Criminal Justice

Career Opportunites

The criminal justice field offers an amazing number of rewarding career paths. You can follow your dream to become a peace officer, attorney, criminal psychologist, U.S. marshal, human rights advocate, corrections professional, and the list goes on.

Studying criminal justice broadens your professional horizons. You’ll learn about the history of our legal system, how government works, federal, state, and local peace officer, police officer, or policing agencies, the psychology of criminal behavior, the workings of society, victim advocacy, and so much more.

Employment Information

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Corrections

A career in corrections offers you the chance to serve your community, keep citizens safe, and change lives for the better.

Top reasons to choose the corrections field:

  • Make a difference
  • Grow professionally and personally
  • Experience a dynamic work environment
  • Gain financial stability

The corrections field has three core disciplines:

  • Community corrections
  • Jails and detention
  • Prisons and institutions

Each discipline performs a specific function in the criminal justice system, each has a workforce with specialized knowledge, skills, and abilities, and each can involve working with juvenile and adult offenders.

Starting your career path as a corrections officer at Inver Hills will teach you how to enforce rules within a correctional facility as you work alongside certified corrections and law enforcement professionals and examine the critical roles of corrections, rehabilitation, and probation in the criminal justice system.

Corrections Job Titles

  • Corrections officer
  • Correctional treatment specialist
  • Juvenile probation counselor
  • Prison warden
  • Probation officer
  • Substance abuse counselor

Peace Officer, Police Officer, or Policing

Peace officer, police officer, or policing professionals pursue careers in three general areas:

  • Uniformed officers
    • First line of defense against criminals
  • Investigators
    • Investigate and solve crimes
  • Support personnel
    • Work behind the scenes analyzing evidence, including crime scenes and ballistics

Peace Officer, Police Officer, or Policing Core Competencies

  • Sound judgment
  • Problem solving
  • Empathy and compassion
  • Multitasking
  • Courage
  • Responsibility
  • Resourcefulness
  • Initiative
  • Assertiveness
  • Integrity
  • Teamwork
  • Collaboration

Peace Officer, Police Officer, or Policing Job Titles

  • ATF investigator
  • Border patrol agent
  • CIA operations officer
  • Computer forensic technician
  • Crime lab analyst
  • Crime scene investigator
  • Customs agent
  • DEA agent
  • Deputy sheriff
  • Diplomatic security agent
  • FBI agent
  • Federal air marshal
  • Fraud investigator
  • DHS agent
  • Immigration agent
  • INS agent
  • IRS special agent
  • K9 officer
  • NSA officer
  • Private security specialist
  • Police detective
  • Police officer
  • