What does a major in criminal justice entail? This degree is a social science degree that delves into the psychology of a criminal mind, social patterns of criminals, and different ways to deter or decrease criminal activity. A criminal justice degree can help you into a career as a police officer, special investigator, crime scene investigator, or public administrator. All of these positions are challenging, engaging, and rewarding.

Why major in criminal justice? There are a couple of reasons. First, it does provide steady, stable employment. With this degree, you gain entrance to a world of careers that are salaried, and in high demand. State positions are often some of the most stable, as the public sector has a lot of bureaucracy, making it more difficult to make cuts or layoffs. Moreover, crime related jobs are always in high demand, so the chances of you getting a position right after earning your degree are pretty good.

Moreover, a degree in criminal justice is interesting from an educational perspective. You get to take classes from a broad spectrum of genres, including psychology, sociology, political science, philosophy, and business. The variety, in and of itself, is a reason to consider the major. On top of that, the classes in these subjects are applicable to the real world. In other degrees, a frustrating component may be the requirement of classes that students (and often graduates) consider useless in their professional lives. The classes you will take in a criminal justice program teach you lessons you will use every day on the job.

Finally, criminal justice can be a very rewarding career path. If you end up using your degree as a police officer, you have the benefit of knowing that you are protecting your community on a daily basis. If you are someone who enjoys puzzles and challenges, the work of a crime scene investigator or special investigator can provide you with the type of work that will keep you engaged in your career on a daily basis. If you are interested in politics, a criminal justice degree can give you the credibility you need to get into office and make a difference from a legal standpoint. All of these aspects make criminal justice a rewarding field indeed.

First and foremost, you should consider what kind of degree you are looking for. You can pursue an associate’s, bachelor’s or master’s in criminal justice, and each goal would require a different set of parameters for selecting what your top undergraduate criminal justice schools would be. For example, if you are looking to get an associate’s degree, your top schools would be reputable, local community colleges. These programs would save you money in comparison to associate’s degrees at universities, and if they have a good reputation in the community, they will allow you to seek out a career nearby with credibility, like a police dispatch operator.

If you are interested in getting your bachelor’s degree, state universities are usually a good bet. You will save money by going to a state school in the state you reside by gaining in-state tuition waivers. Moreover, state schools tend to be appreciated by local law enforcement branches, giving you an in when you go to apply for a job. Finally, most state schools do offer some form of criminal justice program, whereas some private schools do not. Therefore, focusing on state universities will give you the best array of options, regardless.

However, if you are interested in gaining your master’s, the top undergraduate criminal justice school criteria changes. Your best bet, in order to save money, time, and frustration, is to look for a school that offers an accelerated master’s program. These programs combine the coursework for a bachelor’s and master’s degree, allowing you to complete what would have been six years of schooling in five. These programs are usually very competitive when it comes to the admissions process, but are tremendously beneficial if getting your master’s in criminal justice is your end goal.

This being said, there are plenty of excellent undergraduate schools to consider. According to US News and World Reports, some of the better schools include the University of Maryland, SUNY-Albany, University of Cincinnati, University of Missouri, Penn State, University of California-Irvine, Florida State, Michigan State, Rutgers, CUNY-John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Temple, Arizona State, Northeastern, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania. The programs are difficult to get into, but provide an excellent education in criminal justice. 

First, you need to decide if you want to get your masters online or at a traditional university. An online program is usually pretty easy to get into, provides the convenience of being able to complete your degree at home, and allows you to finish your coursework at your own pace. However, online degrees are not always taken seriously by employers, so you need to make sure you are completing your degree from an accredited institution. A traditional program is usually more selective, but provides a very thorough education. You’ll get a chance to interact with your professors and peers on a regular basis, which is often considered an integral part of the educational process. However, these programs are usually more costly and time consuming. Both types of programs have pros and cons, but selecting which type you prefer will inform your own top graduate schools for criminal justice list.

The next thing you need to consider is whether you are going to be stopping after your master’s. A master’s degree is usually sufficient for getting you a basic instruction job at a state school, or for a managerial position in law enforcement or public administration. However, there are a number of hybrid master’s and doctoral programs that will allow you to complete both in a shortened time span. The benefit of such programs is that you save money and time in the long run, and you make yourself eligible for higher paying and more prestigious positions. There is an incredibly high demand for doctoral criminal justice scholars, especially in academia. It may be worth your while to consider this when figuring out what criminal justice graduate schools are best for you.

After considering all of this, there are a myriad of high quality school with excellent graduate level criminal justice programs. Some of the more notable ones include the University of Maryland, SUNY-Albany, University of Cincinnati, University of Missouri, Penn State, University of California-Irvine, Florida State, Michigan State, Rutgers, CUNY-John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Temple, Arizona State, Northeastern, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania. These are just a starting point, and it is very important to research these schools before application. They are top tier schools, but that does not mean they are the best fit for you.

In one sense, it will, if you go to the right sources. US News and World Report issues an annual report of the top schools in multiple categories, including criminal justice programs. However, you need to know what goes into these rankings. About forty percent of the score is based on evaluations by faculty at other schools. Another thirty percent of the rankings has to do with the amount of funding the school receives. The final thirty percent rests of GPA of student, selectivity of program, graduation rate and the like. If these are things that are important to you, then the rankings can be very useful. It is necessary to make sure you are getting your rankings from a qualified source, though. Some websites will provide a “Top Ten” list, but are actually just providing advertising for lesser schools.

However, these rankings may or may not take into account, or at least give proper weight, to the things that are most important to you. If the professor to student ratio is critical to your ability to do well in a program, these scores may not be reflective of your priority. Moreover, these rankings do not take into account the variables in the different types of criminal justice programs available. Some require a good deal community involvement, whereas others educate strictly from within the classroom. You should always research the programs you are applying to make sure that it is a program that fits your needs.

