How Can You Use a Criminal Justice Degree?

A criminal justice degree opens up a wide range of career options for you in law enforcement, the legal professions, and private security and investigatory fields. Let’s take a look at the various options and see how you can make a difference in your career.

Police Officer

Working in the police force will put you on the front line of law enforcement. As a patrol officer, you’ll:

• Work to actively prevent crime by patrolling assigned areas
• Stop vehicles and issue citations
• Get warrants
• Identify, locate, and arrest criminals
• Secure evidence at crime scenes
• Prepare evidence and testify in court
• Help to build good community relations

You may later become a detective and investigate individual crimes more deeply. In larger forces, after several years on patrol, you can also choose to join a specialist unit, such as K9 or SWAT.

State Trooper

A state police officer, often known as a state trooper or highway patrol officer, has the same duties as other police officers. State police officers can operate anywhere within the state though, and smaller forces often call them in when they need backup.

State police officers often spend more time issuing traffic tickets than urban officers, but the state force offers opportunities for specialist work that aren’t available in small, rural forces. If you live outside of a city and want to join a SWAT or K9 unit, then the state police may be your best option.

Federal Officer/Investigator

A criminal justice degree is a good way to launch your career with a federal law enforcement agency. These agencies operate nationwide, investigating and working to prevent a wide range of crimes, and are always looking for dedicated people with knowledge of criminal justice.

You could start a career as a special agent or investigatory officer with:

• The FBI
• The CIA
• The DEA
• The TSA
• The United States Secret Service
• The Federal Air Marshals
• The U.S. Border Patrol

Insurance Investigator

As an investigator, you’ll prevent fraud by looking into suspicious claims. This might involve people claiming to be disabled to get insurance or legal payouts, cases of deliberate arson, or inflated claims in burglary and property damage cases.

You’ll take photographs and interview witnesses, claimants, and professionals involved in the case, such as police officers and doctors. You may also need to keep suspects under surveillance and scour their personal histories to look for other suspicious behavior.

A Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice will stand you in good stead with many employers.

Corrections Officer

A criminal justice degree is the perfect first step for a successful career in corrections. Working in a county, state, or federal jail or prison, you’ll be responsible for the day-to-day welfare and security of the inmates.

Your understanding of criminal behavior will allow you to assess the behavior of prisoners, and to help achieve positive outcomes in potentially volatile and dangerous situations. Your work will keep officers and inmates safe and improve the chances of inmate rehabilitation.

Probation and Parole

Managing the reintegration of former prisoners into society is a challenging but potentially rewarding job. You’ll be responsible for checking that former inmates stick to the conditions of their parole and build sustainable, responsible lives within the community.

Paralegal Work

With an associates or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, you can start a career as a paralegal after earning the appropriate certification.

As a paralegal, you’ll do legal research, help draft contracts and other legal documents, and prepare clients for trial by answering their questions. Your job is to take some of the load off the lawyers, so they can concentrate on tasks that are more specialized. You can choose to specialize in different areas of law, depending on your interests.

Or, with three years of further study, you could qualify as a lawyer and help to find life-changing resolutions to people’s biggest disputes.

Park Ranger

If you become a park ranger, you’ll help visitors to enjoy our country’s natural beauty and get to do what Reserve America calls “…some of the coolest jobs around.” You’ll:

• Work outdoors
• Get to know park guests
• Provide visitor information
• Lead tours
• Find lost hikers
• Generally keep the park safe and pleasant

Private Security

From security administration executives, who formulate and monitor policies, to the front line staff, private security offices are always looking for skilled criminal justice graduates.

You’ll get to employ your specialist knowledge to keep people safe and protect business interests. As an added bonus, private security jobs usually pay much better than government equivalents.

Do one of these careers sound perfect for you? If you need the education to join the criminal justice field, consider earning your Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from ECPI University. With accelerated classes and a year-round schedule, you could earn your degree in as little as 2.5 years. For more information about this degree program, connect with a helpful ECPI University representative today.

It could be the Best Decision You Ever Make!

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Gainful Employment Information – Criminal Justice - Bachelor’s

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