Usually, when people think of individuals who have a degree in criminal justice, the kinds of jobs that immediately come to mind include police officers and detectives. But, the reality is that if you are a criminal justice major at Gwynedd Mercy, or any other college, and earn your degree in this particular field of study, it can prepare you for numerous other career paths too.

Are you curious to know what some of the other popular careers in criminal justice are? If so, we have enclosed a list of five of them for you below:

CSI Careers. There are probably not a ton of people who knew exactly what Crime Scene Investigator did until there were television programs that came on that specifically addressed it. But if you’ve watched a few and you’re intrigued, this particular field has all kinds of opportunities for those who are interested in forensics. There are positions including forensic examiners, fingerprint examiners, forensic artists, nurses, psychologists, pathologists and even hypnotists.

Court Careers. If you’re someone who has always found the inner workings of a courtroom to be fascinating, then you could strive to become a judge; however, don’t forget that there are lots of other professionals who work in court including attorneys, paralegals, bailiffs, pre-trial officers and in the case of juvenile court, juvenile court registers.

Federal Law Enforcement Careers. There are a lot of people who have jobs in federal law enforcement who have a criminal justice degree. People who work in this field range from FBI and CIA agents to immigration officers and directors of airport security. There are also some lesser-known but just as important positions that fall under this particular category including border patrol agents, diplomatic special security agent and even U.S. postal service inspectors.

Correctional Careers. Another very popular career path that people with a degree in criminal justice tend to take is the “correctional” field. These are the people who oftentimes work with criminals once they have served their time in juvenile, jail or prison. The jobs that fit into this are correctional officers, correctional counselors, parole officers and probation officers as well as federal and juvenile probation officers.

Law Enforcement Careers. Of course, there is no way that we could speak about some of the most popular careers in criminal justice without mentioning the careers that you can get in law enforcement. Yes, you can strive to become a police officer or detective, but don’t forget about all of the other opportunities that are available in this category. Other professions that are considered to be “law enforcement careers” include county and deputy sheriffs, state troopers, canine officers and game wardens. Two other jobs that you might be surprised to know fit into this section include animal cruelty investigators and park rangers.

As you can see, people who are interested in studying criminal justice have a wide variety of careers to choose from. So, if you are going to a school like University of Colorado and you are thinking about declaring a criminal justice major, or you’re already well on your way with a UC MCJ online education, make it a point to consider all of the opportunities that this kind of degree can give you. It just might open you up to a world that you never knew (fully) existed before.