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Criminal Investigation/Interviewing

Types of Degrees Criminal Investigation/Interviewing Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Criminal Investigation/Interviewing can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	18
Associate’s Degree	43
Bachelor’s Degree	36
Master’s Degree	203

What Criminal Investigation/Interviewing Majors Need to Know

Programs in Criminal Investigation/Interviewing emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Criminal Investigation/Interviewing graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Criminal Investigation/Interviewing emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills built by a Criminal Investigation/Interviewing program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Criminal Investigation/Interviewing careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Criminal Investigation/Interviewing graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Criminal Investigation/Interviewing professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
National Crime Information Center (NCIC) database	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
National Integrated Ballistics Information Network NIBIN	Data base user interface and query software	—
The CAD Zone The Crime Zone	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
SmartDraw Legal	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Criminal Investigation/Interviewing graduates include:

• Law Enforcement Specialist
• Police Officer
• Police Investigator
• Investigator
• Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)
• Criminalist
• Identification Officer
• Police Inspector
• State Trooper
• Sheriff’s Detective
• Border Patrol Agent
• Drug Enforcement Agent
• Special Agent
• CIA Agent (Central Intelligence Agency Agent)
• Police Evidence Specialist

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	30.7%
Bachelor’s degree	23.4%
Some college courses	16.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	13.1%
Postsecondary certificate	10.9%
Master’s degree	2.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.6%
Doctoral degree	0.6%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Criminal Investigation/Interviewing?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 65.3% of Criminal Investigation/Interviewing degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	196	65.3%
Men	104	34.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Criminal Investigation/Interviewing graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	156	52.0%
Asian	6	2.0%
Hispanic or Latino	79	26.3%
Black or African American	33	11.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	3	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	0.3%
Two or More Races	8	2.7%
Race Unknown	7	2.3%
International Students	7	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Criminal Investigation/Interviewing Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Criminal Investigation/Interviewing graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise 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 Criminal Investigation/Interviewing Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Criminal Investigation/Interviewing. 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	2	1
Bachelor’s	1	0
Master’s	1	1

^{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 Criminal Investigation/Interviewing Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Criminal Investigation/Interviewing 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
Corrections	43.0102
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

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.