Criminal Justice Isn’t Only for Cops

The criminal justice major can encompass all sorts of walks of life. Whether you want to be a social worker, a police officer, or you’re simply interested in the nitty-gritty of bullet striations and Y-incisions, this major can help you gear up for wherever your path takes you: attorney, social worker, guardian ad litem, and many more. Criminal justice isn’t a one-stop-cop-shop; it’s a promise of independence.

You can study areas like forensic psychology that teach you the importance of knowing alleged criminals outside of their charges. Want to be a social worker? Now you’ll know why people behave outside of the norm, rather than the assumption that crime equals inherent villainy. You’ll learn how trauma reshapes the brain, how crime is a side-effect rather than identity, and much more.

Criminal justice is an umbrella major for the careers tucked underneath. The course itself teaches the basics of law and criminal behavior. While highly needed and educating, outside of the five major requirements, this major can be designed by you to further your needs for the future. Future attorneys or sociologists may prefer Criminology to grasp a better understanding of a person’s criminal psychology; parole officers would find Drugs and Criminal Justice valuable in understanding the effects of drugs on a person’s mind and body and private investigators or detectives may enjoy Criminal Investigation.

Need a break from all the legalese? Luckily, your electives come with two choices outside of criminal-justice-adjacent classes. If you need a break from Suspect A and Suspect B, those two electives can help give you a mental vacation or even dip your toes in other waters. These electives can be custom picked by you, from ceramics to poetry, or you can choose classes to better support your future career like psychopathology.

If in the end you find your calling elsewhere, you can walk away from the major knowing you’re now better armed with the right tools to protect yourself and others. The world isn’t built for rigidity. It’s built for you; whatever “you” means, and whatever “you” can share with those who have gone down the wrong paths and need a human touch more than ever. So, wherever you want to go, let criminal justice be the one to take you there – whether to learn how to better defend yourself with law, or to add your own unique flavor to the great melting pot of crime and law enforcement alike.