Online Criminal Justice Degrees

These are difficult times. One major worry that seems to be affecting the entire world is the rise of terror attacks and terrorism. On any given day, there are at least a few bomb attacks on innocent civilians all over the world. It makes you wonder at what our criminal justice system is doing. But the 9/11 attacks increased the stress on homeland security and now the focus has shifted from policing terror conditions in other countries to protecting our own citizens. That means a stronger police force and many more jobs for professionals who specialized in dealing with criminals and the criminal mind.

Why do you need a criminal justice degree?

An effective criminal justice system is necessary to maintain a functional and free society. We need to find ways to regulate or reduce crime to protect innocent civilians and to ensure that human beings don’t destroy themselves. A criminal justice degree combined with law enforcement experience ensures that you can protect civilians while still enforcing the law to catch criminals and improve society. The U.S. Department of Labor stated that the by the year 2010, there will be a requirement for more than 29% of security staff who are trained in law enforcement and have the degree to back it up. At present there is a severe need for security professionals who can fill positions in Homeland Security and Antiterrorism Squads.

What is a Criminal justice degree?

The definition of a criminal justice degree as described by the College Majors Handbook, 2nd edition is- "Criminal justice…its curriculum integrates social sciences, behavioral sciences, and humanities with professional courses that address topics such as terrorism, victim logy, drug abuse, computer crime, criminal investigation, prison overcrowding, women in criminal justice, ethics, and legal issues."

Security staff, law enforcement and the judiciary have spent years of intense training and study in criminal justice and related subjects to become familiar with the intricacies of their job. A criminal justice degree offers specialized training in topics like ethics, sociology, forensic psychology and history of criminal justice to further offer in-depth training and experience to security professionals. Other than security professionals, even lawyers who defend or prosecute those accused in crimes, social workers who advocate changes in the current criminal system and criminal rehabilitation, the judiciary who render decisions regarding law and order like the magistrates and judges in the courts can all take up additional degrees in criminal justice to append their basic qualifications.

Where can you get Criminal Justice degrees?

Criminal justice degrees offer you a wide spectrum of job opportunities, especially since each country has increased homeland security standards to deal with internal terrorism. To tackle the scarcity in qualified professionals in the field of security and judiciary, online criminal justice degree program offer the best choice for fast tracked degrees. Security professionals can anticipate a tremendous career boost and a salary increase because there are positions just waiting to be filled. If you are already in a job that deals with crime and law, then obtaining a Criminal Justice Degree online will ensure that you have a job, while you continue your studies. Ample training and study material is supplied during the online or practical courses to ensure sufficient hands on study of the course material

How to get a criminal justice degree?

If you are truly interested in getting a criminal justice degree and look to pursue a career in the legal system then

Select the type of criminal justice degree you are interested in
The criminal justice college you want to enroll in
The criminal justice career that you want to pursue.

There are actually three main alleys of interest in criminal justice which are corrections facilities, courts and law enforcement. All these three aspects play varied roles in the criminal justice program and the level of education required for each and every part is different and diverse. A degree in criminal justice covers all these three aspects of the justice system. You should note that institutions that offer undergraduate degree also offer masters and doctoral programs in this discipline.

It is very important to clearly define your goals, your priorities and your levels of commitment with an online criminal justice degree. You will succeed with flying colors only if you put in your very best. Please remember that it helps if you are hard working as all online degrees require you to study independently towards getting your degree. Most online degree programs will have several separate online discussion groups and even paper presentations to be online. The harder you work, the more you learn with your online program.

Requirements to get a Criminal justice degree

If you are considering pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice then you can choose a Bachelor of Arts degree, a postgraduate or academic study which is definitely career-oriented. But each college has different enlistment criteria. A few of the more common requirements are

Any college or university that offers a criminal justice degree often require students to posses a high school diploma or graduation equivalent. Some other qualifications, such as fluency in a second language and physical fitness, are also essential for students.
A few colleges may also require a background criminal history check or a drug test before you are allowed to sign up for the program.
Advanced degrees in criminal justice often require a four-year study period with top grades in criminal justice studies and high scores in related fields like psychology, sociology or ethics.
If you already have an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, you can opt for a master's or doctoral programs in this discipline. Some employers provide financial support to employees who want to upgrade their education.

Online Criminal justice degree Programs

The criminal justice program that you need to depends upon the career you are in at present and the level you are working at. In criminal justice you can pursue a certificate, a bachelor’s degree or an associate’s degree. You can also choose an online program to balance you education needs with your work. There are also advanced programs available.
Some of the criminal justice programs worth mentioning are:

A certificate program provides training in a specific subject of criminal justice by educating the students to be crime scene technicians or any other specialized fields. These certificates are generally used to obtain future criminal justice degrees. Sometimes students who have degrees in unrelated fields use these certificates to change over to a successful career in criminal justice field.
An associate’s degree is a two year program and it teaches basic and fundamental criminal justice skills. The technical skills that will help a student develop a successful career in local or state law enforcement are also taught in this program. This is helpful as most of the police departments require new recruits to complete some college training and it automatically makes you eligible for higher posts
A bachelor’s degree is in-depth training for students or security professionals who want a promotion or who want entry-level positions in federal agencies. Students who have finished their associate’s degree can enroll into a bachelor’s to widen their career spectrum.

Criminal justice degree jobs

There is high demand for well qualified and efficient personnel in the field of criminal justice. The level of your education and experience can lead to reputable jobs in

Federal agencies like FBI, CIA, ATF, DEA, INS,
The Secret Service,
Customs Immigration and Border patrol,
State and local government agencies as state troopers,
SBI agents,
Military or army officers in military and defense agenesis
Arson specialists and crime scene investigators,
Police officers
Corrections department and probation officers
Fingerprinting specialists,
Supplementary degree for psychologists, judges, doctors and lawyers
Paralegals, and legal secretaries
Criminology as criminologists,
Lecturers for the degree
Cyber crime detection
The Local law enforcement:

Park police
County police
Juvenile Justice Centers or the
Sheriff Department

State law enforcement:

State Police
Crime labs
Attorney General Offices
Narcotics Bureaus
Court System
State Crime Commissions and the
Liquor Control Boards

Federal law enforcement:

Department of Defense
Federal Trade Commission
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Customs Agency
Immigration and Naturalization Service
Food and Drug Administration
Department of Homeland Security
Office of the Inspector General
Veterans Affairs

Private sector law enforcement:
Insurance companies or
Private detectives

Criminal justice degree salary

You can expect a very good salary depending upon your skills and position in the field that you have chosen. Federal Government salaries are quite high, but the job is tough and stressful. A police officer earns around $45,470 annually but if you can enter into the DEA, INS or IRS; you stand to earn $25,000 annually and the salary increases steeply as service increases. The pay differs according to experience and location but overall, it rates pretty high.