Criminal Justice

Studying Criminal Justice Opens Fascinating Career Paths

If you’re passionate about law, you have a lot of options when it comes to pursuing an advanced education. There are so many interesting paths you can take within the criminal justice world, all with varying qualifications and educational requirements. The legal industry as a whole is expected to enjoy above average growth far into the future. With that in mind, an investment in a legal education is a safe bet to pay off handsomely.

You don’t have to become a lawyer to have a real impact in the criminal justice arena. Before cases go to trial, there are efforts to mediate and find common ground between parties. This is where a variety of legal roles come into play, including title examiners, abstractors, and searchers. These roles, which involve sorting through all kinds of contracts and other legal documents, can often be attained with only a high school diploma and a bit of vocational training.

Paralegals and legal secretaries are also vital parts of our legal system. These professionals specialize in research and administrative needs. A two-year degree is usually enough to secure these kinds of roles, although having a four-year degree might make advancement a bit easier. Earning a bachelor’s degree can also lead to specialization for paralegals. Mediators and arbitrators typically have four-year degrees, although graduate degrees are increasingly common.

If you do decide that becoming a lawyer is your ultimate goal, you need to know what to expect in the journey ahead of you. There’s no singular undergraduate path recommended for those who want to attend law school, but English, political science, philosophy, economics, and journalism are all good places to start. These are courses of study that emphasize critical thinking, research, problem solving, and writing skills, all of which are essential for practicing law.

American Bar Association-approved institutions evaluate a student’s grades, scores on the Law School Admissions Test (LSAT), and personal background before granting admission. You’ll also need letters of recommendation to help your case. Once you’re in, you’ll begin working toward your Juris Doctor degree. It typically takes three years of full-time study to complete a Juris Doctor program, which covers all sorts of foundational issues and modern challenges in our legal system. From there, you’ll need to pass the bar examination to practice law in your state.

One of the most exciting things about becoming a lawyer is the fact that you can focus in a variety of important areas. You might choose to specialize in business law, environmental law, entertainment law, or criminal defense. That’s really just scratching the surface of the many ways you can make a positive impact as a lawyer.

If you’ve got your sights set on making a difference in our legal system, you have an amazing variety of educational options. The sky is truly the limit if you apply yourself.