As technology advances, so does crime, public opinion, and philosophy. To maintain the trust of the public, the criminal justice system must always remain in line with modern research and best practices. While undergraduate degrees in criminal justice are an excellent way to prepare you with the tools and skills to greatly enhance individuals’ primary interactions with the criminal justice system, a master’s degree can prepare you to address the bigger, philosophical questions surrounding crime and its interactions with society.
Obtaining a master’s degree in criminal justice can improve your leadership competence and train you in specialized skills. Even though most criminal justice jobs may require either an associate or bachelor’s degree, continuing your education can allow you to pursue advanced positions and responsibilities and increased title and pay, as well as put you in a position to author policy that immediately makes an impact on victims and offenders. At its core, a master’s in criminal justice gives you the tools to explore the motives that drive offenders and their methods, evidence-based solutions to crime, and crime prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
Law Enforcement and Corrections
(For the sake of clarity about the various opportunities for master’s degree criminal justice graduates, careers in law enforcement and corrections are oriented toward local, county, and state law enforcement.)
Careers:
Law Enforcement Officer and Supervisor
Surveys of law enforcement individuals at the city, county, and state levels illustrate staff shortages and a need for police officers with advanced skills. The skills obtained at the graduate level are necessary to meet the demands of modern crime prevention in various jurisdictions. While bachelor’s and associate degrees may prepare law enforcement personnel — specifically police officers — for first-touch interactions with victims and offenders, graduate programs help individuals become specialized in particular responsibilities and prepared for leadership roles.
Detective/Criminal Investigator
If you have prior experience with a law enforcement agency, a master’s degree in criminal justice can give you the boost you need to become a supervisor, department head, intelligence analyst, or detective/investigator. These positions are widely available with state departments of justice and/or public safety. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these departments need to grow and advance to keep up, creating an opportunity for job growth at 6 percent, faster than the national average, over the next decade. For instance, a department may hire:
- Consumer Affairs Investigators
- investigating corrupt business practices or wronged customers
- State Police Investigators
- investigating larger crimes that cross state lines, or heavier charges
- Insurance Fraud Investigators
- investigating individual and business insurance claims in the private and public sectors
- Financial Crime Investigators
- investigating crimes like money laundering, wage theft, or counterfeiting
Corrections
While a degree is not necessary to be successful in the field of corrections, a master’s degree can help to advance one’s title and responsibilities. While correctional officers are preoccupied with the day-to-day administration of order in jails and prisons, high-ranking officials within these facilities are tasked with:
- managing officers
- managing administrative tasks and projects, including but not limited to:
- facility upkeep
- tracking incidents and trends
- mitigating danger
- managing cases
A master’s degree in criminal justice can help individuals succeed at these roles by developing management skills, while course work can enhance understanding of human behavior, research, and best practices.
Federal Law Enforcement
Careers:
Obtaining a master’s degree is a great way to access the wealth of opportunities at the federal law enforcement level. While positions exist at the bachelor’s degree level, a master’s degree allows individuals to apply to positions ranked GS-09 and up at the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (based upon courses completed, grade-point average, and experience).
Additionally, many federal agencies employ investigators who inspect policy violations and offenders, including but not limited to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the United States Postal Service (USPS). Essential focus areas for becoming a federal law enforcement professional include academics, case studies, and operational skills, all of which can be greatly improved upon by completing your master’s degree. By helping you build essential skill sets — including interviewing, report writing, interrogating, and investigating — a master’s degree is an optimal way to be prepared for the demands of this career field.
Private Sector
As with associate and bachelor’s degree outcomes, the private security sector represents a growing area within the criminal justice field for master’s graduates to find success. As the cost for institutional services increases, private entities are more heavily relied upon to execute the functions administered by the public sector.
Careers:
Compliance Manager
An integral part of this relationship is ensuring compliance with public information and maintaining individuals’ rights. A compliance manager is responsible for developing and supervising the execution of public contracts and services in all phases, from strategies to procedures. While these individuals may be public administrators, having a thorough understanding of criminal justice paradigms, research, and laws can provide an advantage.
Security Director
In the private sector, security directors are tasked with securing an organization’s assets and property while maintaining the safety of staff and customers. Security directors often create, review, and implement policies pertaining to these areas, while also ensuring compliance with local, state, and federal laws. Directors will also manage and train staff, evaluate trends, and report to executives about actions taken by the organization. While a master’s degree isn’t necessary for success in the position, hiring managers often look for well-rounded experience, which can be supplemented with an advanced education in criminal justice.
Crime Analyst (including cyber crime)
The functions and responsibilities of a private sector crime analyst entail evaluating multiple data points and interactions among the public, the organization, and LEOs to provide statistics for leaders, crime forecasts, and crime reduction tactics. Whether that’s fulfilling a role in a corporation or working at an advocacy group or nonprofit, as a leader in any of these positions, you can leave an impact on the criminal justice system and how it interacts with the public and policy.
