Criminal Justice major

Criminal Justice: courses, careers, and where to study

Criminal Justice studies the institutions and practices of policing, courts, and corrections, preparing graduates for law enforcement, probation, corrections, and law school.

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Criminal Justice earn a median $55,378 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,158 to $74,359 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard). By credential and college

A Criminal Justice major covers the structure of policing, courts, and corrections; criminology theory; criminal law and procedure; victimology; juvenile justice; and corrections. Programs often offer concentrations in Law Enforcement, Forensic Science, Cybercrime, Homeland Security, or Pre-Law. Many include an internship with a local police department, sheriff's office, court, prosecutor, or correctional facility.

Graduates work in federal, state, and local law enforcement, corrections, probation/parole, private security, victim advocacy, and corporate compliance. The major is also a common pre-law track.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Criminal Justice maps to CIP 43.0100, Criminal Justice and Corrections, General, within the HOMELAND SECURITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT, FIREFIGHTING AND RELATED PROTECTIVE SERVICES family. The official definition:

A program of study that focuses on the general study of criminal justice and corrections. Includes instruction in criminology, criminal justice, correctional science, forensic science, law enforcement, psychology, and ethics.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Criminal Justice is awarded as

Of the 87,536 Criminal Justice credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2024-25:

  • Certificate: 22%, 19,608 credentials.
  • Associate: 23%, 19,779 credentials.
  • Bachelor's: 47%, 41,088 credentials.
  • Graduate: 8%, 7,061 credentials.

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 50 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 35 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2024-25, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Introduction to the criminal justice system
  • Criminology theory
  • Policing and police administration
  • Criminal law and procedure
  • Corrections and rehabilitation
  • Juvenile justice
  • Forensic methods (depending on track)
  • Research methods and statistics

Typical careers

  • Police Officer / Detective
  • Federal Agent (FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, ICE)
  • Probation / Parole Officer
  • Corrections Officer
  • Forensic Analyst
  • Lawyer (with JD)

Typical salary range: $45,000–$72,000 early-career (BLS, 2024 police and sheriff's patrol officers median $76,290)Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

How much do Criminal Justice graduates earn?

Nationally, bachelor's graduates in Criminal Justice earn a median $55,378 four years after graduating; the middle half of programs ranges from $40,158 to $74,359 (2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23, College Scorecard).

National median earnings four years after graduating for Criminal Justice, by credential
CredentialNational medianMiddle half of programs
Bachelor's$55,378$40,158 to $74,359
Associate's$46,706$31,475 to $63,659
Undergraduate certificate$57,702$39,878 to $76,285
Master's$66,714$48,346 to $93,005
Post-baccalaureate certificate$99,783$73,003 to $136,187

Compare Criminal Justice programs in your state

Highest-earning bachelor's Criminal Justice programs

Ordered by median earnings: one federal measure, not a ranking of program quality. Federal program group: Criminal Justice and Corrections. Earnings: graduates of 2017-18 and 2018-19, earnings measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars, for graduates who received federal aid, worked and were not enrolled. Programs need at least 30 graduates in the earnings cohort to be listed; multi-state systems whose figures pool campuses are not listed. Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 10 June 2026. How much the college matters, by major. Graduate programs over the new federal loan caps.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Criminal Justice, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Criminal Justice by the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Managers, All Other$136,550106,700+4.5%Bachelor's degree
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers$76,29053,700+3.1%High school diploma or equivalent
Correctional Officers and Jailers$57,97030,100-7.8%High school diploma or equivalent
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives$105,98010,900+2.9%High school diploma or equivalent
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$60,13010,600+3.5%Associate's degree
Detectives and Criminal Investigators$93,5807,800-0.7%High school diploma or equivalent
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers$76,3104,300-2.8%High school diploma or equivalent
Forensic Science Technicians$67,4402,900+12.8%Bachelor's degree
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary$71,4701,200+2%Doctoral or professional degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 9 of these 9 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Criminal Justice does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Criminal Justice major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Criminal Justice program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Criminal Justice department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Some public-service fields require programmatic accreditation for licensure (for example, social-work programs accredited by CSWE). Verify the accreditation and licensure rules that apply to Criminal Justice in your state.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Criminal Justice careers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Criminal Justice program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Criminal Justice credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2024-25. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2024-25. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Criminal Justice schools

Where Criminal Justice credentials were awarded

48 states have a distinct enough set of Criminal Justice colleges to be worth its own page.

Criminal Justice by state

Every Criminal Justice program with its own CampusPin page

377 programs in 49 states, A to Z by state and then by college. Each page gives what the program's graduates earned four years after finishing, what they borrowed in federal loans, the monthly payment, and how the program compares with others in its state and the nation. The figure beside each college is the median for its largest credential with at least 30 graduates (U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, 2017-19 graduates, measured 2022-23). The list is alphabetical; it is not a ranking.

Criminal Justice programs in Alabama, 8 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Arizona, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Arkansas, 5 programs
Criminal Justice programs in California, 20 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Colorado, 7 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Connecticut, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Delaware, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in District of Columbia, 1 program
Criminal Justice programs in Florida, 17 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Georgia, 11 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Hawaii, 1 program
Criminal Justice programs in Idaho, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Illinois, 11 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Indiana, 12 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Iowa, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Kansas, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Kentucky, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Louisiana, 6 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Maine, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Maryland, 6 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Massachusetts, 18 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Michigan, 14 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Minnesota, 10 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Mississippi, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Missouri, 10 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Nebraska, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Nevada, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in New Hampshire, 6 programs
Criminal Justice programs in New Jersey, 17 programs
Criminal Justice programs in New Mexico, 2 programs
Criminal Justice programs in New York, 40 programs
Criminal Justice programs in North Carolina, 13 programs
Criminal Justice programs in North Dakota, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Ohio, 9 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Oklahoma, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Oregon, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Pennsylvania, 17 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Rhode Island, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in South Carolina, 5 programs
Criminal Justice programs in South Dakota, 1 program
Criminal Justice programs in Tennessee, 6 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Texas, 30 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Utah, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Vermont, 1 program
Criminal Justice programs in Virginia, 8 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Washington, 3 programs
Criminal Justice programs in West Virginia, 4 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Wisconsin, 9 programs
Criminal Justice programs in Wyoming, 1 program

Related majors

Still deciding between Criminal Justice and something else?

These guides put Criminal Justice side by side with the major it is most often confused with, using the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk to show where the two actually lead.

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Criminal Justice degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Protective Service careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

Explore Science & Research careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Criminal Justice degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Criminal Justice path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.