Careers for a Criminal Justice Degree

Protective Service Occupations

If you have graduated with a criminal justice degree, you have a world of opportunities available to you within protective service occupations. These occupations include job titles like:

• Bailiffs
• Correctional officers and jailers
• Detectives and criminal investigators
• Security guards
• Private detectives and investigators

The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) records that the mean annual salary for people in these types of occupations is 37,040 dollars annually, with a median hourly wage of over 15 dollars per hour as of May 2006.

Excellent Job Outlook

Many of the protective service jobs and related occupations have excellent outlooks for future employment, especially for those with good qualifications and formal education in the field. Several careers that are expected to have excellent opportunities include:

• Police and Detectives: Growth in this area is expected to be about as fast as average (increase between 7 and 13 percent) between 2006 and 2016, with many people being employed by state and federal agencies.
• Correctional Officers: Layoffs are rare in this occupation, and growth is expected to be faster than average compared to other occupations—around 14 and 20 percent.
• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists: Expect job opportunities to be plentiful due to high stress, low earnings, and heavy workloads in this industry. This is another job where growth will be fast as average. Most people are employed by state and local agencies.

To find out more about each of the careers listed above, click on the linked occupation title. Of course, not every person with a criminal justice degree ends up working as a law enforcement agent.

Related Careers for a Criminal Justice Degree

Because most criminal justice degrees are considered liberal arts degrees, students graduate with a well-rounded education. Often, a double major or minor in sociology, psychology, business, or political science can help open doors into a related job opportunities. Internships and job experiences during college in related careers can also help open doors onto another career path.

Related Careers

People who have criminal justice degrees can also pursue careers as:

• Paralegals
• Polygraph specialists
• Law clerks
• Court clerks
• Youth or juvenile counselors
• Immigration agent
• Customs agent
• IRS agent
• White collar crime analyst

A Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice can also lead to law school and a future career as a lawyer.

Employers

Students with criminal justice careers can find employment through many agencies. Both government and private sector jobs are available if your qualifications meet the hiring criteria. Again, internships in a related corporation would prove helpful. Places to find employment with a criminal justice degree include:

• Private detective agencies
• Federal law enforcement (FBI, CIA, Secret Service, DEA, ATF, U.S. Marshalls)
• Military (Army, Navy, Marine Corps)
• Banks
• Security firms
• Law offices
• Airports
• Local police departments/state police departments
• Jails and prisons
• Forensics departments

Find a Job

Looking for a job is the first step in finding a career for a criminal justice degree. If you had a successful internship, you may want to start by applying with that particular employer. You can also ask your college's career center staff members for help. Otherwise, check these online sites to help further your criminal justice career:

• Public Safety & Criminal Justice: Positions in law enforcement, courts, criminal justice, corrections and more are listed here.
• U.S. Customs and Border Protection: Find a federal position as a customs agent or border guard.
• Government Jobs: Listings of criminal justice job opportunities across the U.S.
• Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives: Search vacant positions with this government bureau.

You can also search for more information about employers and careers within state police and law enforcement agencies by following the links in the United States section of Officer.com. Federal and international links are also listed.

More Information

Try and solve six cases using criminal justice skills at Career Profile: Criminal Justice, sponsored by Everest College, for a fun look at skills used in criminal justice jobs. Otherwise, get more information from your college or these websites:

• Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences
• The American Society of Criminology
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
• U.S. Department of Labor