Answers to your questions about a Criminal Justice Degree
A criminal justice education will prepare you for a career in the following areas:
Local level law enforcement:
Park police
County police
Juvenile Justice Centers
Sheriff Department
State level law enforcement:
Crime labs
State Crime Commissions
Court System
Attorney General Offices
Narcotics Bureaus
Liquor Control Boards
State Police
Federal level law enforcement:
Department of Defense
Department of Homeland Security
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Department of Transportation
Federal Trade Commission
Veteran's Affairs
Customs Agency
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Food and Drug Administration
Office of the Inspector General
Private sector law enforcement:
Insurance companies
Private detectives
Safety officers
Security patrol officers
The amount of education you receive depends upon your goals. In criminal justice, you can pursue a certificate, an associate's degree, or a bachelor's degree.
The most common types of programs are:
A certificate provides training in a specific area of criminal justice by educating students to be crime scene technicians or other specialized fields. Students who obtain certificates usually use them as the building blocks for a future criminal justice degree. In addition, students who have degrees in unrelated fields can use certificates to develop specific skills that will help them make a successful career change into a criminal justice field.
An associate's degree takes two years to complete and teaches fundamental criminal justice skills while groundings students in the liberal arts and sciences. Associates degrees might emphasize technical skills that will help graduates embark on successful careers in local or state law enforcement. Most police departments require new recruits to have completed some college training. You may be even more appealing because your associate's degree credits could transfer to a four-year college for a future bachelor's degree.
A bachelor's degree provides in-depth training for students who want to find entry-level positions in federal agencies, or who would like to increase their likelihood of being promoted in a police department or private company. Students who have completed their associate's degrees can begin a bachelor's program to expand their career opportunities. In addition, bachelor's degrees can prepare students for master's programs in criminal justice.
Depending upon your specific interests, you can choose from a range of criminal justice specialties, including:
Criminal Justice (certificate, associate, bachelor): A certificate or degree in criminal justice will provide you with the technical and analytical skills that new employees need. These programs focus on topics about crime, justice and the legal system. Criminal justice degrees include classes on legal studies and political science to help you become familiar with the criminal justice system. In addition, these programs teach you important communication skills that will enable to excel as part of a team or on your own.
Crime Scene Technologists (certificate, associate): Crime scene technologists work at all levels of law enforcement and in legal or medical examiner's offices. Crime scene technologists become skilled in analyzing and preserving crime scenes by learning proper evidence recovery, collection and storage techniques. In addition, programs teach crime scene technologists to become effective communicators, since many need to present their findings in court.
Terrorism/Security Management (certificate): This certificate will be useful to current criminal justice professionals and individuals who would like to begin new careers. Employees with training in terrorism will find a range of new career opportunities as this field grows over upcoming years. Students will learn about modern-day terrorist techniques and will analyze response plans and security proposals.