Build an exciting and fulfilling career in criminology with globally marketable BSc and MSc courses in criminology from world-class universities.
Criminology, in simple terms, is a scientific study of crime. Criminologists study various aspects involving and associated with a crime like its causes, implications, control, reduction, and prevention. From fictional characters like Sherlock Holmes solving crimes to studying real-life criminals like Al Capone, criminology has been a part of civil society in one way or the other for ages. Bachelor’s and master’s courses in criminology aim at stimulating your deductive reasoning skills and understanding crime by reasoning all the five Ws.d
- Pursuing a major in criminology allows an individual to develop creative thinking skills when pinning down patterns in criminal behaviour, statistical skills, and research skills including experience in field research and field methods.
- Grasp the knowledge in various hot topics like human behaviour, criminal history and theories, citizen security, human rights, and the legal system while getting introduced to fundamental and philosophical foundations of criminal justice.
- Bachelor of Science in criminology often involves areas like crime analysis along with the biological, psychological and social impact of crime and criminals while Master of Science in criminology courses generally focus and provide specialisation on a subject which is part of the extensive field.
- Learn the crime-focused amalgamation of sociology and psychology, putting you in the queue for one of the most exciting and well-paid careers in the world, while making the world a better place.
- subjects such as criminal behaviour analysis. fingerprinting, or ballistics analysis while applying their data collection and critical thinking skills.
Top Marketable Careers for Criminology Graduates
Criminology majors attract employers from multiple sections, including those which lie outside the criminal justice area, giving them a plethora of career opportunities. As the crime rate increases across the world, the career paths widen up for a person holding a bachelor\'s and/or a master\'s degree with a criminology major. This includes studying criminology and pursuing careers abroad. Graduates with a criminology degree can work in environments ranging from prisons and courtrooms to non-profit social service organisations. Many criminology major holders get personal satisfaction and feel rewarded by indulging themselves in solving or helping people in real-life, real-time social issues. Here are a few of the many career paths you can choose:
Criminologist
Nowadays, a criminology degree holder can be proclaimed as a Criminologist. Criminologist as an occupation is most popular among fresh graduates as well as veterans in the field Criminologists examine all aspects of crime by collecting and analysing qualitative and quantitative data surrounding a crime. Their day-to-day works are ultimately intended to reduce and prevent crime as well as bring down recidivism (the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend). They put the use of your attention to detail, research, observation, and communication skills to draw conclusions while often collaborating with different agencies and law forces to work on multi-dimensional projects.
Sociology or psychology are A-levels subjects that may help your application while applying to different universities across the globe. Criminologists usually don’t work at crime scenes. They rather gather statistics, identify crime patterns and its aetiology while looking at types of crimes as well as demographics and locations. They are hence called crime scientists. With growing technology, criminologists also use software packages for scrutinising crime, usually with GIS systems to locate an area of study, as well as use for predictive crime analysis. There is no single reason behind why a person would commit a crime, which makes the criminologist role very demanding and competitive.
Forensic Psychologist
Forensic psychologists apply and use psychology to the criminal justice system including performing competency evaluations and threat assessments. Day-to-day work as a forensic psychologist revolves around the assessment and treatment of criminal behaviour. Apart from acting as a counsellor to victims, they also evaluate the competency of the accused to stand and go through the trial and evaluate the credibility of witnesses. Experienced forensic psychologists are also asked to review and assess potential jurors. Some countries also make use of their skills in the screening and evaluation processes of candidates applying to high-level law enforcement and other government jobs.
Potential learning path to grasp all areas of forensic psychology would be starting with a bachelor's degree in psychology and a masters in criminology. Various universities provide doctoral degrees in forensic psychology as well. A good forensic psychologist is resilient and shows their people skills to build trust with the accused or offender party. The competition for the career path is fierce on all levels. To build a repo and to provide to the community, passionate forensic psychologists often work as volunteers with different organisations. They have to work with all kinds of offenders, from juvenile and violent to offenders with personality disorders. This also means that apart from a higher pay for this career path, probably the highest in some countries, their benefits packages are also lucrative.
