The field of criminal justice has many professions, specializations, career paths, and education options. To help you succeed in your dream career, we’ve developed a state-by-state guide offering criminal justice degree programs, as well as useful information on career paths within legal and law enforcement specialties, overviews of professional requirements, and more. Learn how you can make an impact in your community by pursuing an education in criminal justice and starting a career in a sector of law.
Obtaining a degree in criminal justice is beneficial to advance in your chosen legal or law enforcement profession. A college degree gives candidates a competitive advantage when applying for jobs and advancing in career paths. Those who have a degree tend to earn more through job promotions than colleagues who don’t hold a degree. In additional, a degree puts professionals in a higher pay grade when it comes to salaries. In our state-by-state college and university guide, you can search for:
Often a criminal justice education is a series of core coursework and practical work experience. The level of education required for your position depends on your professional goals. Some professions at the local-level only require a high school diploma to get started, while other positions at the federal-level can require a degree. For an entry-level position a criminal justice degree can help you stand out from the rest of the applicants, especially for highly competitive roles.
Within the criminal justice system are primary sectors; 1) Law enforcement, 2) Courts and lawyers, and 3) Agencies for detainment and supervision of offenders (prisons and probation agencies). For this system to operate at full functionality, it requires important job roles and professions that offer promising careers for aspiring professionals in law, local & federal law enforcement, and public safety.
In this section we explore each profession in more detail, such as, education requirements, professional certifications, current in-demand skills required, salary expectations, and current job outlook:
In the field of criminal justice there are foundational education principles, workplace skills, and sometimes physical training required to perform. As seen in the section above, eLawTalk features career guides to assist individuals who are interested in a professional criminal justice career. In addition, eLawTalk covers a wide range of useful resources, from state-by-state licensure requirements to top-ranked lists of approved paralegal and accredited law programs:
We update and release our career and education guides as information becomes available. Please visit us again to explore articles on popular topics and professional requirements in criminal justice.