Criminal justice is a great field to study in if you want a career that protects and serves the public good. An online criminal justice degree can open the doors to a rewarding job while giving you the flexibility to complete your coursework at your pace and schedule.

Criminal justice covers many different areas including crime control, rehabilitation of offenders, and government systems to uphold the peace. As a student, you will learn the principles of law enforcement. You will be taught how courts function to administer justice. Your courses will include classes about corrections. You will read about the different elements that go into running jails and prisons. You will gain an understanding in the process of probation and parole.

There are many different jobs for criminal justice graduates. For example, you could become a criminologist, probation officer, forensic scientist, corrections officer, FBI agent, court reporter, or crime scene investigator. Of course, there are the typical jobs associated with the field such as police detective, police officer, and private investigator. With all the possible jobs in the law enforcement field, it should not be difficult to land a job after you graduate.

Your salary will depend on your line of work. Also, the wages in various locations may be different. For example, a New York city cop will earn more than a cop in a small town.

Here is a sample of earnings from May 2008 from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The median annual earnings for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists were $45,910. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers had median yearly wages of $51,410 while criminal investigators and detectives made $60,910 on average.