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What Does a Career in Criminal Justice & Law Entail?

Everyone wants to make a difference with their life. A career in criminal justice and law gives an individual constant opportunities to make a difference in the lives of their communities. Whether you choose to do so by becoming a police officer, customs agent, dispatcher, forensics/laboratory technician, investigator, or a special agent with the FBI or CIA; a degree in criminal justice or law might be the perfect place for you to start.

Without those who uphold the laws, society could not exist. A person with a career in the criminal justice and law field may perform various duties, but it all comes down to upholding the law or supporting those who do so, through their particular field. Police officers arrest those who break the law, criminal defense lawyers represent those charged with a crime in court, corrections officers oversee those who are convicted of breaking the law, while parole officers monitor those released before the end of their sentences. All of these people are vital elements in keeping society safe, and at its core, that is what a career in criminal justice and law entails.

Components of A Successful Career In "Criminal Justice & Law"

A successful career in criminal justice and law involves upholding the law, serving, protecting, and bettering the life of the community in some way. That means not only protecting the community from those who break the law, but trying to rehabilitate certain offenders so they may eventually become productive members of society. Because the field of criminal justice and law is so varied, the components of a successful career depend on the job in question, but the bottom line is always contributing to the well-being of the community in question and behaving in an honorable way.

How to Earn a Degree in Criminal Justice & Law

Typical Requirements

There are no specific requirements for entry into a criminal justice/law program. However, you should be aware of the requirements for entry into an associate or bachelor program in general. Requirements can include: high school transcripts, application fees, letters of recommendation, and even an interview in some programs. For higher level law degrees, you may need to first finish a bachelors in order to gain admittance to a program.

Typical Certifications Needed

The professional certifications needed depends on the field the student goes into. For example, a career as a police officer depends on graduating from police academy training, while a lawyer must pass the bar exam after graduation in order to practice. In most criminal justice fields, the candidate must receive a variety of certifications related to the job, possibly including CPR and first aid.

Academic Standards

The academic standards for entry into Criminal Justice or Law degrees are much the same as any other college program. You usually need to have taken the ACT or SAT. Each institution will have their own minimum requirements for scores and achievement on these exams. Always be sure to check requirements before applying so that you don’t waste your time.

Academic standards don’t stop once you get into a college or university. Most higher education institutions require you to maintain a certain grade point average (GPA) in order to remain in the program. If you can’t maintain this level of achievement you can be put on academic probation, leading to academic suspension if you do not improve.

Exam and Experience Needed for CJUS Majors

A person with a prior criminal record may have difficulty finding work in certain criminal justice fields. That certainly does not mean a career in criminal justice is not possible for previous offenders, but if you have a felony or drug charge against you, you are likely disqualified. A DUI or misdemeanor, if it was some time ago and you have not had any issues with the law since, may not prove disqualifying.

How long does a CJUS Program take?

An online degree usually includes the same number of credit hours as it’s on-campus counterpart. That means it should take you about 4 years to finish an online degree. However, if you are taking the degree online because of time constraints or work and family obligations, you may not be able to attend full-time and, therefore, it could take up to 6-8 years to attain your degree.

How much does a degree in Criminal Justice cost?

The cost will depend on several factors. Are you pursuing your degree online or in a traditional setting? If you attend your courses on campus, you will also need to pay for food, room and board, and other fees. This can increase the cost of your education significantly unless you have a plan in place to keep these costs low. If you attend a public, state school, it will depend on whether or not you are a resident. In-state students usually pay much lower rates than out-of-state students. However, this can be overcome by attending classes online, as most institutions charge in-state rates for all online courses. Either way, you need to research the costs for each program you are considering applying to, as each institution will have their own rates.

Does the school have the criminal justice major(s) you’re considering?

Criminal justice and law is a wide-ranging field. If you have a specific career you are hoping to enter, make sure the school either offers a major in that field or a variety of classes pertaining to your field of interest. You may be able to find employment information for graduating students, will can show you how many students were able to enter the field you’re looking at upon graduation.

How many students graduate “on time,” in four years?

The graduation rate can tell you a great deal about a school. Avoid schools with low four-year graduation rates. That may mean students are not receiving the best academic support, or there are issues with the faculty or affordability. While it is just one standard for you to investigate, it can be indicative of the overall quality of the school and also of your future experience.

What kind of accreditation does the program hold? How is it regarded in the field?

Accreditation is essential. Attending a school well-known in the field for its high quality criminal justice program not only gives you the best education of its type, but is a great asset once you begin looking for work. Fortunately, many respected schools in the world of criminal justice are top public colleges and universities, not the more expensive private institutions of higher learning.

While it's impossible to discover an ABA-approved legislation level offered fully on-line, there are a growing number of options for students pursuing other criminal justice-related degrees to give up standard brick-and-mortar organizations for hassle-free on-line knowing. The main benefit to participating in an on the internet college is the flexibility for making your programs fit around your active routine without travelling to university.

Naturally, these high-paying positions likewise call for that you invest a bargain of time and also initiative into your education and learning in order to make your wage. Think about the adhering to criminal justice and lawful settings, their respective mean yearly salaries, and the called for degree: Lawyers: $118,160 (Doctoral or Specialist Degree) Judges as well as Hearing Officers: $109,940 (Doctoral or Expert Degree) Post secondary Law Teachers: $104,910 (Doctoral or Expert Level) If you're interested in a criminal justice and/or lawful job, you might be wondering if a level program is actually worth your time (in addition to the monetary financial investment!).

The criminal justice field offers opportunities in a number of areas of interest and for every educational level from an associate’s to a doctoral degree. An online criminal justice degree is sufficient educational preparation for many entry-level jobs in criminal justice, and students may then wish to continue building educational credits to allow for career advancement. A criminal justice salary will be commensurate with the job description, education and experience and can vary widely as well.Some of the most popular career fields include crime scene forensics, criminal profiling and law enforcement at the federal level including working for the FBI.

The popularity of these areas is in part due to media portrayals of them as exciting careers, but there are a number of other rewarding criminal justice jobs. For example, work in corrections and probation can include helping offenders develop job and life skills for successful reintegration into society while other types of forensics such as computer and accounting can help build criminal cases. From courtrooms to private security firms to think tanks and beyond, the variety of environments in which criminal justice majors may find themselves makes this an attractive career choice. Academics and Research Academics and research is generally not the first area that comes to mind when one thinks of criminal justice careers, but it can be a fascinating area for those who are interested in seeking advanced degrees.

Another avenue into academics and research is combining professional experience with a master’s or doctorate, and this can be a particularly good mix for those who hope to teach criminal justice at the college level. Both academics and research can involve areas such as psychology and forensics. Researchers may work for think tanks or work with government and legislators to set policy. Of all careers with a criminal justice degree requirement, these are generally the ones that require the most education, but they offer the opportunity to contribute to the body of knowledge about criminal behavior in a significant way.

Furthermore, these qualifications will certainly give you a boost on any type of improvement chances that may appear as soon as you are employed. In this area, we'll analyze the sorts of criminal justice and also regulation degrees offered and also check out examples of each. Associates degree in the criminal justice as well as legal fields are two-year post secondary programs that prepare trainees for entry-level job in a limited number of settings.