The four-year Criminal Justice bachelor’s degree offers students the flexibility to pursue an array of career opportunities in federal, state and local law enforcement and corrections agencies, court-related services, probation and parole services, counseling and advocacy, and private-sector security. It is also an excellent undergraduate degree choice for those interested in pursuing graduate studies, including law.
For that career competitive edge, the Criminal Justice major pairs well with a variety of minors, including Sociology, Rehabilitation and Human Services, Psychology, and Business.
Types of Positions
- Police Officer/Trooper/Sheriff’s Deputy/U.S. Marshal
- State or County Detective
- Conservation Officer/National Park Service
- Special Agent
- Coroner/Medical Examiner
- Investigator (state, county, city)
- Arson Investigator
- Animal Cruelty Investigator
- State Department of Revenue Agent
- Juvenile Officer
- Crime Prevention Officer
- Fire Marshal
- Air Marshal
- Deputy U.S. Marshal
- School Resource Officer
- Community Relations Officer
- Private Security
- Detective (retail, undercover, private, hotel, etc.)
- Armed Uniformed Security
- Private Investigator
- Insurance Claims Investigator
- Insurance Fraud Investigator
- Investigator, Office of Personnel Management
- Security Director
- Loss Prevention Specialist
- Credit Investigator
- Investigator (airline, hotel, insurance)
- Institutional/Community Corrections Counselor
- Case Manager (mental health, drug/alcohol, youth, halfway house)
- Corrections Officer
- Correctional Counselor
- Juvenile Justice Counselor
- Parole Officer (Juvenile and Adult)
- Probation Officer (Juvenile and Adult)
- Runaway Counselor
- Substance Abuse Counselor
- Child Welfare Caseworkers
- Drug Testing
- Electronic Monitoring
- Corrections Administrator
- Vicitims of Violence Advocate
- Crisis Intervention Counselor (runaway, suicide, violence)
- Crime Scene Technician
- Civil Rights Advocate
- Restorative Justice Counselor
- Community Resource Officer
- Domestic Violence Counselor
- Support Services Coordinator
- Prosecutor
- Defense Attorney
- Probation Officer
- Juvenile Probation Officer
- Judge
- Victim/Witness Services Personnel
- Pre-Trial Services Officer
- Paralegal/Legal Aid Counselor
- Community Resource Officer
- Domestic Violence Counselor
- Support Services Coordinator
Types of Employers
A wide range of public and private organizations employ individuals with an education in criminal justice. Below is just a partial list.
Federal Agencies
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- U.S. Department of Labor
- U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
- Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Secret Service (SS)
- Department of Transportation (DOT)
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
- U.S. Department of Defense (DOD)
- Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
- U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
- Office of the Inspector General (OIG)
- Department of Health & Human Services (HHS)
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Postal Service (USPS)
Local, County, and State Governments
- Local police departments
- Department of corrections
- Department of revenue
- Department of transportation
- Department of human services
- Department of health
Private Employers
- Security firms
- Private detective agencies
- Retail establishments
- Banking industry
- Insurance companies
- Travel industry
- SPCA
- and many others...
The professors have professional connections that can be extremely helpful when applying for internships and jobs. It’s the personal connections that make Penn State unique.