For students interested in law enforcement, public safety, and the court and prison system, a degree in criminal justice can be a great fit.  There are many online degree options at both internet-only and traditional schools.  Online programs offer Associate’s, Bachelor’s, and Master’s degrees in criminal justice.

Although some may think that a degree in criminal justice creates limited career paths, that is not the case.   Criminal justice degrees can lead to many occupations:

• Law enforcement positions (detectives, police officers, federal agents, corrections officers)
• Courtroom and law professionals (bailiffs, court clerk, court reporters, paralegals)
• Forensics (computer forensics, crime scene investigation, forensic psychology)
• Private Sector Security and Investigation (private investigators, security guards)
• Emergency Response (public safety, emergency systems coordinators, fire management)

Successful criminal justice majors tend to be motivated, self-directed students.   Generally, students choosing criminal justice programs are passionate about the opportunity to protect justice and serve the law.   This, rather than the possibility of making a lot of money, is the primary draw.  Still, careers in criminal justice do provide steady pay, and additional education and higher degrees often translate into higher salaries.  Another thing to consider is that many criminal justice careers require a lot of dedication, as the hours can be long.  Additionally, some criminal justice jobs are dangerous, but there are many that are not.

Because criminal justice careers are so diverse, it’s difficult to make broad generalizations about pay scales and job environment.  However, there are few things worth mentioning.  Job outlook in several areas is positive.  Court reporting, for example, is expected to grow in response to the demand for live reports and captioning.  Private Investigation jobs are also expected to grow much faster than average, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics notes that competition for such jobs is high.

It can be difficult to choose a criminal justice program, but thankfully, there are many resources available for prospective students.  Web sites of individual schools often provide detailed course and program descriptions.  Some schools even have comparison charts to help students decide.  Kaplan, for instance, provides a table detailing requirements, hours, and descriptions of its criminal justice degrees.

Regardless of the particular school, students enrolled in a bachelors’ program can expect both core classes in their major (such as Criminal Law, and Corrections) as well as traditional liberal arts classes.

Criminal justice is an exciting field that combines aspects of many different disciplines.  With the increase in online opportunities, it is now an area of study that is available to almost everyone.