Online Criminal Justice College
If you plan to pursue a career in law enforcement you should first graduate from a criminal justice college. With advances in Internet technology online criminal justice college degrees have become increasingly popular.
Unfortunately, our nation has an intense need for law enforcement professionals. Degrees in criminal justice have become more and more required for those seeking advancement in the field. High achieving members of the protective services community really must have a college education. But which degree do you need at what level?
Criminal justice degrees are available online or on-campus, at the associate, bachelor’s and master’s level degree. While on-campus courses allow direct interaction with other students and professors of criminal justice, online degrees allow you to better fit your studies into your current schedule and still enjoy the opportunity to work closely with fellow students and instructors by way of email, web casts, instant messaging, and other forms of Internet technology.
The following degrees are widely available, both for on campus and online study.
Associate Degrees in Criminal Justice:
Almost all law enforcement agencies in the U.S. now require that their employees complete at least some college, making the associate degree in criminal justice a popular choice for those eager to start work as quickly as possible. (Currently employed students may choose to earn their degree online while they continue to earn a regular paycheck.) Many associate degree holders become police and sheriff patrol officers, who earn a median income of around $47,000.
Bachelor’s Degrees in Criminal Justice:
If you’d like to continue your education and earn a four year degree, associate degree credits are often transferable, and may fulfill some of the requirements for a bachelor’s degree program. Therefore, if you have an associates degree you can therefore probably earn a bachelors degree in less than four years. With a bachelors degree, you will be eligible for a variety of higher-level jobs, including warden, secret service agent, deputy sheriff, and other supervisory positions. Median annual salaries of first-line police supervisors are nearly $70,000.
Master’s Degrees in Criminal Justice:
To be accepted into a master’s criminal justice degree program, you must already have earned your bachelor’s degree. Your master’s degree in criminal justice can be completed in two years. With a master’s, you can advance to the highest levels of criminal justice administration, including careers as a police chief or FBI agent. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, these experienced professionals typically earn annual salaries between $60,000 and $100,000.
As you can see a career in law enforcement can pay well when you have a online criminal justice college degree or earn your degree at a college campus.
