What Can You Do with a Criminal Justice Degree?

If you have a passion for making the world a safer place and can’t tolerate injustice of any kind, then pursuing a career in criminal justice may be for you. There are various career options that you can choose from once you've earned your criminal justice degree. Here are just a few paths you can take:

1. Crime Scene Investigator: The field of forensic science goes hand-in-hand with criminal investigations. Without the proper collection and expert analysis of crucial evidence, solving crimes would be very difficult to achieve. This underscores the importance of the crime scene investigator. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook, “Employment of forensic science technicians is projected to grow 27 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations.” Your criminal justice degree could help you play a pivotal role in ensuring that investigations go smoothly and help justice to be served.
2. Probation Officer: For people released from prison, readjusting to life as a private citizen can be a difficult and challenging adjustment. As a probation officer, your job will be to monitor the progress of ex-offenders upon their release, make sure that they take advantage of their second chance, and not commit any new crimes. Having a criminal justice degree could give you the professional foundation to effectively deal with ex-offenders of all kinds and help them acclimate back to society.
3. Paralegal: In the field of criminal justice, attorneys spend many hours in preparation to defend their clients in front of a judge. The job of a paralegal is to make sure that the lawyers they work for are fully prepared for any hearings or trials they may have. Paralegals are required to have a working knowledge of the law as they draft documents, conduct research, and gather critical information related to a case. Your criminal justice degree could prepare you for the challenges and fast pace of the legal field as you help fight for justice.

Bay State offers a Criminal Justice Associate Degree and a Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree, both of which will provide the theoretical and practical knowledge for you to start your career in criminal justice.