Law & Criminal Justice

In this complete guide to law and criminal justice, we’re going to delve into the kinds of degrees that are available within this field. We’ll also look at the most popular careers for graduates with degrees in criminal justice, plus their prospective career growth and earning potential.

Criminal justice programs are a popular choice among prospective students. Not only can they kickstart a career in many different—yet related—fields, but they can also give you a competitive edge in an industry where law enforcement agencies are increasingly turning to academic performance to make decisions about who to hire or promote.

If you’re thinking about whether to pursue a program in criminal justice or just want to find out more about the field, check out this complete guide to criminal justice careers and education.

What Degrees Are There in Criminal Justice?

We couldn’t possibly list every combination of major and minor that’s out there, so instead we’ve put together a list of 15 of the most common degrees in the field of criminal justice. This list contains various areas and levels of study, including certificates, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees, and it’s organized in alphabetical order. This should give you some insight into the types of courses you could be taking, and the kind of qualifications that you could earn.

Computer Forensics

A degree in computer forensics can help you start working to investigate and prevent computer-related criminal activities, including fraud, online scams, identity theft, and other crimes that take place over the internet. The majority of roles will require you to have a bachelor’s degree, though gaining a master’s degree or doctoral degree can pave the way for more senior roles.

Corrections

Degrees in corrections prepare you to work within correctional facilities, with roles including bailiff, case manager, correctional officer, group counselor, probation officer, and warden. The role of the warden is to oversee the safe and secure operation of the facility, making it one of the most senior roles in the field; it’s a good example of a role that will often demand a master’s or doctoral degree.

Counterterrorism

With a degree in counterterrorism, you’ll be poised to investigate and identify terrorist threats to the U.S. that originate on home turf or abroad. Bachelor’s degrees in counterterrorism are typically four-year programs and could lead to roles such as border patrol agent, CIA officer, criminal investigator, FBI agent, and transportation security officer.

Crime Scene Investigation

With a degree in crime scene investigation, you’ll scour crime scenes, identifying, gathering, and documenting physical evidence for use in criminal prosecutions. This could be anything from firearms to DNA and fingerprints. Some crime scene investigators also carry on forensic work in laboratories, though these tasks are typically performed by forensic scientists.

Criminal Justice

That’s right, in addition to being a broad category that includes numerous types of degrees, criminal justice is also a specific concentration in its own right. Your typical criminal justice degree will include study across three key areas: law enforcement, the courts, and the corrections system.

After gaining a foundation in these areas, you may specialize in courses that lead to specific careers, such as forensics specialist, lawyer, or crime scene investigator. Degrees in criminal justice can incorporate theory from a wide variety of disciplines, including psychology, statistics, and law and ethics. As a result, these degrees produce well-rounded graduates; it’s an ideal course for the student who wants to work in criminal justice, but hasn’t yet decided on a career path.

Criminal Psychology

A degree in criminal psychology will prepare you to understand the psychology behind crime and why individuals offend. You’ll study theory that includes the criminal mindset and the social factors that can influence and encourage crime. There are programs at the associate’s, bachelor’s, and master’s degree levels, which typically last around two years, four years, and one to two years, respectively.

Criminology

Criminology careers are usually more research- and academia-oriented than the kind of jobs found in the field of criminal justice. This is one reason why undergraduates from one of these degree programs will often pursue a master’s degree in another concentration. This gives graduates a balanced blend of skills from both fields of study.

While a degree in criminology can prepare you for a rewarding career in many roles, the truth is that many non-academic professions don’t necessarily require any college credits. These are usually entry-level positions, with your degree carrying more weight as you progress and aim for promotions. But with a bachelor’s degree in criminology, you’re poised to take advantage of more senior roles in areas such as law enforcement, corrections, probation, and forensic science.

Forensic Accounting

Graduates of forensic accounting programs spend a great deal of time investigating financial crimes, with common courses including accounting, fraud investigation, financial law, and auditing. While a bachelor’s degree or even a master’s degree could improve your chances of advancing your career more quickly, you could also pursue an associate’s degree or certificate program, depending on the college credit requirements of your intended role.

