Criminal Justice Careers: A Guide for Master’s Graduates

The field of criminology goes beyond the study of crime, also focusing on the social and environmental aspects of crime. More specifically, according to The Chicago School, careers in criminology involve analyzing the “how, when, why, and where of crime.”

The goal of this field is to develop a full picture of crime — including its sociological, economic, psychological, and anthropological aspects — to address and prevent it. Success in this field requires an analytical mind, an inquisitive nature, and being comfortable navigating data and statistics.

Career Spotlight: Criminal Profiler

Criminal profilers help law enforcement apprehend suspects by identifying characteristics the perpetrator is likely to have. They analyze the data on similar crimes and perpetrators to find commonalities in behavioral patterns, motivation, personality, and more. Altogether, this information constitutes a possible criminal profile, which helps law enforcement know what to look for when evaluating suspects and identifying future offenders.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

Because it is a subset of accounting, the field of forensic accounting contains many elements of traditional accounting, such as examining financial records and taxes. However, forensic accountants combine these areas with legal skills that help them investigate financial activities and determine whether any illegal actions have occurred.

If you are attracted to this field tend, you’ll need to be an extremely detail-oriented critical thinker. Jobs in forensic accounting require at least an undergraduate degree in accounting, finance, or forensic accounting. According to the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, additional education in criminal justice is a huge plus when it comes to employment.

Career Spotlight: Financial Crimes Investigator

A financial crimes investigator’s job revolves around white-collar crime, such as embezzlement, tax evasion, money laundering, and insider trading. These investigators use a combination of accounting, auditing, and law enforcement skills each day to identify suspicious patterns in financial records and ensure or enforce compliance with financial laws and regulations.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

Forensic science involves using scientific techniques to gather, identify, classify, analyze, and interpret physical evidence from crimes, including bodily fluids, hair, fibers, tire tracks, footprints, and more. The nature of the work requires close attention to detail, strong organizational skills, a preference for a highly structured work environment, and an analytical and inquisitive mind.

Many positions in this field require an undergraduate degree in science, and a master’s in criminal justice with relevant experience makes you even more competitive. The job outlook is bright with rapid growth expected, according to O*Net.

Career Spotlight: Evidence Technician

An evidence technician is responsible for collecting, storing, cataloging, and transporting physical evidence from a crime scene. Professionals in this role are also often responsible for collecting and processing fingerprints, compiling reports, preparing evidence for courtroom exhibits, and testifying in court.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

As you might expect, forensic psychology involves studying the mind. More specifically, forensic psychologists work to understand the criminal mind for the purposes of research, observation, and investigation. Evaluations that forensic psychologists conduct may be used to guide legal proceedings or determine whether offenders are suitable candidates for early release, work release, or special programs.

A common route to enter this field is a major in psychology, but you can also earn an undergraduate degree in criminal justice with a minor in psychology and be considered for jobs. A master’s degree is not required for all positions, but a grad degree will typically mean better job prospects and higher pay.

Career Spotlight: Correctional Counselor

Sometimes called a prison counselor, a correctional counselor works with inmates at correctional facilities to help them with mental and emotional issues so that they can develop a healthier mindset. The goal of this work is to help inmates respond more positively to challenges and obstacles so they can avoid returning to crime and becoming re-incarcerated after release.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is a division of the federal government responsible for protecting the public against foreign and domestic threats. According to USA.gov, the work of DHS includes customs, border, and immigration enforcement, emergency response, antiterrorism, and cybersecurity.

Although many positions within DHS technically only require a bachelor’s degree, candidates who have a master’s degree in homeland security or a related field like criminal justice often get a closer look. Overall, the best combination for employment is a graduate degree plus relevant experience. Aside from education and experience, homeland security agencies generally look for three major traits in candidates: a sense of duty, leadership, and problem-solving skills.

Career Spotlight: Intelligence Analyst

In the sphere of homeland security, intelligence analysts are responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data and information with the aim of identifying and assessing possible threats. They present their findings to law enforcement so that these threats can be mitigated or neutralized.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

There are many subsets of law, including criminal, corporate, environmental, civil, property, and tax law. And although “lawyer” is the job title that may first come to mind, employment opportunities in law are surprisingly varied.

In general, being successful in most law careers requires sound judgment, strong ethics, excellent communication, critical thinking, and organizational and research skills. In addition, a background in criminal justice combined with other credentials like a Master of Laws is highly desirable.

Career Spotlight: Compliance Manager

Compliance managers are corporate executives responsible for ensuring their organization adheres to all relevant ethical and legal requirements. Depending on the industry, a compliance manager’s responsibilities may include conducting audits, assessing risks, and developing plans to address any issues that are uncovered in the process.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

Emergency management focuses on mitigating the negative effects of widespread public crises. Professionals who work in this field plan and direct responses to human-caused and natural disasters, including floods, wildfires, earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, tornadoes, landslides, pandemics, hazardous materials releases, nuclear exposures, chemical exposures, and biological weapons.

