Criminal justice coursework is generally required prior to acceptance into a law enforcement academy and a bachelor degree in criminal justice is almost always necessary for entry-level Massachusetts criminal justice jobs. Obtaining a bachelor degree in criminal justice is also common among future law students who want to establish a solid criminal justice background for their career in law.
Police patrol officer, sheriff’s patrol officer, probation officer and correctional treatment specialist are good examples of common career choices in the field of criminal justice. As reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics in the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 Edition, there were 94,000 probation officers and correctional treatment specialists in the U.S. in 2006, making an average annual income of $42,500. At the same time, there were 648,000 police and sheriff’s patrol officers in the U.S., making an average wage of $52,810 per year. Job opportunities in these sample criminal justice careers are expected to grow by 11% by 2016, which will result in approximately 80,000 additional criminal justice jobs available throughout the nation. People working in Massachusetts criminal justice careers can anticipate a similar rate of growth in the criminal justice field in Massachusetts.
If you would like to learn more about the criminal justice careers available to you, or would like to begin working on your Massachusetts criminal justice career, look through the comprehensive list of schools below to find the Massachusetts criminal justice program that is right for you.