Law Earning a degree in criminal justice or law prepares graduates for careers in growing fields. During these courses, students learn about criminal justice, the role of law enforcement in society and criminal justice. Many majors specialize their education by pursuing a concentration in areas such as homeland security, disaster management, or criminology. Students may also pursue a professional degree with a specialization in forensic accounting, cybercrime or forensic science.
Many judicial professionals earn above-average salaries. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that police officers and detectives earn an average annual salary of more than $ 65,000 per year. Attorneys earn an average salary of nearly $ 123,000 per year, according to the BLS. This article presents specialization options and career paths in criminal law and law.
What do criminal courts and legal professionals do?
Legal and criminal justice professionals investigate crimes, resolve criminal and civil disputes, and promote public safety. The criminal justice system, consisting of law enforcement, courts, and the correctional system, enforces the law. Police officers investigate illegal activities to hold criminals to account, while the judicial system carries out trials. The correctional system detains and rehabilitates offenders.
In the field of law and criminal justice, professionals can work such as police officers, special agents, investigating officers and criminal profilers. The field also includes attorneys, judges, paralegals, bailiffs, and other legal professionals.
Most careers in the criminal and legal system require a degree. Federal law enforcement officers, including FBI agents, generally require a bachelor’s degree. Lawyers and judges need a diploma. Professionals can advance their current career or start a new one by obtaining a criminal law degree.
How much money can you earn if you study criminal law and law?
Earning a degree in criminal justice or law prepares graduates for a variety of career paths. Many careers in criminal and law pay above-average salaries. Police officers earn an average salary of more than $ 65,000 a year, while private investigators earn more than $ 50,000 a year. In these roles, criminal justice professionals investigate crimes, collect evidence at crime scenes, and interview suspects. They also work with prosecutors to prepare cases and testify in court.
Many legal careers require a college degree. For example, attorneys and judges usually have a JD degree from a law school. These career paths offer some of the highest salaries in the legal field. According to the BLS, attorneys and judges earn an average annual salary of more than $ 120,000.
What types of criminal and law degrees are available?
Students can earn degrees in law and criminal justice at the undergraduate and graduate levels. At the bachelor’s level, students can pursue a two-year associate’s degree or a four-year bachelor’s degree. While a college degree in criminal justice meets the educational requirements for many state and local law enforcement jobs, most federal law enforcement agencies require a baccalaureate.
At the graduate level, applicants can enroll in law school and earn a doctorate in law to become a lawyer or judge. It typically takes three years of full-time study to earn a JD degree, and graduates must pass the bar exam to practice law.
A master’s degree in criminal justice prepares graduates for leadership roles such as disaster response director, police supervisor, and investigative investigator supervisor. Most master’s degrees require two years of full-time study.
Finally, law and criminal law students can obtain a PhD. degree, which prepares graduates for research and academic roles. Graduates work, for example, as professor of criminal law or professor of law.
What specialisms in criminal law and law are available?
In the broad field of criminal law and law, students often focus their education on a specialization or concentration. By focusing on one area of law and criminal justice, majors can prepare for specific career paths after graduation. For example, a concentration of Homeland Security provides targeted training for careers at the Department of Homeland Security, while a concentration of law enforcement leads to opportunities in local or federal law enforcement.
This list includes some of the major specializations in criminal law and law. Prospective students can also explore the options available.
Legal Studies
A concentration in legal studies emphasizes the legal system and the relationship between society and its laws. As an interdisciplinary field, legal studies draw on the social sciences and criminal law. The majors explore topics such as social policy, justice theories and current issues in law and government.
During a degree in legal studies, students take courses in civil procedural law, criminal law and constitutional law. The program also introduces majors in legal research, rules of evidence, and legal writing. As part of a legal studies major, students can customize their studies through optional courses in topics such as family law, business law, and law firm administration.
A specialization in legal studies prepares graduates for roles in the legal system, public services and government. For example, training in legal studies can lead to careers as a paralegal, law enforcement officer, HR director, or compliance officer. The program also offers basic training for the law faculty.
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Criminal Justice:
A criminal justice specialization introduces majors to law enforcement, corrections, courts, and other parts of the criminal justice system. Students learn about the relationship between social problems and crime, the rationale for criminal behavior and criminal proceedings.
During a criminal law degree, students take courses in criminology, criminal law and administrative law. The program also emphasizes investigative and investigative methods while examining the ethical responsibilities of criminal justice professionals. Many study programs offer an internship or internship to give students practical experience in a particular field. Criminal justice majors can also complete a cornerstone to apply their education.
A broad and interdisciplinary major, criminal justice majors can work as police officers, social workers, correctional officers, bailiffs and social services managers. With a higher education, they can also work as attorneys, judges and clinical social workers.
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Corrections
A concentration in corrections trains majors for careers in the correction system, which imprisons convicted criminals and manages the parole and probation system. Students learn about the role of the correction system in criminal justice, including its relationship to law enforcement and the courts. The specialization also introduces students to the theory and practice of rehabilitative justice.
During correctional education, students take courses in criminology, the American prison system, and correctional law. The concentration also includes courses in juvenile justice, probation and parole, and corrections. Scoring programs can include a cornerstone where students apply knowledge gained during their courses to analyze scoring scenarios. Some programs also include an internship to gain experience.
After obtaining a correctional degree, graduates can work in local or state jails and prisons. The federal prison system generally requires a bachelor’s degree for entry-level positions. In addition to the positions of correctional officers, graduates may work as probation officers, bailiffs, probation officers, and correctional treatment specialists.
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Homeland Security
Criminal law students who specialize in homeland security learn to detect and counter threats to national security. Majors learn about threats to national and international security, the role of homeland security specialists in responding to attacks, and the role of intelligence in homeland security.
With a degree in Homeland Security, majors take courses in topics such as international relations, homeland security legal issues and public security administration. Students also learn the responses to homeland security to various types of incidents, the importance of strategic planning and homeland security policy. Majors can intern at an internal security agency to gain hands-on experience.
Graduates with a degree in Homeland Security can work in law enforcement, emergency management, and border protection. They can also work for the Secret Service or in customs enforcement. In these roles, Homeland Security professionals assess risks, respond to threats to national security, and protect the homeland.
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Enforcement:
LawSpecialization prepares graduates for careers of police officers, detectives, and federal law enforcement officers. Students learn about the role of law enforcement in maintaining social order while laying a solid foundation in criminal justice. Majors take courses in police administration, law enforcement operations and the criminal justice system. The degree trains students to analyze and solve crimes, set law enforcement goals, and act as leaders in law enforcement organizations.
During a law enforcement degree, majors can complete an internship to receive practical training. Many programs partner with local law enforcement agencies to provide hands-on experience for law enforcement majors.
Many federal law enforcement careers require a bachelor’s degree. By choosing a concentration of law enforcement agencies, graduates can work for the FBI, United States Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Justice. Other careers in federal law enforcement include Secret Service Agent, US Marshal, and Special Agent.