Forensic Psychology

While standard psychology degrees are commonly chosen by students who want to become psychiatrists, counselors, or social workers, forensic psychology programs prepare you to apply your knowledge to criminal cases. Licensure as a registered psychologist requires a Ph.D., but you can still find roles in the field that do not require study beyond a bachelor’s or master’s degree level.

Forensic Science

The forensic scientist is a crime scene investigator’s best friend; they work in the identification and investigation of evidence found at crime scenes, typically within a laboratory. This could include analyzing blood or DNA samples. However, forensic science degrees can also lead to work as a crime scene investigator. Other roles include the forensic science technician, for which you’ll normally only need a bachelor’s degree.

Homeland Security

Homeland security degrees will give you a broad understanding of topics like emergency management, counterterrorism, and border security. Some associate’s degrees exist in this specialization, though most roles in central government—which is the biggest recruiter for roles like these—will require you to have a bachelor’s degree or higher. That said, you could still find roles in environmental organizations, law enforcement agencies, and other sectors if you choose to pursue an associate’s degree.

Law Enforcement

Law enforcement doesn’t just refer to police forces; a degree in this area of study could see you working in corrections, private investigation, the FBI or CIA, or as a detective. Again, this subject area offers more than just bachelor’s degree-level study; you could pursue a certificate program or two-year associate’s degree. Your courses may require you to study the court system, the constitution and how it applies to criminal proceedings, and research methodologies.

Legal Studies

Students who pursue a degree program in legal studies commonly progress to roles like legal assistant or paralegal, working within a law firm to support the work carried out by lawyers. Don’t let the term “assistant” mislead you; the work that you’ll carry out requires you to have a thorough understanding of the law. You’ll undertake in-depth study into areas like culture and society, punishment, sociology, and public policy.

Paralegal

For students who want a career as a paralegal or legal assistant, these focused programs—typically certificates—will cover courses like research, contract law, family law, and paralegal authority. Your entry into the role will depend on your education and experience. Graduates of an unrelated bachelor’s degree may be able to gain a paralegal certificate to switch career paths, while those with no prior college experience might need to obtain a bachelor’s degree to gain employment in major law firms or government departments.

Public Administration

Your degree in public administration could see you taking up a career in social work, working for a non-profit organization, or working for government agencies. Programs are available at the bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, with graduate-level study suited to students who have their sights set on the most senior roles, like director.

Security Management

Security management programs are geared towards students who are interested in working in private security. You could be working as an entrepreneur, starting your own security firm, or managing a team of security guards at major events. You’ll typically find that programs in security management are offered at the bachelor’s degree level. Courses might include the theory of security, the American legal system, and risk analysis.

What Are the Admission Requirements for a Degree in Criminal Justice?

Admission requirements vary between colleges and programs, and the eligibility criteria may be slightly different for a degree in Cybersecurity when compared to a program in Criminal Psychology, for example. So, we’ll focus on the general admission requirements for degrees in criminal justice.

Generally speaking, the most competitive universities or colleges will require higher GPAs, with less competitive institutions often accepting a high school diploma or equivalent qualification. Academic requirements aside, you’ll also usually be asked to provide official transcripts, anywhere from one to three letters of recommendation, and potentially your resume. You may also be asked for SAT or ACT scores, and in some cases, you might need to write a personal statement or answer a specific essay question.

At the bottom of this article, we’ve linked to lists of relevant degree programs from some of the top colleges and universities in the nation. These examples should give you a good idea of the typical entry requirements for the more competitive institutions.

What Can I Do with a Degree in Criminal Justice?

As a degree in the field of criminal justice broadly applies to roles throughout law enforcement and the justice system, there are numerous career paths you could follow after graduation. You might find employment with a police force, within the prison service, or working for the state or federal government, for example.

The type of career path you choose will determine whether you need to gain further education—like a master’s degree or doctoral degree—or apply for licensure. However, a degree in the field of criminal justice is the first step towards qualifying for the most lucrative, senior roles.

Popular Careers for Criminal Justice Graduates

Criminal justice programs include a broad spectrum of study; your courses could range from statistics to research methods, from criminal law to corrections, and other essential foundational knowledge like the law of ethics. This means that one type of degree can apply to numerous roles and career paths. Below is a list of some of the most common career paths for graduates in criminal justice.

