Careers for Criminal Justice Majors
Many people are intently interested in the material covered in criminal justice classes, but can you actually make a career for yourself with that knowledge? Thankfully, the answer is a resounding, “Yes!" Criminal justice majors have a diverse range of exciting job options at their disposal, concentrated largely in four main categories.
Law Enforcement
The most obvious path for criminal justice majors is a career in the police force. These jobs involve providing surveillance in a given area, neutralizing active threats, ensuring compliance with the law, and conducting investigations into suspicious behavior or events – the usual things you expect to be doing with this kind of degree. They are extremely common choices because of how perfectly the job requirements dovetail with your studies.
It should be noted that not every criminal justice major will excel in these jobs; they require a lot of decisive action and drive, and are best suited for those who have no problem getting their hands dirty. That said, you can also do forensics or other lab work if you prefer a more behind-the-scenes position.
These types of roles often require you to attend the police academy to learn specialized skills, such as how to diffuse confrontations, appropriate application of force, and how to handle a gun. The analysis-based roles that can largely be done in a lab, however, typically require additional technical or scientific training instead.
Legal Investigation and Prosecution
Once you’ve caught a perpetrator, they must go to trial, and that’s where criminal justice majors in the legal field can help out. This field is significantly different from traditional criminal justice work, but it’s still adjacent to it and is a good fit for interested people who prefer to work in offices and courts rather than in the field.
People in this sector facilitate the hard work of law enforcement professionals by determining the guilty from the innocent and making sure that true offenders face the appropriate consequences for their actions. Specific positions in this category include attorney, paralegal, court clerk and bailiff. In these kinds of jobs, you might help research past criminal cases, construct an argument for the prosecution or defense of an accused person, or simply perform the logistical tasks of filing paperwork and safely escorting prisoners around the courthouse.
Virtually all of these jobs do require significant additional law training, however, including law school in some cases – know that you are in for a long commitment if you choose one of them.
Corrections
The last possible step in the life-cycle of a criminal case is the imprisonment and/or reformation of the perpetrator, and criminal justice majors often play a big part here, too. People with this background are effective in these roles due to their heightened understanding of what makes criminals tick: knowing how offenders’ minds work and what motivates them not only makes the prisoners seem less threatening, but it also makes them much easier to manage and subdue.
It also allows for a more strategic approach to the rehabilitation aspect of dealing with convicted criminals. Jobs in this sector range from probation officer and prison corrections officer to various types of drug and behavioral counselors.
They are ideally suited to people with strong social skills and a lot of empathy, but who can also firmly take charge of a situation when needed and are resistant to intimidation. Most positions in corrections do not require significant additional training, with the exception of the counseling positions (for those, a candidate must take additional counseling courses so they can do their job with sensitivity and conviction).
Academic
If none of those options is for you, don’t despair: criminal justice majors also often find jobs in the academic world. This realm not only includes teaching criminal justice classes in a classroom or training setting, but also doing research for universities and government institutions. You could even consider doing consulting work for industry projects like artificial intelligence systems or creative projects like crime shows and movies.
These opportunities are very rare and mostly reserved for those with an established reputation in the field, but they do exist. This is an ideal sector for those who find that their curiosity hasn’t been entirely sated by the time they finish their degree and who want to continue exploring and furthering the criminal justice field.
Are you interested in the field of criminal justice and want to earn a Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice? ECPI University offers this degree program on an accelerated schedule. With year-round classes, students could graduate in as little as 2.5 years for their bachelor’s degrees. For more information and to talk to a helpful admissions counselor, connect with us today either online or on the phone.
It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!
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Gainful Employment Information – Criminal Justice - Bachelor’s
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