• A criminal justice degree can help prepare you for a police career.Police image by Zeno from Fotolia.com
  
  A criminal justice degree can help prepare you for entry-level jobs within law enforcement and the legal system, as well as the private sector. It can also qualify you for further education and positions with greater responsibility. In the United States, criminal justice programs usually provide a comprehensive study of the American legal, justice, court and correctional systems. Other coursework may cover the psychological and sociological causes that relate to crime, punishment and rehabilitation.
  
  

Law Enforcement Careers

• Alumni of criminal justice programs may pursue careers at the city, county or state level. This degree may also help qualify you for a law enforcement position with a federal agency, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Secret Service; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Coast Guard; U.S. Marshals; Immigration and Naturalization Services; and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.
  
  

Careers in the Court and Corrections Systems

• With a criminal justice degree, you can also find employment within the court and corrections systems. You can serve as a bailiff, helping ensure that courtrooms remain orderly and secure. You can work with offenders as a parole officer, a probation officer, a rehabilitation specialist, a guard or even, ultimately, as a prison warden. If you're interested in criminal law, as either a prosecutor or a defense attorney, a criminal justice degree can serve as valuable preparation for law school.
  
  

Other Positions

• A criminal justice degree can also prepare you to work as an investigator for an insurance company, verifying claims, or as a private investigator. Other private-sector opportunities include serving as a security consultant, bodyguard or security guard. If you're interested in crime scene investigation, studying criminal justice can provide you with crucial knowledge about the legal procedures for collecting evidence, processing crime scenes and documenting your work. For a forensic science career, criminal justice may serve as a valuable double major with a science degree, to prepare you for further study and specialization.