Key takeaways
- 4-year undergraduate degrees offer various specializations to enhance learning and make criminology degree jobs more specific.
- In criminology, specializations usually include victimology, forensic science, juvenile justice, corrections, and criminal justice.
- Common criminology degree jobs include crime scene investigator, detective, forensic analyst, probation officer, and more, with opportunities extending into various industries.
- Expected job growth in criminology-related fields includes a 3.25% salary increase and notable growth rates for roles such as criminologists and forensic technicians.
- Maryland is reported to have the highest number of criminology degree jobs.
- Undergraduate criminology degree holders can find roles in government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and corporate sectors.
- Nonprofit criminology degree jobs in areas like victim advocacy and government roles in agencies such as the FBI provide meaningful work but may vary in salary and benefits.
Deciding which undergraduate degree to pursue can be a tricky decision. It involves a lot of thinking, research, and self-assessing. One way to decide whether an undergraduate degree in criminology is right for you is by assessing criminology degree jobs and their prospects.
With so many great criminology degrees available, you should first explore the specializations and focus areas offered by criminology colleges. Secondly, you must assess the various industries in which criminology degree jobs are available. Thirdly, criminology degree jobs have seen steady growth over the years. You must explore the trends and growth prospects before deciding which subject or discipline you want to pursue.
With its diverse specializations like victimology, forensic science, and juvenile justice, a criminology degree opens doors to various criminology career opportunities that can be quite rewarding.
To help you make up your mind about choosing a criminology major in college, we have discussed in detail the jobs you can do with this degree. Not only that, but you can also explore an undergraduate degree in sociology to become eligible for the following jobs and industries.
What are the specializations in criminology degrees?
Most of the 4-year bachelor’s degrees you find being offered by colleges have different layouts and coursework. However, specializations or concentration areas are offered in all bachelor programs.
Criminology, as a field of study, offers several specializations that allow students to focus on specific areas of interest. Choosing a specialization also narrows down what you are best at, and helps you pick a specific career direction.
Some common specializations in criminology include:
Victimology
The most important part of any criminal activity is the victim. Since criminology studies the various angles of a crime, victimologists specialize in studying and understanding the victim. They explore the victim’s experiences, feelings, effects, and impacts on various fronts. For example, a crime might have a great sociological impact on the victim, such as social isolation.
Meanwhile, other crimes like theft can make the victim suffer economic loss, causing them to experience financial loss more than emotional. Therefore, victimology enables criminologists to not only understand the victim but also come up with recovery methods and strategies.
Additionally, victimologists can also become excellent advocates for victims, and fight for the rights and criminal justice of victims. In other cases, victimology focuses on past incidents and cases for research purposes. The research allows experts to make policies, suggest preventive measures, draft punishments, and much more.
Forensic science
Forensic science is an extremely specialized and specific specialization within criminology. It is interdisciplinary and requires many hard skills like scientific knowledge. However, some of the highest-paying jobs are found in forensic science.
For starters, forensic science is the study of evidence and data under the lens of science. It aims to determine the causes and motivations of a crime, as well as other aspects such as time, place, method, and so on.
In forensic science, there are many further sub-branches one may explore. The most interesting and latest branch is digital forensics. This branch of forensic science deals with cyber crimes and digital evidence. If you are tech-savvy, you may opt for this specialization.
Juvenile justice
Juvenile justice deals with minors and youth under the age of 18 with a specific system of laws, policies, and procedures. Therefore, juvenile justice experts are focused on everything that governs the handling of young individuals who are accused of committing crimes.
Additionally, juvenile justice requires a separate and dedicated legal framework, distinct from the framework used for handling adult criminals. Moreover, juvenile justice also frequently encompasses issues like family, education, and drug abuse.
Besides, minors or youth are typically in need of legal support and advocacy for court proceedings. As a specialized individual in juvenile justice, you could find jobs as representatives of troubled youth, for their legal proceedings as well as mentors.
Overall, juvenile justice seeks to balance accountability for unlawful behavior among the youth. It also focuses on creating opportunities for rehabilitation and positive development. It acknowledges the unique vulnerabilities and potential for change amongst juveniles and aims to prevent future involvement in crime.
Corrections
Some of the most popular corrections facilities are prisons, rehabilitation centers, community centers, and so on. These are institutes that work towards improving and correcting deviant or criminal behavior. Within a corrections specialization, you will be going through theories, practicals, and case studies that assess and evaluate the functionality of corrections facilities in society.
More importantly, as a professional, you may take up roles such as case manager and rehabilitation sponsor. These roles are crucial for society. So, if you are looking for change-making and impactful roles, then this specialization might be right for you.
Within this specialization, you might also research and study the mechanisms of existing correctional methods. This allows intellectuals to devise better methods and make improvements in the processes. The aim of corrections is to not only reduce crime but also prevent it from happening in the future and ensure positive growth and second chances for the doers.
Criminal justice
Lastly, criminal justice is an intensively interlinked subject or topic with criminology. In fact, most colleges offering criminology degrees also teach criminal justice. Criminology majors might be required to study criminal justice since it’s so thoroughly relevant to the broader discipline.
Not only that, but you will also find the highest-paying jobs with criminology degrees to be readily available for criminal justice experts. This is because this specialization is an all-rounder. It covers and dissects every aspect of crime, and encompasses parts of the other specializations as well, such as law enforcement and juvenile justice.
The thorough and holistic knowledge provided by this specialization is what sets it apart. From understanding the different motives of crime to understanding the criminal’s point of view, criminal justice is very intense.
Trends and growth in criminology degree jobs
If you are looking for signs that tell you whether or not there are any good jobs with a criminology degree, then you should definitely take a look at the following job growth trends and prospects:
| Average salary growth in 2024: 3.25% |
| Highest number of criminology degree jobs by state: Maryland, followed by West Virginia |
| Criminologist projected growth rate by Zippia: 5% |
| The state with the highest employment for detectives and investigators: Texas, followed by California and New York |
| Average pay for forensic technician: $64,940 per year (2023) |
| Annual average salary for detectives and investigators: $121,770 (2023) |
| Job growth for police officers: 5% |
| Probation officers & correctional treatment specialists: 3% |
Considering that some states have excellent career prospects, you should explore relevant degrees offered by colleges there. You can explore colleges for criminology by state, such as:
Alternatively, many colleges offer a criminology specialization in their sociology programs. So, you can check out colleges for sociology in various states including:
Which industries have the most criminology degree jobs?
So, now you have uncovered the various specializations in criminology that you may opt for. It’s time to explore the criminology degree job opportunities industry-wise. Target those industries that are frequently hiring criminology graduates. Let’s dig in!
Government
Perhaps criminology is the most suitable field of study for someone who is comfortable, and even eager, to join a government agency or federal state-level institution. It is a highly suitable discipline for driven and dedicated individuals.
Government agencies like the FBI or even drug control agencies are constantly on the lookout for young and fresh minds who can contribute their expertise to the development and betterment of society. These agencies are state-funded, therefore the pay scale is a lot higher than what you would find in nonprofit or smaller organizations.
Additionally, job requirements can vary significantly from one agency to another. Therefore, there is an excellent variety of jobs you can explore. Some popular agencies include the FBI, BPA, NPS, Post Office, AFT, and BPA.
Nonprofit
If you are a philanthropist at heart, then a criminology degree job at a nonprofit organization is your way to go. Criminology degree jobs are abundant in nonprofit organizations such as foster care, old age homes, rehabilitation centers, youth centers, community development centers, and more. These organizations may be private or public institutions.
Criminology careers are quite fixated on the improvement of society, and overall fighting crime and preventing it. Therefore, nonprofit organizations play a significant role in this matter, allowing there to be a lot of room for criminology degree jobs.
As a criminologist, you can contribute your skills such as research, interpersonal communication, data management, and legal information. The best part about criminology degree jobs at a nonprofit organization is that these jobs are utterly fulfilling. You get to work hands-on with the situations and cases. Therefore, exposure and experience is indispensable.
The pay scale for criminology degree jobs at nonprofit organizations can vary significantly. It may or may not be high. However, you can secure esteemed and high-paying jobs by adding certifications and courses to your portfolio. If possible, getting a graduate degree is also a fantastic way to amplify your criminology career outlook.
Corporate
Corporates or large-scale private organizations have a lot on their plate. From compliance to legal procedures to lawsuits to risk management, they always need some expert on the team. This is where your criminology degree comes in handy.
Criminology careers in corporate sectors are prevalent for job roles like compliance manager, corporate security analyst, risk manager, risk analyst, forensic accounts, loss prevention specialist, and so on.
As you can see, most of these roles are aimed at reducing the loss of finances and other resources due to crimes like data theft, trespassing, and failure of legal compliance.
When a specialist is on the team who knows the legal bindings for the company, they can keep everyone in check. This saves corporations lots of money that would otherwise be spent on lawyers and lawsuits.
More so, a criminologist might even be able to suggest improvement plans. They can use their research and analytical skills to deduce methods and strategies to prevent fraud and embezzlement from happening. Someone with a keen eye to such details is a gem for a corporate organization.
What jobs can I do with a criminology degree?
Different industries have to offer different types of criminal degree jobs. The criminology degree job opportunities you get depend a lot on your skill set and area of specialization as well. However, here are the most commonly found job titles and roles for criminology degree holders.
Crime scene investigator
A crime scene investigator, or CSI, is exposed to many hands-on opportunities for studying and understanding crime. A CSI is responsible for collecting, preserving, and studying crime evidence and other aspects, primarily to assist and support the large part of the crime investigation.
Detective
Just like a CSI, a detective also plays a role in solving and analyzing crimes of various scales and types. Particularly, a detective collects evidence about the crime via various strategies and methods, such as interviews, interrogations, surveys, digital evidence analysis, and so on.
Probation officer
Probation officers are usually working with individuals who are on parole and have some commitments to keep up with. They ensure compliance with legal compulsions and also provide support for improvement and rehabilitation.
Other criminology degree jobs include:
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Where to get a criminology degree?
Choosing the right college is pivotal to getting the best criminology degree job opportunities. Firstly, make sure that the college you choose for your criminology degree is accredited. As a result, you will graduate with an accredited degree that is accepted and valued by all employers.
Secondly, choose a college that offers thorough coursework. The program should cover multiple aspects of criminology, as well as offer the most valuable areas of specialization. Lastly, choose a college that has a good alumni profile. Alumni careers will reflect the criminology degree job opportunities that you may get after graduation.
- University of Maryland — College Park, MD
- Florida State University — Tallahassee, FL
- University of California, Irvine — Irvine, CA
- University of Cincinnati — Cincinnati, OH
- University of California, Berkeley — Berkeley, CA
- Arizona State University — Tempe, AZ
Get your criminology degree today!
In summary, the field of criminology offers diverse career opportunities that cater to a wide range of student needs, academic goals, and professional goals. Whether you’re seeking the highest paying jobs with a criminology degree, or exploring fulfilling criminology degree jobs, there is an extensive list of career paths.
You can delve into various aspects of crime and criminal justice, including law enforcement, corrections, rehabilitation, legal professions, forensic science, and related fields.
Furthermore, a criminology degree equips you with vital analytical thinking skills and interpersonal communication skills.
More importantly, choosing the right college for a criminology degree helps set you in the right direction. It is impactful in getting you the most prestigious and esteemed jobs of your choice.