Thinking about pursuing a career in law enforcement? If so, join the thousands of men and women from around the world who have found that many colleges and universities now offer accredited Criminal Justice degrees that can lead to a rewarding career in the many fields of law enforcement today.
Security Focused
In the past, would-be law enforcement officers entered the Police Academy right out of high school in order to gain the training needed to obtain a job at the local or state level. However, in the past decade, law enforcement and police work has become increasingly complex. In the past several years, more of a focus has been placed on security. This means that increased funding has flowed into the law enforcement industry, creating new jobs, and paving the way for more effective ways to fight crime and increase security. This increased focus on security means that a high school diploma is often not enough to gain entry into the field of law enforcement. Many Police Academies now require at least an associate degree in Law Enforcement or Criminal Justice before a student can apply for admission. It is anticipated that many will require bachelor's degrees in this field before long.
Luckily, many institutions, including many that offer accredited online and distance learning degree programs, have risen to the challenge. While the demand for more educated law enforcement officers has increased, so too has the number of opportunities available to people interested in this field of study.
Busy Professional?
You may not have been in a classroom for a while, but you have never stopped learning. If you are already a aw enforcement professional, soldier or social worker, your professional and community activities are valuable. A Master’s degree in Criminal Justice may take less time than you think due to the fact that many programs accept work experience as transferable credits. Using your work experience towards a useful education is a win-win concept!
Furthermore, distance learning is a convenient way for today's busy law enforcement professionals to keep their skills up-to-date and earn undergraduate and graduate degrees over the Internet.
Many Options
With the recent light on Homeland Security, positions in patrol, crime investigation, criminal and terrorist profiling, civilian intelligence operations, cyber-crime and other technological applications are added within law enforcement agencies on a regular basis. With new advances in forensic technology you can be assured that career in criminal justice will truly be the experience of a lifetime.
Both Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice offer exciting and fulfilling career opportunities. Graduates can establish or advance their careers in the many areas of law enforcement, including:
- Judicial Worker
- Lawyer
- Paralegal
- Police, Detective
- Corrections Officer
- Probation Officer
- Private Detective, Investigator
- Court Reporting
Armored with Knowledge
In order to ensure that students enter the law enforcement field with the knowledge, confidence, and ethical consciousness to assume positions of responsibility and leadership, Criminal Justice programs are designed to expose students to various aspects of existing law enforcement, judicial and correctional systems. Students graduating with a CJ degree are armored with knowledge in the following areas: Criminal Justice Administration and Organization; Criminal Justice Theories and Concepts; Criminal Justice Operations, Practices, and Processes; Emergency & Disaster Management, Intelligence Analysis & Operations, Security, Transportation & Logistics.
It is common for students interested in law enforcement to achieve degrees as high as a Master's degree in Criminal Justice prior to formally entering the workforce. If you’re considering a CJ degree, you will have the opportunity to:
- Analyze patterns of crime and methods of prevention in American society and in various other countries.
- Explain the role of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections) in the administration of justice in the United States and other countries.
- Understand and apply prevention and treatment techniques to domestic and international crime problems.
- Critically analyze the theories that seek to explain the causes of criminal behavior and delinquency.
- Demonstrate a cohesive base of job-related skills, techniques, and principles related to criminal justice.
- Use computer technology for literature review and the analysis of criminal behavior.