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Criminal Justice & Police Science

Types of Degrees Criminal Justice & Police Science Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Criminal Justice & Police Science can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	3,904
Associate’s Degree	5,420
Bachelor’s Degree	2,162
Master’s Degree	8,886

What Criminal Justice & Police Science Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Criminal Justice & Police Science emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.8 / 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 developed in a Criminal Justice & Police Science 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 3.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.5 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Criminal Justice & Police Science careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 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 Justice & Police Science professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
High school diploma or equivalent	30.4%
Bachelor’s degree	24.0%
Some college courses	15.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	14.9%
Postsecondary certificate	10.6%
Master’s degree	2.1%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.9%
Doctoral degree	0.5%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Criminal Justice & Police Science?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 65.8% of Criminal Justice & Police Science degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	6,994	34.2%
Men	13,480	65.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	10,320	50.4%
Asian	442	2.2%
Hispanic or Latino	5,777	28.2%
Black or African American	2,215	10.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	198	1.0%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	52	0.3%
Two or More Races	651	3.2%
Race Unknown	751	3.7%
International Students	68	0.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Criminal Justice & Police Science Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Criminal Justice & Police Science graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow 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 Justice & Police Science Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Criminal Justice & Police Science. 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	67	56
Bachelor’s	22	10
Master’s	3	1
Doctoral (Research)	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 Criminal Justice & Police Science Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Criminal Justice & Police Science 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/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.