West Virginia criminal justice programs assist students in preparing for law school, law enforcement academies, or entry-level positions in the criminal justice field, which usually require a bachelor degree in criminal justice in order to qualify for candidacy.
Common criminal justice occupations include probation officers, correctional treatment specialists, sheriff’s patrol officers and police patrol officers. Information reported in the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2008-2009 Edition, released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, notes that 648,000 police and sheriff’s patrol officers were employed in the U.S. in 2006 with an average annual wage of $52,810. This report also shows that 94,000 correctional treatment specialists and probation officers were making an average annual income of $42,500. This handbook includes growth estimates that project an 11% increase in employment opportunities in these four criminal justice professions, culminating in 80,000 additional job openings by 2016. Prospective West Virginia criminal justice professionals should see a similar growth in West Virginia criminal justice jobs.
Get started on your West Virginia criminal justice career path by browsing our comprehensive list of schools offering West Virginia criminal justice programs, listed below.