Criminal justice is a rewarding field for those with a passion for protecting the public. Teachers also play a vital role in instructing students and recruits on information and techniques needed for criminal justice and law enforcement.
Like most teaching jobs, criminal justice teachers generally study and major in that same subject in college. College professors and other postsecondary teachers of criminal justice and law enforcement generally have at least a master’s degree in criminal justice. Some of the more prestigious or higher-ranking jobs can also require a doctoral degree in criminal justice.
Although not necessarily required, experience in law enforcement is also a plus when applying for criminal justice teaching jobs. Some law-enforcement personnel even teach local classes on a part-time basis. In fact, plenty of postsecondary instructors do teach on a part-time basis. Thus, while you may have the career goal of becoming a criminal justice instructor, keep in mind that experience in the field is going to be a big advantage in some cases.
Any work as a police officer (at any level) or sheriff’s deputy or other law-enforcement positions like the Highway Patrol will set yourself apart from teaching applicants who are fresh out of school with no experience. Work with the FBI would also be an excellent place to get practical training and set up a second career as a criminal justice teacher.
Those seeking this career can find bachelor’s degree programs in criminal justice at the Universities website. Remember that you will generally need at least a master’s degree in criminal justice to become a teacher. The GradSchools website has close to 500 of these criminal justice advanced degrees. This includes criminal-justice master’s and doctoral degree programs.
After you get your education and hopefully some real-world experience, then Bureau of Labor Statistics studies show that there are close to 14,000 criminal justice teachers with a job at the postsecondary level. There are also some high schools that teach this subject, and that is probably the only level where you may get hired with only a bachelor’s degree.
Among the postsecondary jobs, community and junior colleges had the most teachers, with about 7700. Colleges, universities, and professional schools had about 5800 instructors. Only a few hundred criminal justice teachers get jobs at technical, trade, and business schools. The median salary was right at $60,000. All these figures were compiled in May of 2010.
Resources:
Universities: Bachelor’s Degree Programs in Criminal Justice
GradSchools: Criminal Justice Graduate Degree Programs
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Career and Salary Guide for Criminal Justice Postsecondary Teachers