Correctional Officer

Correctional officers, or prison officers, work within correctional facilities and prisons to maintain order and enforce the rules that govern the facility and its inmates. This could include settling disputes, preventing and defusing violent confrontations, and enforcing sanctions for inmates who persistently break the rules. You’ll also supervise inmates as they go about their daily routines, conduct routine searches, and support the rehabilitation of offenders as they serve their time.

Police Officer

Many police forces don’t typically ask for any formal academic qualifications, though obtaining a degree in the field of criminal justice can put you ahead of the competition. Having a degree in a relevant field could see your career advance more quickly than if you’d entered the force immediately after graduating from high school.

As there are few formal requirements for the role, whether you choose to pursue a certificate, associate’s degree, bachelor’s degree, or master’s program will depend on your aspirations. If you’re determined to work hard and seek promotions, but don’t yet know where you’d like to end up, then a bachelor’s degree could be ideal for you. If you’ve got your sights set on the most senior positions, such as captain or police chief, then a master’s degree could get you there more quickly. However, gaining some college credits, but not necessarily a full degree, could be enough to give you the edge in some police forces and states.

Once you’ve graduated from your chosen college or university program, you’ll need to pass the law enforcement entrance examination, then graduate from the relevant police academy.

Paralegal

Paralegals work in a broad variety of organizations, but most commonly find employment within a law firm, government agency, or corporation’s legal team. Their responsibilities include assisting lawyers in preparing for trials; carrying out legal research to support cases; organizing and maintaining documentation and databases; investigating the facts behind a case; and obtaining statements to be used as evidence in a courtroom trial.

Court Clerk

Think of a courtroom and you’ll probably picture lawyers, judges, and bailiffs. However, there is another critical role behind the scenes: court clerks work tirelessly, maintaining official records, managing resources, and administering oaths. You could be working in the state or federal court system, both of which have varying levels of responsibility. While one court clerk could manage a single courthouse and small team of staff, others could work across entire districts with multiple courthouses.

Lawyer

Lawyers provide legal advice and representation to individuals, businesses, and government agencies as and when needed. They prepare all the necessary legal documentation underpinning a trial, while applying laws, rulings, and theory learned both at school and during the course of their career.

Community or Social Worker

Community and social work is a broad field, comprising many different roles, including educators, case managers, brokers, and general managers. Of course, one of the most popular roles is the social worker, who has a wide spectrum of responsibilities that include client assessment, designing and implementing treatment plans, and monitoring client progress.

How Much Can I Earn with a Degree in Criminal Justice?

Since the possibilities with a degree in criminal justice are so varied, we’ve taken some of the most common roles in popular subject areas, and have researched the earning potential and projected growth rate for each role. The figures are based on statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the government’s Occupational Information Network (O*NET). While there’s some crossover due to many degrees suiting a particular role, this should give you an idea of your earning potential for some of the more common careers.

Community and Social Work

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Child, Family, and School Social Workers	$22.78 hourly / $47,390 annual	Faster than average (7% to 10%) 36,900 new openings
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Workers	$22.43 hourly / $46,650 annual	Much faster than average (11% +) 15,500 new openings
Social and Community Service Managers	$32.28 hourly / $67,150 annual	Much faster than average (11% +) 17,800 new openings

Counterterrorism

Median Salary (2019)

Projected Growth (2018–2028)

Intelligence Analyst

$39.99 hourly / $83,170 annual

Slower than average (2% to 3%)

7,500 new openings

Criminal Justice

Median Salary (2019)

Projected Growth (2018–2028)

Emergency Management Director

$35.86 hourly / $74,590 annual

Average (4% to 6%)

300 new openings

Private Investigator

$24.28 hourly / $50,510 annual

Faster than average (7% to 10%)

3,300 new openings

Criminal Psychology

Median Salary (2019)

Projected Growth (2018–2028)

Forensic Psychologist

$38.64 hourly / $80,370 annual

Much faster than average (14% +)

26,100 new openings

Rehabilitation Counselors

$17.28 hourly / $35,950 annual

Faster than average (7% to 10%)

14,000 new openings

Criminology

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Loss Prevention Specialists	$14.90 hourly / $30,990 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 35,400 new openings
Loss Prevention Managers	$53.19 hourly / $110,630 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 91,300 new openings
Probation Officers	$26.10 hourly / $54,290 annual	Slower than average (2% to 3%) 8,200 new openings

