Forensic Scientist Family
Career series with 4 positions across 3 levels
New Jersey classifies Forensic Scientist as a 3-level family, 4 titles in all, built for step-by-step advancement.
Entry is typically through Forensic Scientist 1, advancing through the ladder toward Forensic Scientist 3. Pay across the family spans $79,844 to $148,187, around the 78th percentile of all civil service job families by top pay. State payroll records show 157 people across the family's titles, most concentrated at Law and Public Safety.
Forensic Scientist is a common next step after Forensic Accountant and Forensic Photographer.
Positions in This Family
- FORENSIC SCIENTIST 1 (01592)
- FORENSIC SCIENTIST 2 (01593) $91,628 - $134,900/year
- FORENSIC SCIENTIST 3 (01594) $100,498 - $148,187/year
- FORENSIC SCIENTIST 1 (10915) $79,844 - $117,228/year
What the Forensic Scientist family covers
New Jersey classifies Forensic Scientist as a 3-level series holding 4 separate title codes. The family straddles jurisdictions: 2 both state and local, 1 local, and 1 state, so parts of it are hired by state departments and parts by local civil service employers.
The state runs working laboratories rather than research institutes, so scientific titles are tied to a statutory job: testing water and air, screening newborns, analysing evidence, monitoring pesticides, mapping geology. Degrees in a named field do the qualifying, and the exam is often an evaluation of education and experience rather than a written test. Because each laboratory is small, these families tend to be short ladders inside one agency instead of broad classifications spread across government.
The ladder, ordered by pay
Sorted by pay instead of by title number, the Forensic Scientist family stacks up as follows. Here the numbering happens to agree with the pay order, which is not guaranteed elsewhere in New Jersey's plan.
- Forensic Scientist 3 — $100,498 to $148,187 (a master's degree and 3 years of experience)
- Forensic Scientist 2 — $91,628 to $134,900 (a master's degree and 2 years of experience)
- Forensic Scientist 1 — $79,844 to $117,228 (a master's degree and 1 year of experience)
The distance from the bottom of Forensic Scientist 1 to the top of Forensic Scientist 3 is $68,343, an increase of about 86% over the entry minimum.
What each title does
The specifications themselves are the clearest guide to what separates these titles. Here is how each one opens.
- Forensic Scientist 1: Under the limited supervision of a Forensic Scientist 3 in a local government agency, conducts the chemical analysis of various materials and evidence submitted to…
- Forensic Scientist 2: Under the general supervision of a Forensic Scientist 3, or other supervisory official, in the Department of Law and Public Safety or in the Department of Health…
- Forensic Scientist 3: Under the direction of an Assistant Chief Forensic Scientist or the Chief Forensic Scientist, or other supervisory official, in the Department of Law and Public…
- Forensic Scientist 1: Under the limited supervision of a Forensic Scientist 3 in the Department of Law and Public Safety or in the Department of Health, conducts the chemical…
Getting in: the stated requirements
Across the 4 titles we have parsed, the education requirements read as a master's degree on 4 of them. Stated experience runs from 1 year at the lowest rung to 3 at the highest, which is the main thing separating one level from the next.
On how the jobs are filled: 2 are competitive, filled from an eligible list after an open competitive or promotional examination and 2 are non-competitive, appointed on proof of the stated qualifications rather than by examination.
Who actually employs these titles
157 people appear on the state payroll under 3 of these titles, at 2 agencies. Law and Public Safety alone accounts for about 97% of them.
- Law and Public Safety — 153 employees
- Health and Senior Services — 4 employees
Median actual pay varies across the family, from $95,204 for Forensic Scientist 1 up to $143,176 for Forensic Scientist 3. Those are medians of what people are really paid, not schedule minimums and maximums.
State payroll only, deduplicated by payroll title; local employers file separately, so a family with local codes looks smaller here than it is. How this is counted.
How the pay is set
Titles in this family are paid on the A-P-R-S salary schedule. See every step in that schedule. Bargaining is handled by CWA. Union contracts and rights are collected here.
Where these jobs exist
Because the family mixes jurisdictions, the answer to "who hires this" depends on the specific code. State codes run through the Civil Service Commission's announcement and eligible list process; local codes are hired by the counties, municipalities and authorities that adopted civil service under Title 11A. Check an employer's status before assuming a title is available where you live.
Related titles elsewhere in the plan
Nearby in the plan, ranked by how distinctive the shared terms are rather than by how many words happen to match.
- Chief Forensic Scientist Department of Law and Public Safety ($83,210 to $116,477, both state and local jurisdiction) — in the Chief family
- Assistant Chief Forensic Scientist Department of Law and Public Safety ($71,879 to $100,638, state jurisdiction)
- Assistant Chief Forensic Scientist Department of Law and Public Safety ($110,276 to $162,870, state jurisdiction)
- Forensic Chemist (local jurisdiction)
- Forensic Accountant ($69,668 to $101,951, state jurisdiction)
- Forensic Toxicologist (state jurisdiction)
Common questions about Forensic Scientist jobs
How many separate Forensic Scientist classifications does New Jersey have?
The Forensic Scientist family holds 4 title codes arranged across 3 levels. Each code is a separate classification with its own published specification, requirements and salary treatment.
How much is a Forensic Scientist paid?
Published salary data for this family runs from $79,844 at the bottom of Forensic Scientist 1 to $148,187 at the top of Forensic Scientist 3. Those are schedule figures. Where the title appears on the state payroll, actual median pay is listed on the page above.
Is there a civil service test for Forensic Scientist?
Yes for most of the family. 2 of the 4 titles are in the competitive division, which means appointment comes from an eligible list built by an open competitive or promotional examination.
What are the requirements to become a Forensic Scientist?
The most common education requirement in this family is a master's degree, named on 4 of the 4 titles. Stated experience ranges from 1 to 3 years depending on the rung. Read the individual specification for the exact wording, including any experience substitution.
Which agencies employ Forensic Scientist staff?
State payroll records show 157 people in this family across 2 agencies, with Law and Public Safety the largest at 153. Local government employers are not covered by that extract.