If the rankings are still important to you, you should know that there are a good amount of excellent schools on reputable lists. Some of the top schools include: University of Maryland, SUNY-Albany, University of Cincinnati, University of Missouri, Penn State, University of California-Irvine, Florida State, Michigan State, Rutgers, CUNY-John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Temple, Arizona State, Northeastern, University of Florida, and the University of Pennsylvania. All of them provide an excellent education in criminal justice. Many of them provide specialized degrees in criminal justice, such as criminology, forensics, police studies, and international law and justice. With a wide range of options, you will not be let down.

1. Forensic investigator- Were you always a fan of CSI? Here’s your chance to live the dream. You get to be the person who collects the clues, analyzes the DNA, and makes cryptic, sarcastic references to the killer. Nice.

2. Private investigator- Here’s your shot at being Humphrey Bogart. With this job, you are a hired gun, so you won’t necessarily have steady work, but you will have an awesome title.

3. Police dispatcher- You’re literally at the top of the criminal gossip food chain. You receive calls about disturbances, and send the police out to stop the bad guys. In other words, you know all.

4. Criminal profiler- Get into people’s heads. With this job, you get to look at the clues, and from that information, create a description of the kind of criminal the police are looking for. It’s like being a psychic… sort of.

5. Correctional officer- Perhaps it isn’t an office with a view, but it’s important work. You are responsible for standing guard over inmates, and keeping them in line. Not an easy job, and sometimes incredibly difficult, but a necessary one indeed.

6. Secret Service- James Bond, American style. Seriously, a degree in criminal justice can open up the door to be one of the most important kinds of body guards- those who protect our government officials!

7. FBI or CIA- If you have a degree in criminal justice, and you play your cards right, you could serve among some of the top law enforcement officials in the country. Handle the big cases, and bring in the most wanted criminals in America.

8. Police Detective- Though you may not be able to land this job straight out of school, it is certainly a prestigious position. You are responsible for taking all of the pieces of evidence brought in from cops of every walk of life, and making a cohesive story to put criminals behind bars. Crack the case!

9. Paralegal- If you have an interest in the law, but you aren’t exactly thrilled by the idea of standing up and arguing in court, the position of a paralegal might suit you. You get to do all of the researching that a lawyer does, but you work mostly behind the scenes.

10. Criminal Psychologist- You know those people who testify about the psychological state of defendants during a trial? That could be you! You work with the accused, and can provide evidence for either side about the psychological components of a criminal.

First, and perhaps most importantly, keep your criminal record clean. If you want to be accepted to a reputable criminal justice program, you should probably not have any felonies or serious misdemeanors in your past. While this is not a huge issue for all programs, for more selective and competitive programs, it could put a black spot on your application. While avoiding drug use is probably a good piece of life advice anyway, it is uniquely important when you want to get a degree pertaining to criminal activity. This is just something to consider.

Next, do what you can to make your background as impressive as possible. Does your high school offer any courses on criminal justice, criminal psychology, or public administration? Take them, and be sure to get good grades. This will tell the people reviewing your application that you are serious about a career in criminal justice, and have taken the steps to prepare. Amp up your extracurricular and volunteer work as well. Is there a volunteer police program in your community? Sign up. Can you work with the D.A.R.E. program in your area? Try it out. These are all things that will be impressive as people review your application.

You should also spend a good amount of time crafting a good personal statement. As you write it, make sure you keep in mind that the people who are going to be reading it have probably been reading generic essays about wanting to give back for days on end. Make yours unique. Tell a story about your life that is interesting and shows a proclivity for a career in criminal justice. If you can present yourself as an engaging and charismatic candidate, you have a better chance of being accepted into a program.

Finally, make sure you have excellent recommendations. For criminal justice programs in particular, your character is often taken into consideration. Try to have one academic, one professional, and one personal recommendation letter written for you. Go out of your way to ask people who you know you very well, and will be good at writing the letters. If you have a chance to get a community leader to write one for you, jump on it, especially if they work in the local government or, better yet, are on the police force. Recommendations will push you above and beyond the average applicants, so make sure you select your writers carefully.

First, make yourself someone that people want to give scholarships to. You are attempting to get a degree in criminal justice, so your application should have plenty of background that makes you seem like an ideal candidate. Volunteer to work for programs like D.A.R.E. Take criminal justice classes at your high school, if offered. Work for community action networks in the area. All of these things make you seem like the kind of promising student that organizations want to give money to.

Moreover, it is important that you reach out. These scholarships are not going to be thrown at you. You have to actively seek them out. Your community probably has a plethora of scholarships that are reserved for locals. Talk to your guidance counselor or a counselor at an adult outreach center to see what kinds of scholarships are available that you might be eligible for.

There are scholarships beyond your community though. Talk to the admissions counselors at the criminal justice school you are applying to. They may have need or merit based scholarships that you could qualify for. These are not always scholarships that are made blatantly public on a school’s web page, so talking to the admissions counselor is key.

Do not under estimate the usefulness of the internet, though. There are dozens of web sites online that have lists of scholarships specifically for criminal justice majors. On top of that, there are general scholarship web sites that will develop a list of possible scholarships based on the information you give them. One such example is www.fastweb.com. Log on, and see what scholarships are available to you.

However, the key in all of this is to be persistent. Whether you are talking to a guidance counselor, admissions counselor, or just searching the World Wide Web, new scholarships are becoming available all the time. Sites like Fastweb will send you notifications if a new scholarship has come up that you could apply to, but the other sources require you to continuously search. Don’t give up, even if you win one or two. If you are diligent, you may find that your tuition, books and living expenses can all be paid for with scholarships.