The World of Criminal Justice

A career in a criminal justice field can be exciting and rewarding and provides abundant advancement opportunities.  Careers are richly varied and the field is rapidly growing, but education is an important key to being successful.  Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that police and sheriff’s patrol officers will be one of the 20 fastest growing, highest earning occupations through 2014.  Nearly three million people are employed in criminal justice careers and it is one of the fastest growing employment sectors in United States.

With more and more people competing for these good-paying jobs, a degree in criminal justice provides a distinct advantage in hiring and advancement.  Many branches of law enforcement now require job candidates to have at least a two-year Associate’s Degree in a criminal justice field to be considered and an education will ensure employees greater consideration for advancement in their careers.

Criminal justice degree programs are widely available at colleges and universities throughout the country and most offer Associates in Criminal Justice degrees, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degrees, Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration degrees, Bachelors in Organizational Security and Management degrees, Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice and Doctoral Degrees in Criminal Justice.  Degree programs offer varied education in everything from research methods and statistics to corrections and criminal law and give students a working knowledge of how the courts, corrections institutions and law enforcement agencies function.

Full-time employees, full-time parents, those deployed in the Armed Forces or others who are not available to attend classes in traditional classrooms can also complete criminal justice degrees online through many university programs.

The careers available to holders of criminal justice degrees are varied and rewarding.  Consider these opportunities which are only some of the careers available: