Career Opportunities for Majors in Criminal Justice

Introduction

Employment opportunities exist for Criminal Justice majors in all areas of the legal, law enforcement, and justice systems. Students receive instruction on the theories and practices pertaining to the criminal justice system, crime prevention, and public and corporate responses to crime on the local, national, and international levels.

Students are also prepared to pursue graduate coursework in law or public policy as well as many other criminal justice related disciplines. If a graduate with a Bachelor's degree is looking for employment after graduation, opportunities exist at the managerial level in county, state, and federal criminal justice agencies. Research centers concerned with domestic and international issues, policies and practices related to the criminal justice system provide additional opportunities to experience this exciting field.

While many graduates work in a related occupation, others choose fields which do not require a specific major but rather a wide range of demonstrated skills and accomplishments. Regardless of your career choice, increase your marketability to employers through internships, service-learning, related work or volunteer experiences, good grades, and involvement in college activities.

A Sample of Related Occupations

ATF Inspector	Bailiff	Border Patrol Agent
Chief Deputy	Child Welfare Caseworker	Correction Counselor
Correction Officer	Court Administrator	Court Clerk
Court Reporter	Criminologist	Customs Patrol Officer
Deputy Sheriff	Deputy U.S. Marshall	Evidence Technician
Federal Protection Officer	Fingerprint Technician	Immigration Guard
Import Specialist	I.R.S. Agent	Law Clerk
Law Librarian	Lawyer	Legal Transcriber
Paralegal	Penologist	Police Detective
Police Dispatcher	Police Lieutenant	Police Officer
Polygraph Examiner	Postal Inspector	Probation Officer
Psychologist	Secret Service Officer	Serology Technician
Social Worker	Special Agent, Customs	Special Agent, FBI
Teacher	Warden	Youth Counselor

Types of Employers

Banks	Drug Enforcement Agency	Military Police
Border Patrol	Entertainment Venues	National Security Agency
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms	Family Courts	Parole Departments
Central Intelligence Agency	Federal Bureau of Investigation	Police Departments - Local & State
Colleges & Universities	Federal Trade Commission	Probation Departments
Correctional Facilities	Immigration & Naturalization Service	Public Defenders Office
Criminal Courts	Justice Department	Retail Stores
Customs & Immigration	Juvenile Courts	Security Organizations
Department of Agriculture	Juvenile Justice Programs	US Postal Inspection Service
Department of Insurance	Law Firms

Jobs Obtained by Rutgers Graduates

First Jobs of Recent Graduates
Assistant Mortgage Closer, Dreyfus Consumer Bank	Police Communications, R.U. Police Department
Billing Representative, St. Michael's Medical Center	Police Officer, Freehold Police Department
Child Carer Counselor, Bonnie Brae School for Boys	Police Officer, New Brunswick Police Department
Clinical Coordinator, Mentor-NJ	Probation Officer, Camden County Probation Department
Family Service Worker, Essex County Division of Welfare	Probation Officer, Hudson County Probation Department
Freelance Actor/Singer, Screen Actors Guild	Project Manager, Hewitt Associates
Library Associate, Cummings & Lockwood	Quality Inspector, Johnson & Johnson
Loss Prevention Assistant, Sears & Roebuck	Sales Associate, Cintas Corp.
Military Police Officer, U.S. Army	Sales Rep., Merz Pharmaceuticals
Mortgage Loan Officer, Midlantic Bank	Second Lieutenant, Military Police Corps, US Army
Paralegal, Williams, Caliri, Miller & Ottey	Second Lieutenant, US Air Force
Placement Assistant, Katherine Gibbs School	Security Screener, Transportation Security Administration

Jobs of Experienced Alumni
Agent, Middlesex County Prosecutor's Office	Paralegal, Robinson, St. John, & Wayne
Associate, Berel & Mullen Attorneys (JD)	Police Officer, NYC Police Department
Attorney, Liberty Mutual Insurance (JD)	Probation Officer, Middlesex County Probation Department
Attorney, State Attorney General's Office (JD)	Sheriff's Officer, Union County Sheriff's Department
Claims Specialist, Aetna Life & Casualty Insurance	Supervisor Deputy, US Marshals Service
Corp. VP/Director of Security, NY Life Insurance Co.	Teacher, Perth Amboy High School
Director, Franchise Operations, Starwood Hotels & Resorts	VP, Conrail Police Department
Immigration Examiner, U.S. Department of Justice

Graduate Schools Attended

John Jay College of Criminal Justice - M.A. - Criminal Justice	Rutgers University - MBA
Rutgers University - Ph.D. in Criminal Justice	Seton Hall University - JD in Family Law
Rutgers University - M.A. in Public Administration	William Patterson University - M.A. in Sociology

Additionally, you may:

Explore the career paths of RU Alumni Career Network mentors.
Go to the Rutgers Online Career Planning Site to explore your interests, skills and values. Use the program for either: High School Students | College Students.
Explore Rutgers University academic department information related to this major.
See the Occupational Outlook Handbook for additional career information.
Pick up your "Career Opportunities" handouts at any New Brunswick Career Services office.

Still Have Questions? Ask a Career Counselor.