contain substantial laboratory and practical coursework, California students should verify the delivery method of individual courses with UVU before assuming every requirement can be completed without travel.
The two emphases are quite different academically.
Utah Valley University — B.S. in Forensic Science, Forensic Laboratory Emphasis
The Forensic Laboratory emphasis is the more science-intensive UVU option. It is designed around work commonly performed in a crime laboratory and includes substantial chemistry, biology, physics, mathematics, and laboratory study.
The 124-credit curriculum includes courses such as:
- General chemistry with laboratories
- Organic chemistry I and II with laboratories
- Biology
- Genetics
- Biological chemistry
- Physics
- Statistics
- Analytical chemistry or molecular biology
- Instrumental analysis or forensic serology
- Forensic drug chemistry and toxicology
- Forensic DNA analysis
- Forensic microscopy
- Criminalistics
Students also complete a research project or forensic science internship.
For someone interested in becoming a laboratory criminalist, this curriculum is much closer to what California employers look for than a general criminal justice degree with a forensic concentration.
UVU’s online catalog provides an online graduation plan, but the program contains numerous science laboratories. A California student should confirm exactly how those labs are delivered and whether any require travel, local arrangements, or specific scheduling before enrolling.
For fully online undergraduate students living outside Utah, UVU currently lists a flat tuition rate of $285 per credit.
Utah Valley University — B.S. in Forensic Science, Forensic Investigation Emphasis
UVU’s Forensic Investigation emphasis is aimed more directly at crime-scene and field work.
The 124-credit degree still includes general chemistry, biology, physics, statistics, criminalistics, and forensic microscopy, so it has more science than many investigation-focused criminal justice programs. Upper-division study turns more heavily toward practical evidence work, including:
- Forensic photography
- Fingerprint processing and examination
- Bloodstain pattern analysis
- Crime-scene investigation
- Complex scene reconstruction
- Digital evidence
- Forensic pathology
- Medicolegal death investigation
Students can also take electives in areas such as firearms examination, forensic anthropology, trace evidence, forensic DNA, forensic genealogy, and drug chemistry.
UVU currently identifies both its Forensic Laboratory and Forensic Investigation B.S. programs as accredited by the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC). The university notes that its Forensic Investigation program was among the first crime-scene-investigation programs to receive FEPAC accreditation.
This emphasis is the more natural choice for a student interested in CSI, evidence recovery, fingerprints, scene reconstruction, or death investigation rather than spending most of a career at a laboratory bench.
Can an Online Bachelor’s Qualify You for California Criminalist Jobs?
Potentially, but the word online is not what determines eligibility. The degree and coursework do.
California’s current Criminalist minimum qualifications require the equivalent of a bachelor’s degree with a major in a physical or biological science. The curriculum must include at least:
- Eight semester hours of general chemistry
- Three semester hours of quantitative analysis
That requirement is easy to miss when comparing forensic science programs. A bachelor’s degree can contain plenty of crime-scene and evidence coursework yet still fall short of the chemistry expected for a state laboratory position.
Students interested in laboratory criminalistics should compare the full transcript from any online program against the California Criminalist examination requirements before enrolling.
This is also why a forensic investigation degree and a forensic laboratory degree should not be treated as interchangeable. Both can lead into forensic careers, but the science requirements of the job may favor one very strongly over the other.
What About Online Criminal Justice Degrees With a Forensics Concentration?
There are more of these than there are true online forensic science bachelor’s degrees.
They can be useful for students interested in law enforcement, investigation, evidence handling, or CSI, but the curriculum often contains much less chemistry and biology. A program that awards a B.S. in Criminal Justice with a specialization in Forensic Science should not automatically be compared with a B.S. in Forensic Science that requires organic chemistry, analytical chemistry, physics, genetics, and laboratory courses.
For laboratory careers, look past the word “forensic” and count the science requirements.
Career Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry-level education for forensic science technicians.
BLS reports a national median annual wage of $72,060 in May 2025 and projects employment to grow 13% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,800 openings per year on average.
Those figures cover the broad forensic science technician occupation. Actual positions range from scene-focused evidence work to specialized laboratory analysis, and individual agencies set their own education and experience requirements.
Which Online Bachelor’s Makes the Most Sense?
For a California student comparing the programs on this page, the choice can usually be narrowed by the type of work.
For laboratory criminalistics: start with the science-heavy routes. UVU’s Forensic Laboratory emphasis has the clearest chemistry and biology structure of the programs here, while ASU’s general Forensic Science B.S. offers a broader forensic curriculum with science-based electives.
For crime-scene investigation: UVU’s Forensic Investigation emphasis places much more of the upper-division curriculum around photography, fingerprints, scene analysis, reconstruction, and evidence processing.
For medicolegal death investigation: ASU’s Death Investigations concentration is unusually specialized at the bachelor’s level.
Whichever route you choose, check the laboratory requirements before applying. In forensic science, “online” often means that lectures and much of the coursework are remote while some practical science still happens in person.
That is not necessarily a disadvantage. For students hoping to work with physical evidence professionally, getting real laboratory experience is part of the education rather than an inconvenience to avoid.