Posts Tagged ‘criminology’

Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs: Enhance Your Skills

Friday, April 29th, 2011

If you are a busy working adult and want a career change or to enhance your current skills, you may want to look into online criminal justice degree programs. It can be a great career option for those interested in the law and criminal justice but who just didn’t have the time or money to attend college right out of high school!

Online Criminal Justice Degree ProgramsOnline Criminal Justice Degree Programs

While police and police detective learn many of their skills through extensive training and on the job, many of these people are also encouraged to obtain a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice to supplement this training.

Some agencies even pay all or part of the cost of tuition for employees to pursue higher education with online criminal justice degree programs. If you currently have a job in this field, you may want to see if your employer will help pay your way!

What to Expect in Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Like any other college course, whether online or on-campus, you will have a required set of classes to complete in order to earn your degree. Depending on whether or not you have any college credit behind you, the length of time it can take you to finish your degree can vary.

Your course may focus on “police science” as well as enhancing your background in the study of crime and criminal behavior or criminology. Online criminal justice degree programs can also expand to include subjects like administration, policies and procedures of the agencies of criminal justice, as well as law enforcement and correction.

Programs can greatly vary so shop around to see what online criminal justice degree programs fit your goals and future plans. In fact, your life experience can sometimes translate into college credit—speak to your admissions representative to see if that’s a possibility for you!

Related Careers

After completing your online criminal justice degree program and you have your bachelor’s degree in hand—you’ve got options!

You can choose from an array of careers where your degree will give you the confidence and background you need to go far! You will be able to decide between the following careers and then some:

Law enforcement
Probation Officer
Parole Officer
Private Security Personnel
Advocate agency for victim or witness
Legal Offices
Court Personnel

If you want to enhance your current skills or get into a whole new career, there are online criminal justice degree programs to fit your needs! Shop around, get information, and get started. Don’t put your future on hold any longer—start your online degree and advance your career!

Image #1 Courtesy of Flickr, Phanatic.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For more than 20 years, My College Guide has provided information to help students discover the best college degree and career for them. Get information for online criminal justice degree programs and find the right career for you!

Beyond CSI: 5 Things To Know About Criminal Justice Degrees Online

Monday, April 18th, 2011

We’ve all seen criminal justice professionals on TV poring over crime scenes in stilettos and designer shades. But when researching criminal justice degrees online, it doesn’t take long to find out there’s a lot more to it than that.

Think criminal justice degrees are all glitz and glamour? My College Guide has the facts.

The Truth about Criminal Justice Degrees Online

Below, you’ll find the top five things My College Guide wants you to know about getting a criminal justice online.

The Truth About Criminal Justice Degrees

1. A criminal justice career is not always—or even usually—about crime scene investigation. In fact, while a criminal justice degree can lead to a job in police work, many graduates go to work for federal agencies, in the judicial system and even social work.

2. There’s more than one kind of criminal justice degree. Depending on the school you enroll in, you could choose from a variety of specializations within the criminal justice field—psychology, law, administration—you name it! So before you decide on a school, think about what you want to do with your degree. It could make a big difference!

3. You don’t have to get a bachelor’s degree to pursue a career in criminal justice. Some criminal justice jobs (like crime scene technicians) require only an associate’s degree or technical school certificate. Others do require a bachelor’s degree, and most high-level jobs require a master’s. The good news is that you can get all these criminal justice degrees online.

Hoping to Get Rich With Criminal Justice Degrees Online?

4. Criminal justice professionals work hard for their money. While those sexy detectives on TV walk around in Armani suits and Manolo Blahnik heels, the average criminal justice professional isn’t quite so lucky. For most criminal justice jobs, the average starting wage is between $25,000-$30,000. However, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those with advanced degrees can expect to make a lot more than that. Top detectives can make almost $100,000!

