Criminal justice degrees tend to attract individuals who enjoy helping others and who want to make a difference in their local communities. The criminal justice field encompasses dozens of rewarding job opportunities in areas like crime prevention, victim advocacy, corrections/rehabilitation, and investigative work.
Salaries for Criminal Justice Majors vary on how one ultimately applies their degree and their career goals and ambitions. Potential careers for graduates with a criminal justice degree depend on degree specialization and type.
For example, learners focusing on forensics may find jobs as forensic scientists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), forensic science technicians earn a median salary of $59,150 per year, with a 14% projected job growth rate from 2018-2028.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, These are the Top 10 Salaries for Criminal Justice Majors:
JOB MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY
Lawyer $122,960
Homeland Security $77,000
Homicide Detective $74,380
Forensic Accountant $71,560
Forensic Psychologist $69,510
Criminal Investigator $67,170
DEA Agent $66,450
Secret Service Agent $65,000
FBI Agent $64,060
Forensic Science Technician $59,150
Jobs You Can Get With a Degree in Criminal Justice
One of the most appealing aspects of working in criminal justice is the diversity of career options available. Criminal justice examines concepts in areas including criminology, psychology, and sociology. This interdisciplinary nature leads to careers in a variety of settings.
Graduates may pursue employment with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and law firms. They may also work privately and independently. This is just a shortlist of opportunities for those interested in such fields:
- Bounty Hunter
- Conservation Officer
- Corrections Officer
- Crime Lab Analyst
- Crime Scene Investigator
- Criminal Investigator
- DEA Agent
- FBI Agent
- Forensic Accountant
- Forensic Psychologist
- Forensic Science Technician
- Homeland Security Professional
- Homicide Detective
- K-9 Corps Officer
- Lawyer
- Paralegal
- Park Ranger
- Parole Officer
- Police Officer
- Private Investigator
- Probation Officer
- Secret Service Agent
- State Trooper
- Substance Abuse Counselor
Victim Advocate
Careers in criminal justice generally fall into three main branches: law enforcement, courts, and corrections/rehabilitation. Each of these branches features similarities and differences regarding job duties, salary expectations, required education/experience, and work conditions.
Motivated criminal justice majors may select from dozens of other career options. Opportunities abound for graduates with secondary interests in areas like healthcare, conservation, youth services, forensic science, and anthropology.
There are several reasons why a Criminal Justice degree is worth the time and money. Nearly every police agency requires you to complete a police academy to become a police officer, but not all of them require a degree to be hired. One criminal justice instructor at a major university program explained the cause and effect relationship of degrees like this:
- If you want to improve your chance of hiring, get a degree.
- If you want to work in a crime lab, get a degree.
- If you want to advance in rank, position, etc., get a degree.
- If you want to transition to a federal agency, get a degree.
- If you have a desire to teach criminal justice courses, get a degree.
Undergraduate degree holders with majors in criminal justice most often enter five different fields: law enforcement, corrections, private security, forensic science, and law. Criminal justice majors are probably best equipped to work in the subfield in which they specialized in college — which may include homeland security, corrections, juvenile justice, or a related field.
While the salary ranges for these five following fields vary dramatically, criminal justice majors working in law can expect to earn the most, and security guards can anticipate making the least.
Police and Detective Work
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the average salary of police and detectives at $56,980 as of 2012. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $93,450, while the lowest 10 percent took home less than $33,060 over the same period. Detectives and criminal investigators made a significantly higher average salary than their lower-ranking counterparts, earning an average of $74,300 per year. Criminal justice majors may be particularly well suited for work with the FBI or Secret Service because these positions require bachelor’s degrees for entry-level positions.
Correctional Treatment Specialists and Security Guards
As of 2012, the BLS cited probation officers and correction specialists’ average income at $48,190 per year, with the lowest-earning 10 percent taking in less than $31,590 and the highest-earning 10 percent making more than $83,410. The nature of the agencies where these people work typically calls for long hours, occasionally requiring officers to be on call for 24-hour periods. According to the BLS, security guards and gaming surveillance officers earned an average salary of $24,020. Although most security jobs don’t require higher education, some employers prefer to hire employees with postsecondary degrees.
Forensic Science Technicians
Requiring a bachelor’s degree for most entry-level positions, forensic science technicians earned an average salary of $52,840 in 2012, according to the BLS. The lowest-earning 10 percent took home less than $32,200, while the highest-earning 10 percent earned more than $85,210. While criminal justice majors can and do work in this field, many of the higher-earning positions go to individuals with graduate degrees in forensic science or related fields.
Regular Earnings of Lawyers
While a criminal justice major is a strong preparation for graduate-level law study, lawyers require a Juris doctor degree and successful bar exam completion to work in the field. In 2012, lawyers made an average salary of $113,530, according to the BLS, with the lowest-earning 10 percent making less than $54,310 and the highest-earning 10 percent taking home more than $187,200. Although lawyer salaries vary based on location and status, those who worked in finance and insurance made the most, on average, at $134,940 per year.