The distinct branches under the umbrella of emergency management include risk assessment, evaluation, preparedness, response, mitigation, and recovery. Within these areas, there are many careers well-suited for those with graduate degrees in criminal justice. Emergency managers must be decisive, adaptable, and open to new ideas, and be strong communicators, critical thinkers, and highly organized to succeed in this demanding field.

Career Spotlight: Emergency Management Director

An emergency management director is at the helm of disaster response. In addition to developing emergency response plans and conducting training sessions before a disaster, directors are also responsible for supervising and orchestrating the response when a disaster occurs.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

The social services field encompasses a range of public and private services designed to aid vulnerable and underprivileged groups, including low-income families, abused individuals, at-risk youth, and the elderly. These services help people overcome challenges, participate more fully in society, and lead happier, healthier lives.

Individuals who are drawn to social services work tend to be highly empathetic, patient, and emotionally resilient. Success in this field also requires many other crucial characteristics, such as communication skills, cultural competency, and the ability to set firm boundaries. Although many positions only require a bachelor’s degree, a graduate degree can you apart and qualify you for specialized, higher-paying roles.

Career Spotlight: Victim Advocate

A victim advocate supports crime victims by providing emotional support and connection to recovery resources. This role also commonly involves accompanying the victim to court or other meetings and providing information and guidance about the criminal justice process.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

For those who are passionate about teaching and learning, work as an instructor or professor in a postsecondary education setting can be a promising career path. Postsecondary refers to any formal learning opportunity available past the high-school level, including community colleges, four-year universities, and trade schools.

In addition to a passion for teaching, successful postsecondary educators must be patient, self-disciplined, fair, adaptable, and good at planning and preparation. With a master’s degree, the opportunities to teach in higher education can vary from institution to institution, but typically include part-time roles, full-time roles, and remote work.

Career Spotlight: Criminal Justice Instructor

As with any other college educator, a criminal justice instructor’s work involves developing syllabi and preparing lectures, learning materials, presentations, and exams. Instructors teach courses in criminal-justice, grade assignments, and provide constructive feedback. Some roles also involve research.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

Federal law enforcement refers to any of the agencies tasked with enforcing federal laws, maintaining public order, and managing public safety at the national level. These responsibilities can translate into a wide range of specific activities depending on the agencies involved.

The essential duties of a federal law enforcement agent are not drastically different from those of state and local police officers. They investigate crimes, collect evidence, apprehend criminals, write reports, and testify in court. However, the scope of their work is much wider and more complicated because they must also investigate and handle crimes committed in more than one state or locality.

Career Spotlight: FBI Special Agent

According to FBI.gov, it is impossible to define what constitutes a “typical day” for an FBI agent because every day holds something new, and many agents have specialized roles within the Bureau. Duties can include gathering intelligence and evidence, making arrests, testifying in court, fingerprinting, lab services, and much more.

Source: O*Net Online, 2023

Depending on your specific career goals, it may be a sound decision. Before you take the plunge, it’s wise to have a specific professional role in mind and weigh the potential cost of a master’s degree against the additional income you can realistically earn in that position. Also, you might consider earning a graduate certificate as an alternative to a full-fledged master’s program. These specialized credentials are more affordable than master’s programs, and they take less time to complete.

Your top concerns in choosing a quality online criminal justice master’s program should be accreditation, cost, and student support services. First, verify a school’s accreditation status through the Council for Higher Education’s online directory. Then thoroughly review the cost of attendance to ensure it fits your budget, and see if the school offers scholarships and financial aid. Finally, check student support services such as tutoring, tech support, and career counseling. The best programs offer a variety of these services and resources.

In addition to choosing an affordable program, you can keep your costs down by pursuing financial aid. The best type of aid is any that you don’t have to pay back, such as scholarships and grants. You can also check work-study programs through your school or tuition assistance programs through your employer. Student loans should be a last resort, but if you do use them, opt for federal instead of private.

The main industry for employment of criminal justice graduates is the criminal justice system through the government, both state and federal. As noted by Hilbert College Global, the three main branches of the criminal justice system are law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Although law enforcement and corrections are the most common places for grads to be hired, other likely fields include law, intelligence, security, and forensic science.

Employers of graduates with master’s in criminal justice degrees include local and state law enforcement agencies, state and federal corrections systems, and colleges and universities. There are also many federal agencies and departments that hire candidates with graduate education in criminal justice, such as the FBI, the U.S. Secret Service, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).