5. The world needs people with criminal justice degrees. Most fields within the criminal justice industry are expected to grow by at least 10 percent before 2018, with the most in-demand professions, like social workers, growing by almost 25 percent! That’s good news if you’re hoping getting your degree is going to pay off.

Hopefully, you have a better idea of what to expect from your criminal justice degree. It might not be as glamorous as TV makes it look—but it can certainly lead to a rewarding career that’s in high demand—just what every college student wants to hear!

Image Courtesy of Flickr, Rosie O’Beirne / Rosie O’Beirne.

Who We Are: Information you can trust. For more than 20 years, My College Guide has provided information to help students find the best college degree and career for them. Get information on criminal justice degrees online to get you on the road to the right career for you.

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5 Unique College Majors (and the Cool Jobs They Can Land You)

Monday, December 7th, 2009

800px-Golf_player_Hawaii_2002If you’re planning to attend college in the next couple of years, you’re probably still wondering about what to major in. There’s nothing wrong with that—you have two years at college before you need to make a final decision. A major in biology could set you up for further studies at medical school, and a pre-law degree will help you master the basics of tort and criminal law if you’d like to become an attorney one day, but if you’re not sure where your path will take you, why not consider some of the more unique majors available? Here are some fascinating college majors from American universities that you’ve probably never heard of—and the cool jobs they can lead to.

Viticulture. You may be too young to drink wine, but that doesn’t mean you’re too young to make it! Cal Poly, in San Luis Obispo, California, offers a hands-on Wine and Viticulture major, where students will learn all the basics about growing grapes and turning them into high-quality wine, using the school’s own 100-acre vineyard as a testing ground. Once you’ve finished the program, you’ll finally be old enough to try out your own wine—and will be prepared to launch your very own winery. Check out the program details here. http://cafes.calpoly.edu/departmentsAndMajors/majors/wineAndViticulture.asp

Professional Golf Management. If you’re a golf nut, but aren’t quite qualified to go pro, maybe you should consider running your own golf course. A degree in Professional Golf Management from Penn State University will teach you how to do just that, with courses in subjects like Turf Grass Management, Analysis of the Swing, and Golf Car Fleet Management. And perfecting your swing is part of the program: students must pass a golfing proficiency test out on the green before being awarded with a diploma and a membership to the PGA. Sounds like a good excuse to spend plenty of time out on the course (as scholarly research).

Food Science. Have you always loved both chemistry and cooking? A degree in Food Science from Cornell University provides a chance to combine these two passions, teaching you about engineering, microbiology, chemistry and other scientific fields as applied to everything that ends up on your plate. This is definitely not a lightweight major—you’ll need to take a series of courses in calculus, organic chemistry, and microbiology to even begin the program—but it’s a fascinating and rewarding field. If you think coming up with Ben and Jerry’s next flavor would be a dream job, this is your way in.

Bagpipes. In tribute to founder Andrew Carnegie’s Scottish roots, Carnegie Mellon University offers America’s only bagpipes major, complete with its very own scholarship. The program focuses on both the history of bagpiping and the performance itself—though bagpipes students are given a separate building to practice their craft in, as the instrument is incredibly loud. The university has only graduated a handful of bagpipes scholars so far, but if you’re a fan of the infamous instrument, this might be just the trick for you to score a scholarship to a great school—and receive plenty of high-paid invitations to perform at weddings after graduation. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09127/968364-298.stm

Criminology. If you’re addicted to TV shows like America’s Most Wanted and Criminal Minds, a degree in criminology (available at many colleges, including the University of Southern Maine) might be the best way to get into the fascinating and high-paying field of criminal profiling. Criminology courses in an undergraduate program typically include a mix of psychology and sociology classes focusing on the American criminal justice system, as well as an internship with a police department or government agency. Though you’ll need to complete a master’s degree in criminology to become eligible for most jobs in the field, a B.A. in this fascinating field is your first step on the way to a high-level profiling career with a police department, the FBI, or even the CIA.