How will your criminal justice education stack up?

Here is some information to help you compare your criminal justice education with criminal justice education around the nation. There are 2,170 traditional criminal justice schools in the US.

Top Schools

The top schools in the nation in 2010 that had criminal justice programs were:

1. University of Washington-Seattle Campus - located in Seattle, Washington State
2. Boston University - located in Boston, Massachusetts
3. University of Georgia - located in Athens, Georgia

Student Demographics

In 2010, degrees in criminal justice were earned by 94,363 students in the US. Of these students, 17,494 received certifications in criminal justice, 71,057 received an undergraduate degree in criminal justice, and 5,812 received a graduate-level degree in criminal justice.

Academics

Students can pursue education in criminal justice at the following levels:

Criminal justice students can hope to gain the following skills and/or knowledge as they pursue their criminal justice degree:

• Punishment and Corrections
• Crime Analysis
• Theories of Crime
• Observation
• American Courts

Cost

In 2010, criminal justice schools around the nation charged an average tuition of $19,130 per year. The following criminal justice schools had the highest tuition rates:

1. George Washington University - located in Washington, Washington DC, students paid $41,655
2. University of Richmond - located in University Of Richmond, Virginia, students paid $40,010
3. Boston University - located in Boston, Massachusetts, students paid $38,440

The lowest tuition was charged by the following criminal justice schools:

1. East Carolina University - located in Greenville, North Carolina, students paid $4,477
2. University of Central Florida - located in Orlando, Florida, students paid $4,526
3. Florida International University - located in Miami, Florida, students paid $4,580

How will your criminal justice job compare?

Special agent, private detective, security guard, bailiff, or transit police officer are the professions of choice for a majority of criminal justice graduates in the US. In 2010, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there were 1,872,070 criminal justice professionals working in the US, including 457,550 correctional officers, 110,640 special agents and 28,210 private detectives. The largest populations of criminal justice professionals are in the following states:

1. California - 219,640 Criminal Justice Professionals
2. New York - 169,180 Criminal Justice Professionals
3. Texas - 160,890 Criminal Justice Professionals

Projected Growth

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of criminal justice professionals is expected to grow by 12% by 2018. There are projected to be 2,306,750 criminal justice professionals working in the US then. Of these 2,306,750 criminal justice professionals, the government predicts that 497,500 will become correctional officers, 130,900 will become special agents, and 55,500 will become private detectives. The number of criminal justice professionals is expected to grow the fastest in the following states:

1. Utah - 25%
2. Arkansas - 22%
3. Texas - 21%

Salary

Criminal justice professionals around the US earn $44,218 per year on average. However, the salary for criminal justice professionals can vary greatly based not only on the exact criminal justice profession you pursue but also on factors such as education, your employer, and your employer. Salaries for criminal justice professionals range from less than $15,300 per year to more than $149,040 per year. Criminal justice professionals in the following states make the highest salaries on average:

1. Washington DC - $62,510 per year
2. New Jersey - $59,341 per year
3. California - $57,409 per year

criminal justice professionals in the following states make the lowest salaries on average:

1. Mississippi - $27,413 per year
2. South Carolina - $30,590 per year
3. Kansas - $32,327 per year

On average the highest paid criminal justice professionals were:

1. Special Agent - $73,010 per year
2. Transit Police Officer - $55,930 per year
3. Paralegal - $49,640 per year

The criminal justice professionals with lowest average salaries in 2010 were:

4. Correctional Officer - $42,780 per year
5. Bailiff - $40,910 per year
6. Security Guard - $26,870 per year