Recently, we reviewed what criminal justice is, what you can do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and why you should consider studying online, and here, we’ll explain why you would want to launch a career in criminal justice in the first place.

This post will explore the many reasons to work in criminal justice, and we’ll also explain important topics like whether or not you actually need a degree to get a good job in the industry, as well as why you should think about getting that degree from CSU Global.

After you’ve learned all about the reasons to get into criminal justice, please fill out our information request form to receive additional details about our 100% online Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, and our online Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice. If you’re ready to get started, submit your application today.

Why Should You Consider Launching a Career in Criminal Justice?

Three of the most compelling reasons to consider launching a career in criminal justice include:

  1. Demand for criminal justice professionals is projected to continue growing over the next several years.
  2. Criminal justice is an excellent career for anyone who wants to play an important role in public service.
  3. Top positions in criminal justice provide great salaries, making it an excellent field for launching a lifelong career.

Criminal Justice Professionals Continue to Experience Rising Demand

According to the BLS, demand for criminal justice jobs is projected to keep growing steadily over the next decade.

BLS projects that the employment rates for several of the most popular jobs in criminal justice will rise between 2021 and 2031, making it an excellent time to get into the industry.

Here are the BLS’s growth expectations for several of the field’s top jobs:

Knowing that demand for criminal justice professionals will continue to rise over the next decade, you can be confident that you’ll have a good chance to find a great job in the industry after completing your training.

The increase in demand for all jobs across the entire criminal justice industry also signals that it’s a great time to start developing management and leadership-level skills in criminal justice, like via CSU Global’s online Criminal Justice Master’s Degree Program.

Criminal Justice Professionals Play a Vital Role in Our Communities

If you want a career that plays an important role in the community, helping other people on a daily basis, then criminal justice is the perfect field to specialize in.

Anyone looking to have a positive impact on society would be well-suited for a role in this field, where core job responsibilities include tasks like:

  • Developing organizational policies.
  • Advising on crisis responses.
  • Providing law updates.
  • Managing records.

After completing your education in criminal justice, you’ll gain access to a huge variety of positions that work to ensure public safety, including roles in:

  • Law enforcement.
  • Public- and private-sector agencies.
  • Political science.
  • Research.
  • Social work.
  • Investigations.
  • The military.
  • Military and government contracts.
  • Corporate security.
  • Executive protection.
  • Global security.
  • Loss and asset prevention. 
  • Financial and economic crime. 
  • Cybercrime. 
  • Other related fields.

This field offers an excellent opportunity to make a difference in society, as criminal justice professionals are responsible for protecting people and their things from criminal activity, terrorism, and other threats.

Criminal Justice Careers Provide Excellent Earnings Potential

Highly skilled, experienced, and effective criminal justice professionals are capable of earning excellent salaries.

In fact, according to BLS reports, some of the best jobs for criminal justice graduates provide considerable compensation packages, like:

Keep in mind that this is just a very short list of the many potential positions you could pursue after completing a degree in criminal justice.

In reality, there are hundreds of other excellent job titles available to people with an education in criminal justice.

Regardless of the specific role that you choose to pursue in the industry, the important thing to note is that if income potential matters to you, then criminal justice careers offer a great opportunity to maximize your earnings.

How to Become a Criminal Justice Professional

While it’s possible to launch a career in criminal justice without a degree in the field, getting your degree is the best way to ensure that your efforts to get into the industry will be successful.

Why? Because earning your degree in criminal justice will allow you to develop the skills, knowledge, and experience needed to deliver real value to any organization from day one.

But completing a degree will also help your resume stand out, since listing respected academic credentials will increase the chances that you can catch the eye of hiring managers looking to fill available positions.

Finishing a bachelor’s or master’s degree program will increase the odds that you’re able to find not just any job, but a great job in the field, and when it comes time to choose a higher education program, CSU Global offers two excellent options.

How to Choose Between a Bachelor’s or a Master’s Degree

Many people have trouble deciding between getting a bachelor’s or master’s degree in criminal justice, but fortunately, there’s a relatively easy way to determine which program will work best for you. 

To make the right choice, we suggest reviewing three things:

  • Your existing education credentials.
  • Your experience in the industry.
  • Your long-term career aspirations.

If you’re brand new to criminal justice, and your only goal is to land a job in the industry at an entry-level position, or if you don’t already have an undergraduate degree, then you’ll probably want to choose to get a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.

If you’ve already got some experience in the field, you already have an undergraduate degree in any subject, or you’re aiming to land a role in management or at the leadership level, then you should think about pursuing a Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice.

If you’re having trouble deciding whether a bachelor’s or master’s program will work best for you, please contact a CSU Global Enrollment Counselor by calling 1-800-462-7845, or by emailing enroll [at] csuglobal.edu. They can review your situation and give you specific advice about which degree would work best for you.

Why Should You Get Your Degree Online?

We recommend getting your degree online because online degree programs offer far more flexibility and freedom compared to traditional, on-campus programs.

At CSU Global, our online degree programs were designed to be completed entirely online, which makes them an excellent option for anyone looking to earn new educational credentials while maintaining a busy schedule.

In fact, we provide three excellent benefits that make studying with us the most convenient way to earn your degree, including:

  • No set class times or physical locations.
  • Monthly class starts.
  • Accelerated eight-week courses.

If your daily duties already include a lot of work or family responsibilities, and you know that you’ll need a flexible schedule in order to fit in the time required to earn your degree, then you’ll certainly want to think about studying online with us.

Why Should You Choose CSU Global?

Both of our online degrees in criminal justice are regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the most respected accreditation body in the country.

Both programs were also specifically designed to provide students with the foundational knowledge and skills needed to build a successful career in criminal justice, and all of our faculty have recent, real-world experience in the industry.

Each program has earned excellent rankings, including:

For our Bachelor’s program:

For our Master’s program:

  • A #1 ranking on 25 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice for 2020, Best Masters Programs.
  • A #4 ranking on Best Online Master's in Law Enforcement Administration Programs of 2022, Intelligent.
  • A #4 ranking on The 20 Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs 2020, Online Course Report.

Furthermore, CSU Global itself has also recently received several distinguished rankings, including:

  • A #1 ranking for Best Online Colleges & Schools in Colorado from Best Accredited Colleges.
  • A #1 ranking for Best Online Colleges in Colorado from Best Colleges.
  • A #10 ranking for Best Online Colleges for ROI from OnlineU.

Finally, we offer competitive tuition rates, and a Tuition Guarantee to ensure your rate won’t increase for as long as you remain enrolled at CSU Global. For details on how our costs stack up against the competition, be sure to review our Cost Comparison Sheet.

Simply put, getting your Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice from CSU Global is the best way to advance your career by ensuring that you’re prepared to provide valuable public service.

To get additional details about our fully accredited, online Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice, or our online Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice, please give us a call at 800-462-7845, or fill out our Information Request Form.

Ready to get started today? Apply now!