Also called: Questioned Document Examiner, Handwriting Analyst
Examines handwriting, signatures, ink, and paper to detect forgeries.
Document examiners compare signatures on wills and checks, detect alterations under special lights, and figure out if a ransom note was printed on a certain printer. Training takes about two years.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in science plus 2-year apprenticeship; ABFDE certification.
Ways in: 4-year college, Apprenticeship, Certification. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Forensic Science, Chemistry, Criminal Justice.
Growing much faster than average (about 13% over 10 years). BLS forensic science technicians 2024-34 (13%, much faster than average).
Medium risk for 10 years. AI handwriting and ink analysis tools improve; few jobs, with humans still giving the court opinion.
Classes: Chemistry, Art / drawing, AP Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-4092.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.