Criminal Profiler
Criminal Profilers are also known as criminal investigative analysts and are in great demand in this era, where criminal minds have become as complex as they could get. From answering questions like whether this is the first crime committed by the perpetrator to identifying their common behaviours and traits, criminal profilers are a significant part of a criminal investigation. They also try to untangle the emotions and personalities of suspected criminal offenders before, during, and after they have committed a crime, in order to predict their next move and pursue them. Criminal profilers are very helpful when very little or nothing is known about the suspect.
Criminology Professor
Individuals who attain deeper knowledge in criminology and are interested in providing that knowledge to future criminologists become criminology professors. Many professors complete Ph.D. programs with majors in criminology to build a tenure. They conduct classes for criminal justice, criminal psychology, sociology, corrections, and law enforcement administration in the universities they are working at. Their workplace is generally confined to classrooms but they also indirectly help professionals by publishing journals on the research they are conducting.
College professors who are able to provide quality education to their students are always in high demand, especially when the work culture is becoming hybrid and remote with online platforms., which in turn also brings in competition. While Criminology professors' core goal is to cultivate, develop and distribute knowledge, sometimes, they are also called upon as consultants in criminal cases and may testify at trials as experts in some matters.
Detective
A detective is a more generic profile that protrudes into various sections and areas like homicide, police, cybercrime, CID, and narcotics. The ultimate goal is to solve crimes, apprehend criminals, and help maintain peace in the community. Having a criminology major in your hand gives you an undeniable advantage in this career path, as you get to learn how criminal minds may think and predict the suspects' moves during an investigation.
Detectives are also responsible to examine evidence and clues left on clime scenes, interview witnesses during investigations, and prosecuting suspects. Based on which area you specialise in, the work environments and the way of working may differ. Generic employers are state, federal or local agencies. The world needs better detectives to help prevent crime and apprehend criminals and bring justice to the victims, making the pathway demanding and challenging. Private investigators or private detectives are detectives who work solely for an individual, lawyers, and business organisations and may be involved in work like surveillance and research. They typically work at Private detective firms, and private businesses and often collaborate with police departments.
Correctional Officer
Also known as corrections officers, correctional officers are responsible for overseeing and supervising prison inmates who are awaiting trial or serving a sentence. They also work on assisting their rehabilitation while enforcing rules and regulations in prison. It is also the responsibility of the correctional officer to conduct patrols in the prison and screen visitors of the inmates
The day-to-day work is physically and mentally demanding and they are constantly involved with prisoner’s life inside the prison. They are hired on local, state, and federal levels. A BSc or MSc criminology major could use their knowledge of criminal psychology to understand prisoners' state of mind and help them rehabilitate into society quicker.
Probation Officer
Probation officers work with people who are sentenced or have been released on probation. They work personally with them to help them get back into society while making sure they attend appointments and group programmes. Probation officers also consider and assess the chances of recidivism of those who are out on probation. They often join forces with prison services, government, law enforcers, and community agencies to provide collective and stragezised assistance. They are also in touch with the court in case someone breaks parole.
Having a bachelor's or master's in Criminology will make someone a great probation officer as understanding criminal psychology is the crux behind helping an offender re-introduce themselves to civilization. Employers seek individuals who can be calm in stressful situations and keep an open mind. Many probation officers have a master's degree in criminal justice. Joining national-level agencies and federal prison require experience in the field.
Miscellaneous
A degree in criminology is your ticket to the criminal justice and law enforcement system. There are numerous career paths with exciting and lucrative job profiles. Crime scene investigators are responsible for collecting all kinds of data which can become evidence from a crime scene. Majors in criminology may also choose to become jury consultants who select potential jurors for court cases. In the law department, loss prevention officer is another career path for people interested in resolving and preventing theft. Many world-renowned lawyers are criminology majors. You can also use a master's in criminology to improve as a forensic scientist. And the list goes on. While almost all careers related to criminal studies secure and provide reasonably competitive salaries and benefits, the key to joining any of the professions is self-satisfaction in making the world a better place to live in and being excited to work with the law while acknowledging the risk involved.