Forensics

Median Salary (2019)

Projected Growth (2018–2028)

Forensic Accountant

$34.40 hourly / $71,559 annual

Average (6%)

90,700 new openings

Forensic Science Technician

$28.44 hourly / $59,150 annual

Much faster than average (11% +)

2,400 new openings

Homeland Security

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Customs Brokers	$35.37 hourly / $73,570 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 119,600 new openings
Information Security Analyst	$47.95 hourly / $99,730 annual	Much faster than average (11% +) 12,800 new openings
Transportation Security Screeners (TSA)	$20.08 hourly / $41,770 annual	Little or no change (-1% to 1%) 4,700 new openings

Law Enforcement

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Criminal Investigators and Special Agents	$39.99 hourly / $83,170 annual	Slower than average (2% to 3%) 7,500 new openings
Correctional Officers	$21.72 hourly / $45,180 annual	Decline (-2% or lower) 33,800 new openings
Police Detectives	$39.99 hourly / $83,170 annual	Slower than average (2% to 3%) 7,500 new openings
Police Patrol Officers	$30.36 hourly / $63,150 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 52,900 new openings

Legal Studies and Law

Median Salary (2019)

Projected Growth (2018–2028)

Lawyers

$59.11 hourly / $122,960 annual

Average (4% to 6%)

45,700 new openings

Legal Assistants and Paralegals

$24.87 hourly / $51,740 annual

Much faster than average (11% +)

40,400 new openings

Public Administration

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Administrative Services Managers	$46.61 hourly / $96,940 annual	Faster than average (7% to 10%) 28,100 new openings
Management Analysts	$40.99 hourly / $85,260 annual	Much faster than average (11% +) 99,900 new openings
Program Directors	$35.78 hourly / $74,420 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 16,000 new openings
Research Analysts	$30.67 hourly / $63,790 annual	Much faster than average (11% +) 90,700 new openings

Security Management

	Median Salary (2019)	Projected Growth (2018–2028)
Security Guards	$14.27 hourly / $29,680 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 153,800 new openings
Security Managers	$53.19 hourly / $110,630 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 91,300 new openings
Security Management Specialists	$35.37 hourly / $73,570 annual	Average (4% to 6%) 119,600 new openings

Can I Get an Online Degree in Criminal Justice?

There are many reasons to choose an online program rather than studying on campus. If you’re a working professional, you’ll be able to fit the program of study into your timetable more easily. Most classes take place in the evenings or on weekends, or at the very least may be asynchronous, meaning you choose how and when you study (as opposed to studying simultaneously at preset times with your peers).

Here are some of the terms you’ll encounter frequently when reading about online programs:

Asynchronous learning: This is a type of online learning where you choose when to study. Materials are made available through your online learning environment and you can access them at any time when you’re ready to complete a course.

LMS: A “Learning Management System” is the software that you’ll use to progress through your course. It’s where you’ll log into your student account to access coursework, resources, and examinations, in addition to connecting with student services or speaking to your peers and professors.

Fully online: A program that can be completed entirely online without any need for on-campus instruction.

Hybrid course: A program that blends online learning with some on-campus instruction. If your schedule is tight and doesn’t allow you to commute to campus at specific times, then consider whether this course is right for you.

Synchronous learning: Unlike asynchronous learning, this type of program runs on a set schedule. You and your fellow peers will log in at the same time to access live instructions from the instructor.

Most degrees or certificate programs in criminal justice have no requirement for practical, hands-on experience. Clinical courses in health care, for example, almost always have some time allocated for clinical placements, which can make fully online courses impossible without at least some in-person learning at other sites. However, you’ll usually find that the criminal justice degrees described above can be completed entirely through distance learning.

It’s not just the flexibility that’s enjoyed by distance learners, either. Online degree programs are more often than not cheaper than their on-campus counterparts. You pay no fees for room and board or meal plans, plus tuition rates are often fixed at the rate paid by state residents, irrespective of your residency status.

The Best Colleges for Degrees in Criminal Justice

So, now you know more about the types of degrees available in criminal justice, plus the earning potential and job outlook for many of the careers you could consider after graduation. Below, you’ll find some rankings for the best colleges and universities, broken down by degree type.

Criminal Justice

Criminology