Press "Enter" to skip to content

Five Jobs You Can Get With a Master of Science in Criminal Justice MSCJ Degree

It is thoughtful to research the career opportunities in a field before going into it. For instance, you will want to know the currently estimated pay, career opportunities, income growth, and more. This can help you choose the right path and motivate you to set goals.

There are several job opportunities for those with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice (MSCJ). Apart from leading roles in correctional departments and the police force, holders of a Criminal Justice degree are also hired in security, emergency management, criminal investigation, and forensics.

The numerous career opportunities in criminal justice enable you to find a better path based on your salary goals, interests, and skills. We will discuss five jobs you can get with your MSCJ below.

Five Opportunities for MSCJ Holders

Whether you have yet to acquire a Criminal Justice degree or are close to graduation, understanding the career opportunities in this field can help position you for a job opening. So, we will outline some of these job opportunities below.

  1. Criminologist
  2. Forensic psychologist
  3. A criminal profiler
  4. Correctional officer/supervisor
  5. Supervisor of detectives and police officers

Criminologist

This role entails studying crime. And though it is often confused with a criminal investigation, a criminologist studies and identifies a crime and the intent of committing it. They work with law enforcement agents and are directly concerned with the nature of the crime.

Social science is one of the main courses in criminology. However, the field requires understanding theories and insights from disciplines like environmental sciences, sociology, and psychology. You can click here to learn more about criminology.

Mainly, criminology deals with a broad focus on crimes in a society and not just individual criminals. This makes them relevant both in crime research settings and in the fields. So, they can work in several organizations, from academia to law enforcement.

Professionals in criminology earn an average wage of $51,826, according to Ziprecruiter. And with an average hourly pay of $24, some criminologists earn over $4,000 monthly. However, this depends on experience and location.

Forensic Psychologist

This is one of the most sought-after and highly paid professions in criminology. Generally, their work requires profiling and understanding criminal mental health, facilitating treatments, and carrying out assessments on convicted or suspected criminals. Furthermore, they play a role in determining the health fitness of the accused and performing insanity evaluations on them. In short, their tasks cover risk assessments and other public safety and mental health-related duties.

Data collected shows that forensic psychologists earn an average wage of $77,000. Although this figure depends on location, industry, experience, and other factors, those working in government agencies earn the highest – around $96,000.

Job growth in the field might see more projections in the coming years. The projection estimate is expected to reach 15% in 2026.

A Criminal Profiler

Five Jobs You Can Get With a Master of Science in Criminal Justice (MSCJ) Degree
Photo by cottonbro: https://www.pexels.com

These professionals work with forensic experts in assessing evidence to profile the perpetrators of a crime. They use the concept that behavioral patterns can talk more about human personalities. They analyze evidence on and off crime scenes using logic, scientific methods, and reasoning. And with this, they can provide hypothetical details about the criminal’s appearance and age.

Criminal profilers also help investigators with details on the possible intent of a crime. Furthermore, they can detect a staged crime scene.

In terms of salary, criminal profilers are among the best-paid criminal justice professions. Although information about their salary range is scarce, they are paid wages similar to those of criminal investigators, which is around $83,000. To learn more about criminal investigation, go to https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criminal_investigation

Correctional Officer Supervisor (COS)

This role entails the supervision of corrections officers that oversee the parole or probation of offenders. The COS also assigns caseloads and tasks to maintain the welfare and safety of both offenders and officers. However, their roles are dependent on various factors. For instance, a COS in a small department may have more functions when compared to those working in larger departments.

The average salary range for COS is between $60,000 and $75,000 per year. However, employment opportunities in this field are projected to decline by 2026.

Detective and Police Superintendent

These supervisors evaluate, arrange, and schedule detective and officer training. Also, they ensure that officers stay motivated and maintain strong morale.

In some cases, detective and police supervisors manage clerical officers and technicians. However, they generally perform the duty of maintaining departmental policies and police integrity. For instance, they ensure that equipment maintenance and issuance follow due to protocol. They may also be required to spend time on some crime scenes, assisting with investigations and supervising reports. 

While different industries might have various salary averages for this role, the national average wage for detectives and police supervisors is about $87,000. Furthermore, jobs in this field are more likely to increase by 7% in 2026.

Conclusion

There are several career opportunities in criminal justice if you have a master’s degree. And this can make it hard to choose a path after graduation. However, learning a thing or two about the various job opportunities can help you decide and position yourself for a job even before graduating.

Featured Image by Rawpixel.com