What Types of Criminal Justice Majors Are There?

A career in criminal justice can provide you with a very rewarding career in which you will always have job stability and have the opportunity to contribute to society. Those that are looking for a career in criminal justice will find that there are many more career options if they have a degree. Prior to pursuing a degree and career in criminal justice, all people should be aware of the broad range of criminal justice majors that are available.

Law Enforcement

The most common educational option for those looking to pursue a career in criminal justice is law enforcement. When getting a degree with this major, people will not only what the law is but also how to enforce it legally. The degree path is a great choice for someone that wants to be a police officer or federal agent. Those that want to work in the prison system would also benefit professionally from a degree in law enforcement.

Rehabilitation

For people that want to stop crime at its source and help former criminals get back into the real world, pursuing a degree in rehabilitation would be a goo option. Those that get a degree in this field could do a variety of differing jobs. Many graduates get jobs working as parole officers in which they will ensure that former convicts are meeting all of the requirements of their parole. Another specialization in this includes drug rehabilitation in which a person will help criminals recover from drug addiction.

Criminology

Criminology is another major that could be good for someone that is looking to pursue a degree in criminal justice. Criminology differs from other education options in that it focuses on social and psychological reasons why someone would commit a crime. The degree program will likely include many courses is psychology and sociology. Those with a degree in criminology would work well as either a forensic psychologist or criminal psychologist.

Accounting

A degree path that could also be a good option for someone that wants to work in criminal justice is accounting. Accountants can be hired by law enforcement agencies to do a number of different jobs. At the federal level accountants are frequently hired to help inspect white collar and financial crimes. At the local level, accountants can be hired to inspect similar crimes and even to handle the police departments finances.

Law

The fifth major to consider would be a degree in law. Lawyers play a very important part in the legal and criminal justice process. Lawyers can be hired at the state, county, or federal level to prosecute defendants or to defend those that do not have the means to hire their own defense attorneys.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the criminal justice career path is a great one for someone that wants to help make society a safer place. Criminal justice can be a very broad career path with a wide range of career options. For those that are looking to pursue a degree in law enforcement, there is an equally wide range of majors that could be pursued.

For more information, check out the “Criminal Justice Career Guide“.