Students are now more than ever enrolling for law and criminal justice majors; whether spurred by court drama series, crime scene investigators on television or an unfathomable desire to serve the public in the face of national disasters: it remains unclear. It is welcomed relief though, as qualified specialists in the profession were very limited. Over the next ten years, citizens demanding faster court proceedings and hastened, yet accurate investigations, will fuel further specializations into the law and criminal justice programs in colleges.

HOT Degrees

• Criminal Justice
• Forensics
• Homeland Security
• Legal Assistant
• Law Degree
• Crime Scene

What do Law & Criminal Justice Majors study?

Depending on the aspiring law student’s abilities and interests, there are very many avenues of study. Online degree programs providing law and criminal justice courses are excellent training grounds to transitioning professionals who would like to build on their portfolios without necessarily having to attend a full-time traditional college or institution.

College Majors for Law School

For consideration into law school, students should have bachelor’s degrees. Any degree background is allowed and shouldn’t necessarily be a pre-law undergrad major. As a matter of routine, most college students with intent of joining law school usually enroll for liberal arts degrees imperative for sharpening their speaking, critical writing and analytic skills. The commonly sought after pre-law degrees include: English, history, political science, and economics.

Students who get accepted into law school undergo approximately three more years of intense training which include topics such as civil procedure, contracts, torts and obviously criminal law. Very few lawyers end up in mainstream law practice as most seek more marketable specialties in the lines of contact law, intellectual property law as well as business law among others.

Criminal Justice Majors

On the other hand, criminal justice majors focus their resources on highly critical areas such as the judicial process, corrections, law enforcement, criminal behavior and juvenile law. These majors can somewhere along the lines of their careers develop investigative and scientific skills by working as interns.

What Jobs are Hot in Law & Criminal Justice?

Corrections Officer

Unlike what’s depicted on Prison Break [a great series if I may add], the best corrections officers do not depend entirely on muscle to bring out the best in inmates making them be at their best behavior. Instead they employ great interpersonal communication skills. Other than maintaining order in prisons, a lot of their time goes into writing reports detailing prisoners’ conduct, which are later used by parole boards. As a reward for their dedication to the state and federal government, they bank very large sums at the end of the month, have job security as well as the best package throughout the country.

Corporate Security Specialist

This major appeals to individuals who are not interested in the public sector. These specialists analyze possible threats to corporate businesses and device measures of countering them. They ensure that corporate espionage and identity theft which have affected literally thousands of American consumers are kept at a very negligible level if possible.

Intellectual Property Attorney.

The internet and technology as a whole has led to a paradigm shift in view of how intellectual property is perceived and protected. Some bands and solo artists distribute their records for free while others sue people for sharing their songs electronically, yet others let the public decide on how much to pay for their music. With such disparities, talented professional attorneys need to get into the picture and define the seemingly new concept of intellectual property and a legislation to match it.

Why should you consider a college major in law & criminal justice?

Unlike it was in the past where law enforcement agencies would train personnel in-house, they now prefer taking on personnel with associate’s or bachelor’s degrees. Just as is the case in occupations that don’t require a degree to be employed, having one would place you at an advantage over others.

Since the corporate sector is well known for being dynamic, they may hire law and criminal majors for hybrid tasks i.e. those combining legal know-how as well as other business related skills. Graduates from law school can therefore enjoy the chance of blending their training with personal attributes in varying and challenging corporate positions.

What kinds of candidates make the best law & criminal justice majors?

Typically law & criminal majors should be people who can still function at optimum even under high stress levels. As a matter of concern to the well-being of their students, most law and criminal justice colleges include relaxation and exercise programs as part of their curricula. Good health is very beneficial to a student and performance but for people seeking to join this profession, solid physical health is a must.

Prior to and during their formal education in law and criminal justice, potential employers require students to adhere to the following guidelines:

• Avoid situations or company that might cause you to commit a crime or attract the attention of and challenge an officer of the law.
• Avoid recreational drug use. Potential employers may screen you for drug use as far back as three years into the past.
• Have a clean driving record. Should your track record have any blemishes, application for remedial classes should be filed to clear them.
• Confirm the accuracy of your records by checking with the Criminal Records division of your State Police.
• Avoid poor credit reports to show signs of reliable financial responsibility.

Law enforcement agencies critically check out their applicants in a manner non-comparable to companies in other sectors. Potential lawyers should also try level best to adhere to the advice outlined above in order to make them have a smooth transition and get admission into state bar.

What can you expect from our Guide to Law & Criminal Justice Majors?

Examine our comprehensive profiles of particular Law and Criminal Justice degrees. Choosing an area to specialize soon enough can give you a great leap in hiring companies. By reviewing the profiles you will get to know the advantages of the major, what you need to launch a career in that particular field as well as online opportunities for the particular specialty among other vital information.

Here’s a list of Law and Criminal Law Majors

• Public Safety Management
• Paralegal
• Law Enforcement
• Law
• Justice Administration
• Homeland Security
• Economic Crime
• Criminal Justice
• Crime Scene Investigation
• Court Reporting
• Corrections