If you love watching NCIS or have a family member who works in the criminal justice system, you may be interested in some study areas related to criminal justice. There are many different majors that might interest you, such as forensics, criminal justice administration and crime scene investigation.
Forensics
Some people are extremely interested in the justice system but don’t want to major in any of the study areas related to criminal justice that train students for field work. Instead, these students prefer to work behind the scenes. If this sounds like you, look into forensics. In order to get a job in forensics, you’ll have to take a lot of science classes, but you can choose the courses that interest you. Everyone majoring in forensics at your school will take the same introductory courses, but after you get those out of the way, you can choose to focus on biology, chemistry or even computer science. You won’t be chasing suspects down or using a gun with a forensics job, but your findings will help convict suspects in a court of law. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average forensic science technician makes over $50,000 per year.
Criminal Justice Administration
Are you a leader? If you are, the criminal justice administration major may be one of the best study areas related to criminal justice as far as you’re concerned. You’ll learn about policing, the criminal court system and corrections. Courses on administration and leadership will prepare you for various jobs that require quite a bit of responsibility. While you may start off in almost any entry-level position once you graduate, you’ll have the education to move up the corporate ladder in your chosen field. Like forensics, criminal justice administration covers a wide field of topics, so you’ll be able to take classes on subjects that interest you. For instance, you can take classes on security so that you can fight terrorism or take human services courses so that you can work with child protective services.
Crime Scene Investigation
Out of all the study areas related to criminal justice, this one is one of the most popular for students. While studying the science of crime scene investigation, you’ll learn how to collect evidence, take crime scene photos and make sure that you follow certain rules so that the collected evidence will be admissible in court. You may also have to testify in trials, write reports and prepare presentations. Some of the best crime scene investigation schools have labs that give students the chance to practice hands-on skills. Just remember that since crime scenes should be investigated as soon as possible after an incident, you’ll probably be required to work on some holidays and weekends, and you may have to work overnight or on a rotating shift schedule.
You don’t have to be a cop to work in the criminal justice field – from forensics to administration, there are plenty of related jobs out there to pick from. Since there are many study areas related to criminal justice, you should be able to find your niche.