Online Criminal Justice Degrees

Thanks to the popularity of television shows such as Law & Order and CSI, the field of criminal justice has picked up a "Hollywood "reputation. Leaving the Tinseltown glitz and glamour aside, criminal justice professionals perform an important role in our society. Students who get a criminal justice degree work as FBI special agents, police officers, forensic pathologists and psychologists, corrections officers, and many other related careers. Read on to find out what options you have to get your career started.

Law Enforcement

A degree in law enforcement is a great choice for a person who is looking to start a career in city, county, state, or federal police agencies. Many universities offer bachelor's and master's-level specializations in law enforcement, and students of these schools will likely take classes in police ethics and culture, history and theories of crime prevention, and criminal law and investigation. Some colleges even offer police certification as a part of the course work.

After graduating, a person with a law enforcement degree could be qualified to work as a police officer, DEA agent, state insurance fraud investigator, and more. The Bureau of Labor Statistics describes the job outlook for police officers and detectives as favorable, with the likelihood of landing a job after graduation more likely at the municipal level.

Homeland Security

Ever since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, the need for qualified national security professionals has increased. The U.S. government established the Department of Homeland Security in 2002 and placed numerous federal agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Secret Service, under its jurisdiction. Because the department's role is to prevent terrorist attacks in the United States, it operates in counterterrorism, border security, immigration, cyber security, and emergency response.

Since 2002, a number of universities have started offering bachelor's and master's degrees in homeland security. The curriculum includes studies in homeland security and defense, social and ethical issues, strategic planning, international terrorism, and balancing security and liberty. Graduates of these programs may be qualified to get a job as a border patrol agent, counterterrorism agent, or for a private security firm.

Administration

A bachelor's or master's degree in administration sets the graduate up for a managerial career within law enforcement. With that in mind, many universities require students to take courses in ethics, policy, and administrative law, strategic and fiscal planning, and operations management in law enforcement organizations.

Similar to other criminal justice degrees, a bachelor's in administration can be used to become a police officer, border patrol agent, or child support investigator. Master's graduates can use their degrees to move up from their current position into more of a management role, such as prison warden, public administrator, or police records manager.

Criminology

Are you interested in the how and why of crime? Do you often think about the motivations behind people's illegal actions? If so, you should have a look at a criminology degree. A criminologist analyzes criminal activity and laws and then explains the reason for delinquency. A criminology student may take classes in cultural anthropology, sociology of law, theories of social interaction, and juvenile delinquency.

Criminologists often work for government agencies, courts, private security firms, in public policy, or as teachers or researchers. Many of these jobs require at least a master's degree before the candidate is hired, although those with a bachelor's can find work as well.

Forensics

A degree in forensics sets you on the path to working in a profession that is as close to CSI as you're going to get. A forensics professional uses their expertise to help investigators find or clarify information critical to a criminal case. For example, a computer forensics examiner tracks and solves computer crime, while a forensics science technician collects and analyzes evidence from a crime scene. Accounting, nursing, and psychology are some of the other fields within forensics.

To get a forensics degree, students may take classes in criminal law, law enforcement, chemistry, computer science, biology, and anthropology. The non-criminal justice courses depend on the field the student wants to work in. Many schools offer specialized bachelor's and master's programs in the different specialties.

Legal Studies

A legal studies graduate is well primed to work as a paralegal or continue their legal education. Those who wish to become a paralegal may study constitutional law, political science, and take extensive research and communication courses. A paralegal helps a lawyer research and analyze judicial decisions, identify appropriate laws, and may write reports used in legal cases. The courses taken by a legal studies student reflect the needs of the job, as they study constitutional, criminal, or business law, and they enroll in extensive writing and research classes. When students finish their academic program, they should be able to think analytically, communicate clearly, and research efficiently.

The paralegal profession is expected to experience much faster than average employment growth through 2018, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Despite that, the BLS predicts competition will be high for paralegal jobs as more people go into that industry. In some cases, an associate degree is enough to get a job as a paralegal, but bachelor's and master's legal studies programs are also available for those who want to study law but don't want to become attorneys.