Salaries for Criminal Justice Majors vary on how one ultimately applies their degree and their career goals and ambitions. Potential careers for graduates with a criminal justice degree depend on degree specialization and type.
For example, learners focusing on forensics may find jobs as forensic scientists. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), forensic science technicians earn a median salary of $59,150 per year, with a 14% projected job growth rate from 2018-2028.
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, These are the Top 10 Salaries for Criminal Justice Majors:
JOB MEDIAN ANNUAL SALARY
Lawyer $122,960
Homeland Security $77,000
Homicide Detective $74,380
Forensic Accountant $71,560
Forensic Psychologist $69,510
Criminal Investigator $67,170
DEA Agent $66,450
Secret Service Agent $65,000
FBI Agent $64,060
Forensic Science Technician $59,150
Jobs You Can Get With a Degree in Criminal Justice
One of the most appealing aspects of working in criminal justice is the diversity of career options available. Criminal justice examines concepts in areas including criminology, psychology, and sociology. This interdisciplinary nature leads to careers in a variety of settings.
Graduates may pursue employment with government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and law firms. They may also work privately and independently. This is just a shortlist of opportunities for those interested in such fields:
- Bounty Hunter
- Conservation Officer
- Corrections Officer
- Crime Lab Analyst
- Crime Scene Investigator
- Criminal Investigator
- DEA Agent
- FBI Agent
- Forensic Accountant
- Forensic Psychologist
- Forensic Science Technician
- Homeland Security Professional
- Homicide Detective
- K-9 Corps Officer
- Lawyer
- Paralegal
- Park Ranger
- Parole Officer
- Police Officer
- Private Investigator
- Probation Officer
- Secret Service Agent
- State Trooper
- Substance Abuse Counselor
Victim Advocate
Careers in criminal justice generally fall into three main branches: law enforcement, courts, and corrections/rehabilitation. Each of these branches features similarities and differences regarding job duties, salary expectations, required education/experience, and work conditions.
Motivated criminal justice majors may select from dozens of other career options. Opportunities abound for graduates with secondary interests in areas like healthcare, conservation, youth services, forensic science, and anthropology.
There are several reasons why a Criminal Justice degree is worth the time and money. Nearly every police agency requires you to complete a police academy to become a police officer, but not all of them require a degree to be hired. One criminal justice instructor at a major university program explained the cause and effect relationship of degrees like this:
- If you want to improve your chance of hiring, get a degree.
- If you want to work in a crime lab, get a degree.
- If you want to advance in rank, position, etc., get a degree.
- If you want to transition to a federal agency, get a degree.
- If you have a desire to teach criminal justice courses, get a degree.
Undergraduate degree holders with majors in criminal justice most often enter five different fields: law enforcement, corrections, private security, forensic science, and law. Criminal justice majors are probably best equipped to work in the subfield in which they specialized in college — which may include homeland security, corrections, juvenile justice, or a related field.
While the salary ranges for these five following fields vary dramatically, criminal justice majors working in law can expect to earn the most, and security guards can anticipate making the least.
Police and Detective Work
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the average salary of police and detectives at $56,980 as of 2012. The highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $93,450, while the lowest 10 percent took home less than $33,060 over the same period. Detectives and criminal investigators made a significantly higher average salary than their lower-ranking counterparts, earning an average of $74,300 per year. Criminal justice majors may be particularly well suited for work with the FBI or Secret Service because these positions require bachelor’s degrees for entry-level positions.
Correctional Treatment Specialists and Security Guards
As of 2012, the BLS cited probation officers and correction specialists’ average income at $48,190 per year, with the lowest-earning 10 percent taking in less than $31,590 and the highest-earning 10 percent making more than $83,410. The nature of the agencies where these people work typically calls for long hours, occasionally requiring officers to be on call for 24-hour periods. According to the BLS, security guards and gaming surveillance officers earned an average salary of $24,020. Although most security jobs don’t require higher education, some employers prefer to hire employees with postsecondary degrees.
Forensic Science Technicians
Requiring a bachelor’s degree for most entry-level positions, forensic science technicians earned an average salary of $52,840 in 2012, according to the BLS. The lowest-earning 10 percent took home less than $32,200, while the highest-earning 10 percent earned more than $85,210. While criminal justice majors can and do work in this field, many of the higher-earning positions go to individuals with graduate degrees in forensic science or related fields.
Regular Earnings of Lawyers
While a criminal justice major is a strong preparation for graduate-level law study, lawyers require a Juris doctor degree and successful bar exam completion to work in the field. In 2012, lawyers made an average salary of $113,530, according to the BLS, with the lowest-earning 10 percent making less than $54,310 and the highest-earning 10 percent taking home more than $187,200. Although lawyer salaries vary based on location and status, those who worked in finance and insurance made the most, on average, at $134,940 per year.
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