What Can You Do With a Criminal Justice Degree

Surrounding an ever-popular field of study, what can you do with a criminal justice degree varies widely within the interests covered by the degree and from state to state.

Private and Public Employment

In the private sector, the answer to what can you do with a criminal justice degree includes becoming a licensed private investigator, a security officer for a business or bank, for example, or a security specialist for celebrities or other high-risk personnel to name only a few possibilities.

Career training and accredited online degrees offer undergraduate programs that can either be an end goal or a stepping stone for additional training and education.

In the public arena, what can you do with a criminal justice degree often includes law enforcement. Police officers, sheriff departments, Juvenile Justice Centers and state crime labs, to name a few state, county or municipal positions. Federal Bureau of Investigation agents or Central Intelligence Agency officers often use a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice as a launching platform for careers in these fields. Additional options include Criminology, Homeland Security and other government or state agencies.

Also, the possibilities of using this versatile degree extend to forensic science and investigation and the legal profession. Both public defenders and prosecutors often have criminal justice or related undergraduate degrees as part of their pre-law school curricula.

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Courses within this offline or online education field lean heavily on legal proceedings and investigative restrictions and techniques.

Because degree holders are often called to testify in court, maintaining legality in not only actions but also in communications and reports.

A degree from a top online university usually includes

• Criminal Justice Planning
• Juvenile Delinquency
• Origins or History of Criminal Justice
• Ethics
• Gender and Race Influences
• Family Violence
• …and many more directly related to the degree field.

Additional, general courses often include humanities, science, math and English. Secondary languages are helpful in this career field as well.

Some students may be offered internships during their career training. These positions allow real exposure and experience within a given specialty that can be invaluable in not only allowing the students to further focus potential applications of their career options but also provide excellent additional entries on their Curriculum Vitae, especially when paired with post-graduate education.

While not all-inclusive, internships could incorporate research or support functions within a particular agency or institution.

Once you have in hand your hard-earned degree, you can often look forward to a full, rewarding and financially stable career.

The average wages for careers using a criminal justice degree can range from close to $35,000 per year to $66.000 per year, and the employment projections place the field just above the average rate through 2018 with a demand increase of approximately 22 percent.

Whether you are attracted to a career in law enforcement at any level, the court system or private enterprise, your options with this highly versatile degree span a large spectrum. Explore all your career options then decide which among them suits you best as you ponder just what can you do with a criminal justice degree.