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Forensic medical examiner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a forensic medical examiner. Forensic medical examiners usually study nursing, biochemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, or medicine. 52% of forensic medical examiners hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 31 real forensic medical examiner resumes to see exactly what forensic medical examiner education sections show.
The most common colleges for forensic medical examiners are the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler and the The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler.
There are also many online forensic medical examiner courses to help get the education required to be a forensic medical examiner.
What education do you need to become a forensic medical examiner?
What degree do you need to be a forensic medical examiner?
- Bachelor's, 52%
- Doctorate, 22%
- Associate, 19%
- Master's, 7%
What should I major in to become a forensic medical examiner?
Most common colleges for forensic medical examiners
| Forensic medical examiner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler | 11.11% |
| Texas Wesleyan University | 5.56% |
| Ohio Northern University | 5.56% |
| Pace University | 5.56% |
| SUNY at Buffalo | 5.56% |
Best majors for forensic medical examiners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nursing | 10.3% |
| 2 | Biochemistry, Biophysics, Molecular Biology | 10.3% |
| 3 | Medicine | 10.3% |
| 4 | Chemistry | 10.3% |
| 5 | Criminal Justice | 6.9% |
Best colleges for forensic medical examiners
The best colleges for forensic medical examiners are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
A forensic medical examiner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for forensic medical examiners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become forensic medical examiners.
1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
New Brunswick, NJ • Private
In-state tuition
$14,974
Enrollment
35,656
4. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
5. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
7. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
8. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
9. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
10. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
20 best online courses for forensic medical examiners
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Top 10 most affordable universities for forensic medical examiners
The most affordable schools for forensic medical examiners are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and hunter college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for forensic medical examiners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for forensic medical examiners.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
3. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
6. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
7. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
8. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
9. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Cost of attendance
25,527
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for forensic medical examiners
The hardest universities for forensic medical examiners to get into are Harvard University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
Some great schools for forensic medical examiners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for forensic medical examiners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
7. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
8. University of Chicago
Chicago, IL • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,520
9. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
10. Georgetown University
Washington, DC • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,456
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for forensic medical examiners
The easiest schools for forensic medical examiners to get into are University of the Incarnate Word, wayland baptist university, and curry college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a forensic medical examiner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for forensic medical examiners.
1. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
2. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
3. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
4. La Roche College
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
99%
SAT average
1,008
5. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
6. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
7. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Sonoma State University
Rohnert Park, CA • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
1,072
10. The University of Texas at El Paso
El Paso, TX • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,035
Average forensic medical examiner salary by education level
| Forensic medical examiner education level | Forensic medical examiner salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $100,351 |
| High School Diploma or Less | $62,182 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $84,921 |
| Doctorate Degree | $120,256 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $67,992 |
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025