For cyber crimes, supervisors and directors will have to create and maintain policies that balance security with the rights of the public to ensure trust and compliance with laws. Jobs in this field require technical know-how, skills in data analysis, and an understanding of the complex legal and ethical issues involved in cybersecurity.
Criminal Justice Administration
A master’s in criminal justice can provide you with the tools and knowledge necessary to directly influence society’s relationship with offenders and victims. The course work available at the graduate level can provide you with a framework for evaluating policy and practices, understanding recidivism, and investigating different intervention strategies to not only reduce crime but prevent it from happening. Roles within the realm of criminal justice administration are usually available in the public sector and are frequently within state departments.
Careers:
Criminologist
Criminologists typically work for large law enforcement entities, government agencies, higher education institutions, and nonprofit organizations. Criminologists are usually analysts or scientists who investigate crimes at the macro level. They are concerned with discovering the determinants of specific crimes, the correlations between demographics and victim and offender behaviors, and evaluating the impact of variables on public safety outcomes.
A critical component for becoming a criminologist is the ability to gather data, analyze it, and communicate these inferences clearly to various audiences, from government officials to the public. These skills are core components of most graduate-level criminal justice programs due to their importance to the field at large, and candidates with a master’s degree are highly valued by employers.
Social and Community Services Manager
While many careers in criminal justice revolve around law enforcement, a critical component of the function of the criminal justice system can be found in social and community services. These services are often products of policy implementation to help deter crime, support victims, and reduce recidivism. These positions are often found at state and local agencies, as well as in the private sector and nonprofits.
With a master’s degree in criminal justice, you could expect the following responsibilities as a social and community services manager: planning, directing, coordinating, and managing the activities of such organizations. This could involve managing a budget, personnel, and policy to ensure compliance with local and federal laws. Work may involve directing social workers, counselors, or probation officers.
State Administrative Employee
Many counties and state law enforcement agencies employ numerous individuals to be members of their criminal justice administrative departments. As modern technology continues to advance, these departments often need to continuously expand to be able to protect the public from falling victim to criminal activity. While administrators are required throughout these departments, a master’s in criminal justice opens the door to be able to become an analyst, researcher, and/or regulator.
These individuals evaluate multiple data points and interactions among the public and LEOs to provide statistics for elected officials, including crime forecasts and crime reduction reports. In any of these positions, you can leave an impact on the criminal justice system and how it interacts with the public and policy. Such positions could include:
- Consumer Affairs Research Analyst
- evaluates statistics pertaining to consumer complaints about businesses at the state level
- Gaming Enforcement Administrative Analyst
- evaluates data related to gambling, both in person and online, and possible crimes in either sphere
- Youth Justice Analyst
- examines youth crime rates and correlations of their outcomes
- Research Director
Make Penn State World Campus Your Partner on Your Way to a Criminal Justice Master’s Degree
A master’s degree in criminal justice is an excellent pathway for those interested in advancing or obtaining positions within the justice system that offer opportunities to effect change on the system and its impacts on both victims and offenders. While many criminal justice careers lie within law enforcement, and law enforcement is often the first line of communication between individuals and the system, two-thirds of the criminal justice system are institutions that can impact sentencing, resources, charges, convictions, and intervention. These institutions require well-educated public servants with skills in research, data analysis, communication, and management to maintain faith and trust in the system itself.
While most criminal justice jobs and careers may require neither an advanced degree nor an undergraduate degree, obtaining a graduate degree can give you the edge you need to stand out among your peers for supervisory or administrative positions, especially if you have prior work experience within a sector of the criminal justice system. Obtaining a master’s in criminal justice can improve your leadership competence, elevate your career, and train you in specialized skills. At its core, a master’s degree in criminal justice gives you the tools to explore the motives that drive offenders and their methods, evidence-based solutions, and crime prevention and rehabilitation strategies.
Don’t have an undergraduate degree in criminal justice or much prior experience?
In many fields, pursuing a master’s degree is a way to progress through one area of study to become a subject matter expert. While this is true of criminal justice master’s degrees as well, what makes the criminal justice career field unique is that you do not need to have prior undergraduate experience in criminal justice. The criminal justice career field offers diverse opportunities for individuals without a prior education in criminal justice. Your prior work and educational experience are personal and often provide you with a unique perspective that can help to advance the administration of justice.
Whether you are a business, political science, psychology, or communications major, you can find a home in the criminal justice field. All that is needed is a commitment to justice and a desire to serve the community and make a difference.
The Penn State World Campus Master of Professional Studies in Criminal Justice Policy and Administration is uniquely suited to capitalize on your unique experience and help you build the career path that best suits you. You can even earn your degree on your own terms, especially by pursuing the stackable credential route. Learn more about our programs now!
