Criminal Justice Major

Criminal Justice Major Links

  1. Forensic Science Degree

What does a criminal justice major do?

Criminal justice is the study of criminal behavior and society’s ability to control criminal activity. Criminal justice includes elements from law, law enforcement, sociology, psychology, and political science.

What types of jobs do criminal justice majors take after graduation?

There are a variety of career paths available to criminal justice majors, including:

  • Law enforcement
  • Criminal Psychology
  • Lawyer/Judge
  • Probation/Correctional Officer

What degrees do criminal justice majors pursue?

Most criminal justice majors first earn a Bachelor’s of Criminal Justice, and may later decide to pursue a Master’s of Criminal Justice, or a law degree.

How much does a criminal justice program cost?

School costs vary widely, depending on the type of school you choose and what type of program you are pursing. You can find average school costs for public criminal justice colleges and private criminal justice colleges in our compare colleges section.

How do I pay for a criminal justice program?

Whether you are paying for an undergraduate or graduate criminal justice program, it’s important that you complete the FAFSA and review your financial aid options. You should start by trying to obtain college scholarships and college grants (free money) to pay for your criminal justice program. Then use federal student loans, such as the Federal Stafford Loan. If free money and federal loans are not enough to pay for your criminal justice program, you can begin to research private student loans to cover the remainder of your school costs.

What is the average entry-level salary for criminal justice majors?

Because a criminal justice major offers so many career paths, it is difficult to determine the starting salary for all criminal justice majors. However, as an example of some specific criminal justice disciplines, median annual wages for court reporters were $49,710 in May 20081 and $38,380 for correctional officers2. The median annual wages of all wage-and-salaried lawyers were $110,5903.

A criminal justice major probably performs well in or enjoys the following subjects:

  • History
  • Psychology
  • Political Science
1Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos152.htm
2Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos156.htm
3Source: http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos053.htm

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