Criminal Justice Master"s Degree: Is It Necessary?
While not all criminal justice professions need people with a criminal justice master's degree, there are a few that need the graduate-level education for advancement to supervisory positions.
Experience is one of the key factors in this field.
For some employers, years of experience qualifies a person for an advanced position, which is great, but adding "years of experience" takes, well, years.
Some may want to bypass this formula and earn their criminal justice master's degree in their particular field.
Below are a few fields that professionals often consider going back to school to earn their criminal justice master's degree.
IT Security IT security professionals are responsible for the safety and security of important and sensitive data for companies both federal and private.
Most entry-level positions require a bachelor's degree.
For the supervisory positions, many decide to earn their related criminal justice master's degree.
In fact, according to the U.
S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 42 percent of employees in this field have earned a bachelor's degree.
If that's the case, then an even smaller percentage will have earned a graduate degree.
For that reason, competition for management positions can be tough, so earning that additional degree can out you ahead of the game.
Forensic Accounting Forensic accountants are the people who solve the white-collar crimes - money laundering, embezzlement, and other data-sensitive offenses.
These professionals need to always be up-to-date with new methods of crime and detecting that crime.
For the top positions, perhaps overseeing a company, many forensic accountants earn their criminal justice master's degree.
It may not even be related to criminal justice, a master's degree in accounting for instance, but it will lend itself to the job position overall.
Public Safety and Emergency Management This broad segment of professionals has many different responsibilities that range from a local firefighter to a FEMA aid worker.
These people protect us on a daily basis from more common disasters, to the larger scale disasters like hurricanes or floods.
Not all people in these fields need a graduate-level education.
However, for those that would like to direct aid workers, or be a fire chief, for example, a master's degree in the field or related field would qualify them above other candidates.
Earning a criminal justice master's degree is not the only way to get to the top positions, but it is certainly the faster way.
Not only that, it is also becoming increasingly common, which may mean that without one, the competition for the job can get fiercer.
Gaining the real-world experience that an employer desires takes a long time.
Going to school online can be a great companion for both earning your criminal justice master's degree and continuing work in your field.
Experience is one of the key factors in this field.
For some employers, years of experience qualifies a person for an advanced position, which is great, but adding "years of experience" takes, well, years.
Some may want to bypass this formula and earn their criminal justice master's degree in their particular field.
Below are a few fields that professionals often consider going back to school to earn their criminal justice master's degree.
IT Security IT security professionals are responsible for the safety and security of important and sensitive data for companies both federal and private.
Most entry-level positions require a bachelor's degree.
For the supervisory positions, many decide to earn their related criminal justice master's degree.
In fact, according to the U.
S.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 42 percent of employees in this field have earned a bachelor's degree.
If that's the case, then an even smaller percentage will have earned a graduate degree.
For that reason, competition for management positions can be tough, so earning that additional degree can out you ahead of the game.
Forensic Accounting Forensic accountants are the people who solve the white-collar crimes - money laundering, embezzlement, and other data-sensitive offenses.
These professionals need to always be up-to-date with new methods of crime and detecting that crime.
For the top positions, perhaps overseeing a company, many forensic accountants earn their criminal justice master's degree.
It may not even be related to criminal justice, a master's degree in accounting for instance, but it will lend itself to the job position overall.
Public Safety and Emergency Management This broad segment of professionals has many different responsibilities that range from a local firefighter to a FEMA aid worker.
These people protect us on a daily basis from more common disasters, to the larger scale disasters like hurricanes or floods.
Not all people in these fields need a graduate-level education.
However, for those that would like to direct aid workers, or be a fire chief, for example, a master's degree in the field or related field would qualify them above other candidates.
Earning a criminal justice master's degree is not the only way to get to the top positions, but it is certainly the faster way.
Not only that, it is also becoming increasingly common, which may mean that without one, the competition for the job can get fiercer.
Gaining the real-world experience that an employer desires takes a long time.
Going to school online can be a great companion for both earning your criminal justice master's degree and continuing work in your field.