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Juvenile Corrections

Types of Degrees Juvenile Corrections Majors Are Earning

Those studying Juvenile Corrections have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	10
Bachelor’s Degree	2
Master’s Degree	45
Doctor’s Degree	10

What Juvenile Corrections Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• English Language — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Public Safety and Security — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.6 / 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 developed in a Juvenile Corrections program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Social Perceptiveness — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Monitoring — 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 Juvenile Corrections careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Juvenile Corrections graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Getting Information	4.2 / 7
Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others	4.1 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7
Working with Computers	4.0 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Juvenile Corrections professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Facebook	Web page creation and editing software	—
3M Electronic Monitoring	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Corrections housing software	Data base management system software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Juvenile Corrections graduates include:

• Cottage Supervisor
• Custodial Officer
• Confinement Officer
• Juvenile Corrections Officer
• Correction Officer
• Matron
• Point Guard
• Penal Officer
• Detention Deputy
• Certified Detention Deputy
• Cottage Master
• Juvenile Correctional Officer
• Guard
• Deputy
• Correctional Guard

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Juvenile 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	60.5%
Bachelor’s degree	19.7%
Master’s degree	9.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	7.0%
Doctoral degree	1.6%
Postsecondary certificate	0.7%
Post-master’s certificate	0.6%
First professional degree	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Juvenile Corrections?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 75% of Juvenile Corrections degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	51	75.0%
Men	17	25.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	26	38.2%
Hispanic or Latino	7	10.3%
Black or African American	25	36.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	1	1.5%
Two or More Races	2	2.9%
International Students	6	8.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Juvenile Corrections Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Juvenile Corrections 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 Juvenile Corrections Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Juvenile 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	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 Juvenile Corrections Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Juvenile 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
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.