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Criminal Justice

Types of Degrees Criminal Justice Majors Are Earning

Those studying Criminal Justice may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	449
Associate’s Degree	8,605
Bachelor’s Degree	12,382
Master’s Degree	5,154
Doctor’s Degree	85

What Criminal Justice Majors Need to Know

Studies in Criminal Justice develop a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Criminal Justice graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Criminal Justice emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Administration and Management — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

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

Skills

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

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

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

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

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Criminal Justice graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.5 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Criminal Justice professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Criminal Justice graduates include:

• Safety Supervisor
• Compliance Director
• Director of Research
• Racing Manager
• Hospitality House Supervisor
• Body Shop Manager
• Research Director
• Relocation Director
• Leased Machinery and Equipment Service Supervisor
• Recreation Facility Manager
• Quality Assurance Director
• Chamber of Commerce Division Manager
• Publication Director
• Manufacturer
• Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	51.5%
High school diploma or equivalent	16.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	8.7%
Master’s degree	7.6%
Some college courses	6.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.3%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	2.4%
Doctoral degree	1.5%
Post-master’s certificate	0.7%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Criminal Justice?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.7% women and 43.3% men among Criminal Justice graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	15,311	56.7%
Men	11,686	43.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	10,590	39.2%
Asian	805	3.0%
Hispanic or Latino	9,319	34.5%
Black or African American	3,818	14.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	176	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	125	0.5%
Two or More Races	899	3.3%
Race Unknown	1,060	3.9%
International Students	205	0.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Criminal Justice Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Criminal Justice 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 Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Criminal Justice. 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	85	34
Bachelor’s	103	62
Master’s	85	31
Doctoral (Research)	3	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 Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Criminal Justice 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/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.