What Does a Criminology Major Entail?
Criminology is a very broad sociology subfield, covering the biological, psychological, and sociocultural causes of crime. As a result, students can expect to use their writing, math, and science skills across their coursework, especially in their introductory courses.
As a college major, the curriculum for a criminology degree includes foundational crime research and analysis, as well as more specialized courses like policing conduct, legal systems, and social welfare. Criminology curriculum covers a range of applicable fields and topics, such as:
- Forensic science
- Socioeconomics
- Criminal investigations
- Victimology
- Public policy
- Policing
- Statistical analysis
- Social justice
- Criminal justice system
- Juvenile delinquency
- Criminal psychology
Additionally, some schools provide criminology majors opportunities to apply their academics to the real world through a capstone project. In such programs, criminology students can choose an internship or senior thesis to discover how their knowledge fits into the criminology field (and a future career).
Is a Criminology Degree Useful?
Every college degree has some “degree” of usefulness. After all, education is always a valuable pursuit. But is criminology a good major for those eager to join the job market?
Luckily, the answer is a solid yes.
Criminology majors have better prospects than most graduates entering the workforce. Compared to other fields, criminology is a ripe academic area for many stable careers.
Jobs for Criminology Majors
What can you do with a criminology degree? With its wide umbrella of topics, criminology opens the door to many career paths in legal, investigative, government, and research fields. Depending on your specializations and passions, a bachelor’s degree in criminology can be the start to any of these jobs:
- Criminology researcher
- City administrator
- Public policy analyst
- Social worker
- Forensic psychologist
- Private investigator
- Field inspector
- Investigative reporter
- Criminal investigator
- Criminal defense attorney
- Paralegal
- Lawyer
- Jury consultant
- Police officer
However, it’s important to note that a few of these jobs (such as lawyer or criminology researcher) require a master’s degree or even a doctorate. While you’ll need to pursue higher education for these jobs, majoring in criminology is still an excellent start.
Employment Statistics for Criminology Majors
A degree in criminology doesn’t just give you a wide variety of jobs—it also unlocks some lucrative and stable career paths.
According to DataUSA, in 2020, the average salary for Social Sciences majors (which includes criminology) was $99,217. The most popular jobs in this category included lawyers, judges, and other judicial workers, all of which relate to criminology studies. Additionally, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) supplies the average salaries for jobs in criminology fields, such as:
- Paralegals and legal assistants – $56,230 per year
- Forensic science technicians – $61,930 per year
- Police and detectives – $66,020 per year
- Psychologists – $81,040 per year
- Sociologists – $92,910 per year
- Political scientists – $122,510 per year
In comparison, the average full-time worker with a bachelor’s degree earns $54,700 per year, according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES). And the even better news is that the BLS projects overall employment in social science occupations will grow 7% from 2021 to 2031. So it’s safe to say that criminology is a relatively useful (if not smart) choice of a major for those seeking a long-term career.
Investigate Your Criminology Passion
So, is a criminology degree the right path for you? While research-heavy and emotionally heavy, criminology is a fascinating major with fulfilling job opportunities. With the right curriculum and a little passion, this major could be the start of an exciting career path—and institutions like North Central College can help guide the way.
From specialized courses to extracurricular groups like the North Central Criminal Justice Association, North Central College is here to help students learn at their best. North Central's dedicated faculty and staff members provide the individual support students need to succeed in their education.
Take your higher education to the next level and discover more about North Central’s criminology program.
Jacob Imm is the associate director of communication in the North Central College Office of Marketing and Communications. He has 13 years of collegiate communications experience and has worked with hundreds of college students. He has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master’s degree from Northern Illinois University.
Sources:
Bernard, Thomas J and Mannheim, Hermann. (2007, November 14). Criminology. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/science/criminology
Data USA. (n.d.) Criminology. Data USA. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://datausa.io/profile/cip/criminology
Hussar, B., NCES; Zhang, J., Hein, S., Wang, K., Roberts, A., Cui, J., Smith, M., AIR; Bullock Mann, F., Barmer, A., and Dilig, R., RTI. (2020, May 19). The Condition of Education 2020. NCES. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2021/2021144.pdf
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 8). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Home. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022, September 14). Occupational Outlook Handbook: Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/home.htm
