The field of criminal justice presents a number of career opportunities. With a criminal justice degree, you could pursue employment in a law enforcement career, as a police officer, a sheriff's deputy, a highway patrol officer, or a federal agent working for the Department of Justice, FBI, DEA, or the Office of Homeland Security. You could also work in the field of corrections, as a corrections officer or a parole or probations officer. As a correctional treatment specialist or a criminal justice social worker, you could be involved with the rehabilitative end of the corrections system. You could also work in crime scene investigation or combine an interest in technology with your desire to work in the field of criminal justice as a cyber crime investigator.
An associate degree in criminal justice will give you a broad perspective of how the different branches of law enforcement, the court system and the corrections system operates. Such a degree can prepare you to enter a police academy or take an entry level position as a corrections or court officer, or to find employment with a private security firm.
A bachelor's degree in criminal justice will allow you further opportunities to advance in the areas of law enforcement and corrections, and qualify you to seek a position with a federal agency. Bachelor's level studies will include training in criminal psychology and criminal law. At the master's level you can prepare to take on an administrative role in a law enforcement or corrections agency, and if you are interested in the theory of crime and punishment and how it impacts society, you could even pursue a criminal justice PhD.



































































