Purpose

• A criminal justice degree is to educate students about the criminal system in the United States. Students begin with learning the basic rights of people who are accused of crimes. Further study in undergraduate programs include classes in forensic science that cover lab work and investigation techniques; courses in sociology that discuss pros and cons of the current system and behavior patterns associated with people accused of crimes; psychology, which covers the thought patterns of the criminal mind; and political science, which gives an overview of how criminal justice policy is made. These courses give students a broad view of criminology issues.
  
  

Law Enforcement Jobs

• Working in law enforcement is common for people who have degrees in criminal justice. These graduates may have jobs ranging from being a police officer to working as a probation officer. Though degrees are not required for all law enforcement jobs, a criminal justice degree can improve the chances of promotion and offers a background of academic knowledge to complement the physical requirements of police work.
  
  

Court Jobs

• Many court officials, such as court reporters and legal secretaries, have training in criminal justice. Because this degree teaches terminology related to the criminal justice system, it's natural to make a transition into a job as a court reporter, where an understanding of these terms is crucial to an accurate recording of information.
  
  

Advocacy Jobs

• For people who are inclined to question how the criminal justice system can be better, advocacy work and criminal justice degrees go together well. Scores of nonprofits exist for people who are wrongly accused, or to make available better legal services to people accused of crimes. Someone who is interested in this type of work will learn the foundations of the system by getting a criminal justice degree.
  
  

Further Education

• Criminal justice degrees are an excellent starting point for further work in legal issues. Law school candidates, especially those who want to enter areas of criminal law, are well served by criminal justice degrees because they already know the basics of the criminal justice system and how that system works, its shortfalls, and other pertinent information.