I’m very interested in this major only because I am fascinated with the topic, however, how realistic is this major? Although I would love to study it and try my chances, I can’t afford to go back to school and get a bachelors in another field! I know no one can predict what jobs will pop up for me but:
Does anyone personally know anyone in this field with a career? Would love some info!
If you already have a bachelor’s degree why would you not be looking at Masters programs?
Of course there are jobs in this field. Google.
I am not a big fan of this major, I will say upfront. I find it kind of limiting and it has a reputation as an easy major. People go into it thinking it is something other than it is. While it is okay for some purposes, like working as a police officer or parole officer etc, it is not necessary for those and I think you would do better in another more classic major. If you are thinking something like CSI, then you are better looking at different majors for forensic science or bio/chem perhaps. If you want to analyst crime data then maybe statistics plus some CJ classes gives more options. Not even most schools have that major. It seems many people who do this major have option for employment of ‘loss prevention’ meaning that you catch shoplifters and maybe try to make systems in shops to deter them.
What is it you had in mind for wanting this major?
“it has a reputation as an easy major.” This.
You’ll severely limit yourself if you don’t take more writing intensive, analysis intensive and quant intensive courses or a major. Most police depts don’t even require a bachelors. And don’t be like the lemmings who think “CSI” is an actual career. Those are detectives or actual scientists. You hear about jokers who barely pass HS chemistry but think they’ll work in some crime lab somewhere —ummm. no.
@ospreycv22 I don’t think OP was saying they already had a bachelor’s. OP just didn’t want to get a CJ degree, find no job opportunities then have to get another degree in order to find a job. They want to get the bachelor’s in the right thing to begin with.
My S2 has a degree in Criminal Justice. After doing a 12 week internship in the local Sheriff’s Dept . during his senior year of college, he decided that it wasn’t for him. He was dismayed at the low salaries that veteran officers were making. He expected that for a rookie but men with years of experience were still making less than 50K. So S2 went in another direction and is doing very well. Even though he’s not working in his college major we think that it will always be an asset to have a B.S. degree. Just realize if you go with CJ, you’re not going to make a lot of money.
Criminal Justice tends to lead to jobs in law enforcement (police officer, parole officer, working in the DOC…)
If you’re interested in criminals, you want to study Criminology ( a different field).
Criminal justice, social work, human services undergrad majors all attract students who are interested in working with disadvantaged populations. None of these majors lead to well-paying jobs so you would not want to have much debt and you would most likely need roommates early in your career. There are jobs out there, though. Some of these students work for a while and later get a masters degree so consider a college level math course and statistics to keep your options open for later.
My S2’s B.S. Criminal Justice program required a math class and statistics class.
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Yes, I know someone with this major. My boss! Criminal Justice majors at my employing institution go on to careers in law enforcement (police officers, parole officers, probations officers, jailers), security work, and other kinds of social services. Some pursue law school. My boss got a masters and has been in all kinds of positions in higher Ed. She’s currently with Trio.
If the field fascinates you, pursue it. Every student should be cognizant of debt, but please don’t discount an entire field because a very affluent the Internet community pooh poohs the income potential. The world needs people in these services, and while it’s true that my friend the deputy in a rural county doesn’t bring in a bundle, he has a wife, and between the two of them, they’re very comfortable. And in municipalities, law enforcement officers do pretty well.
Your personal knowledge is helpful. It might be something to consider that she also has a master’s, I guess it would help to know if that is necessary. I’m just trying to get the OP to identify what they think it is and what they think it will lead to so they are not misled. I do know of a student who just went to college intending that major and it was not inline with their goals or understanding. Thankfully a counsellor at that college was able to get through to the student on this point. As I said in my post, it is often not what the student thinks. And I do think there are better majors for certain goals and OP should know that. If it is just right then fine, know that too. I do not think you need to dismiss helpful comments because they come from people you imagine might be affluent. I personally didn’t mention income potential but it isn’t unreasonable to be aware of that if it might be unmanageable.
FWIW, the NYPD requires at least two years of college before hiring, and I think most veteran officers have a four-year degree. That’s more or less why CUNY-John Jay exists. I think many other big city forces have similar hiring requirements.
There’s also the FBI, where most jobs require four-year degrees, but they typically like to hire lots of CS/data analytics folks and accountants.
BTW, if you’d like a pinprick to your prestige bubble, I know several recent law school grads who have wound up at the police academy – and been grateful for the job.
"I am not a big fan of this major, I will say upfront. I find it kind of limiting and it has a reputation as an easy major. …It seems many people who do this major have option for employment of ‘loss prevention’ meaning that you catch shoplifters and maybe try to make systems in shops to deter them…
What is it you had in mind for wanting this major? ; "
How do you have any idea how well this student will do in another major? FYI not every graduate in this program becomes a mall cop or earns less than $100k.
Did you have any idea that U of Penn has this major, as well as Northeastern and several other College Confidential approved schools? U of Penn is Ivy League as that seems important to you.
I agree with others that it is not the major if you have been seduced by "CSI’ type TV shows. The people who do forensic testing are scientists. They seldom leave the lab; usually only to testify in court. The people who collect evidence are often low paid civilian techs who earn entry level salaries.
OP can do job searches on the internet and determine if they sound appealing. Any professional police organization as well as the federal government will require a bachelor’s degree these days. They often do not care what it is in or where it was obtained.
OP - I have a BA in Psychology and a Masters in Criminal Justice. We can talk off line but there are many many careers in criminal justice where you will not end up a mall cop.
^the key here is Master’s in Criminal Justice.
It’s a legitimate field but options are greater at the Master’s Level, and to do a Master’s it’s not necessary to have a BS in CJ, it’s actually beneficial to have a degree in another major.
The BS’s goals are different from the Master’s. Many students imagine it’ll involve studying criminals’ psychology or something like forensic science, which is why many posters recommend that OP check out what the major actually entails. I think it’s a good idea for OP to ask you questions, actually. 
I know someone personally in this field. My nephew graduated from Northeastern with a major in Criminal Justice. He is now a Sergeant in the NYC police department and does lots of undercover work with confidential informants.
One does not need 60 credits in CJ to work for NYPD, just 60 credits. John Jay is even trying to expand its scope and market themselves as being more than criminal justice.
A BA in criminal justice is no worse than one in other soft sciences like psychology, sociology, economics, political science, etc. Graduate level work is usually necessary. Or, it is a path to law school or even med school if the required prerequisite courses are taken. My D is a Literature major. No clue what she plans to do with that (though law school has been mentioned).
What do you want to do when you graduate? Do you want to work in some type of law enforcement?