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Corrections

Types of Degrees Corrections Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Corrections can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	63
Associate’s Degree	279
Bachelor’s Degree	253
Master’s Degree	3,568

What Corrections Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Corrections emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Corrections graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Corrections emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Corrections program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Monitoring — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Corrections careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Corrections graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.0 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Corrections professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Guardian RFID	Data base user interface and query software	—
Jail management software	Data base user interface and query software	—
3M Electronic Monitoring	Data base user interface and query software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Corrections graduates include:

• Shift Supervisor
• Supervised Visitation Monitor
• Juvenile Correctional Officer
• Cottage Master
• Certified Detention Deputy
• Correctional Security Officer
• Correctional Officer Specialist
• Station Jailer
• Jailkeeper
• Convict Guard
• Civilian Jail Officer
• Penal Officer
• Prison Officer
• Gate Guard
• Cottage Parent

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Corrections graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	71.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.2%
Bachelor’s degree	7.7%
Some college courses	5.5%
Postsecondary certificate	2.0%
Master’s degree	1.8%
Doctoral degree	1.2%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
First professional degree	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Corrections?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 61.7% of Corrections degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,900	38.3%
Men	3,067	61.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Corrections graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,653	33.3%
Asian	51	1.0%
Hispanic or Latino	1,525	30.7%
Black or African American	1,382	27.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	42	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	23	0.5%
Two or More Races	149	3.0%
Race Unknown	96	1.9%
International Students	46	0.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Corrections Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Corrections graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$40,812
4 years	$44,073
5 years	$49,815

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $49,815 — roughly 22% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Corrections Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for Corrections. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	14	8
Bachelor’s	6	2
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Corrections Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Corrections graduates earn a median of $44,073 four years after completion — roughly 16% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.01
Corrections Administration	43.0113
Corrections and Criminal Justice, Other	43.0199
Criminal Justice and Corrections	43.0100
Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration	43.0103
Criminal Justice/Police Science	43.0107
Criminal Justice/Safety Studies	43.0104
Criminalistics and Criminal Science	43.0111
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations	43.0119
Cultural/Archaelogical Resources Protection	43.0123
Cyber/Computer Forensics and Counterterrorism	43.0116
Financial Forensics and Fraud Investigation	43.0117

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.