This following article was NOT written by Ron Smith & Associates and does NOT necessarily reflect the views and opinions of RS&A Inc.

What Criminal Justice Major Jobs are Right for You?

When it comes to a criminal justice major, jobs may not leap right out at you upon first glance. The good news is that there are plenty of great jobs available to those that major in criminal justice that go well beyond local law enforcement. Even better for those who prefer to stay close to home is the fact that local law enforcement jobs do exist and are often eager for new, well-qualified candidates to come on board.

If you know, without a doubt, that law enforcement on the local level isn’t for you and wish to pursue a career in criminal justice that allows you the opportunity to see a little more of the world you can always attempt to get a position in the CIA. Believe it or not, you do not need to be spy material in order to have a promising career in the CIA.

There are many great jobs that involve criminal justice but do not require secret identities. In fact, there are plenty of great criminal justice positions in the CIA such as linguists, support staff, analysis, scientists, and engineers. When looking for criminal justice major jobs these are great places to begin, particularly if you had a double major in one of these fields or a natural proclivity for languages.

Looking for crime scene investigator jobs and other resources?

Another option for those that major in criminal justice during undergraduate studies is to go on and further studies in the field of psychology in order to become a forensic psychologist. This field is growing in relevance and demand as we are beginning to understand the importance of understanding the criminal mind when it comes to preventing as well as solving crimes. The skills of the forensic psychologist are even used for the purpose of improving interrogation methods.

This is still an emerging field however and will be greatly enhanced by doubling up on your studies between criminal justice and psychology as well as taking it upon yourself to pursue specialized training and internships in the field that go beyond the general academic setting. If this is the career path you wish to pursue chances are that you will need an advanced degree in order to do so. You must obtain a Ph. D. in order to become a practicing psychologist so you should prepare for a major investment in your education if this is the field you are most interested in.

The one thing that is important to stress is that there are different requirements as far as education and training for almost every criminal justice job that can be had. It is up to you to determine where you want to go with your criminal justice career and tailor your course of study to achieve that ends. You will find that there are many criminal justice major jobs available in a wide variety of fields if you are willing to put in a little extra study, time, and attention in an effort to obtain them.