The criminal justice field offers a variety career pathways that utilize individuals’ unique skillsets. These areas of interest include investigating crimes, supporting public safety, working within the court system, shaping public policy, and helping former offenders successfully re-enter society.
A criminal justice degree balances foundational knowledge of the criminal justice system with the critical thinking, communication, and ethical reasoning that define a strong liberal arts education. Students gain in-depth insight into how the criminal justice field operates, examine contemporary challenges such as criminal activity, and explore evidence-based strategies to prevent crime and strengthen public safety.
Course work emphasizes ethical decision-making, fairness, and accountability while preparing students to apply real-world expertise in professional settings. Graduates can develop the ability to communicate clearly, work closely with diverse stakeholders, lead with integrity, and pursue lifelong learning — skills valued across government agencies, human services, and community services.
Finding Your Career in the Criminal Justice System
"The American criminal justice system is built on three interconnected pillars," said Dr. Eileen M. Ahlin, professor of criminal justice in the School of Public Affairs at Penn State Harrisburg. These pillars include:
- police and law enforcement agencies, including police departments, which are responsible for enforcing laws, solving crimes, interviewing witnesses, conducting investigations, and responding to criminal cases involving missing persons, drug trafficking, and other serious offenses
- the court system, which upholds justice through the legal system, adjudicating criminal cases, and supporting pathways to law school
- corrections and rehabilitation, including probation officers and parole officer roles that support former offenders through supervision, compliance, and reintegration
"Justice is the core of the social system around which societies function," said Ahlin. "All positions in the criminal justice field are important because they protect the public and improve the lives of those who experience the criminal justice system, both victims and offenders."
Career Flexibility and Advancement
Individuals can find many opportunities to build rewarding and fulfilling careers with various public, private, and nonprofit entities, all while providing meaningful support and change to the institutions upholding the values of criminal justice system.
The most unique aspect of the career field of criminal justice is that a significant number of entry-level positions do not require a secondary education to gain employment. This means that individuals can begin earning real-world experience and consistent pay and benefits without having to put a career on hold for an education. With many opportunities for employer-paid continuing education pathways, you can adapt both your work experience and education toward a specialization and/or advancement to higher ranks, as well as leadership positions.
Criminal Justice Career Outcomes
Criminal justice majors can develop the skills to pursue impactful careers across the justice and security landscape. Students study criminal behavior, research methods, and complex criminal enterprises such as financial crimes, insurance fraud, and money laundering, which produces positive career outcomes at the associate degree, bachelor’s degree, and master’s degree levels.
- Parole officers guide former offenders as they transition back into society, oversee compliance with parole conditions, and investigate allegations of parole violations.
- Court system administrators manage the daily operations of the court system. Opportunities for this criminal justice job exist in managing case flow and court operations, policy development, court recording, budgeting, and jury management.
- Paralegals aid legal teams in processing court case materials, developing briefs, conducting legal research, examining evidence, preparing cases, gathering client statements, and managing client relations.
- Research and crime analysts conduct research for private or governmental agencies and investigate the causes of criminal behavior and trends using data gathering and analysis.
- Private security careers include security guards, loss prevention personnel, and private investigators.
- Wildlife (fish/game) wardens investigate crimes or accidents on game lands and waterways and work to protect wildlife and their habitats.
Criminal Justice Degrees at Penn State World Campus
Upholding the value of justice is the core goal of all criminal justice careers. Defending and protecting the rights of others, especially in the modern digital age, is a commitment that requires constant continuing education, training, and specialization. These skills demonstrate to employers that you can assess a situation and create viable solutions to solve problems facing society.
The key elements essential to success in this field are:
- critical thinking
- research and analytic skills
- public speaking and other forms of communication
- active listening
- knowledge of the criminal justice system
Students can set themselves apart by honing these skills through course work and experiential learning.
The criminal justice degree pathways at Penn State World Campus foster these commitments and outcomes. While many online criminal justice programs are taught by adjunct instructors and are largely independent from brick-and-mortar campuses, the curriculum and faculty for the World Campus criminal justice program is identical to the Penn State Harrisburg criminal justice program. Students can achieve their academic goals through a World Campus criminal justice program with the same rigor and skills development.
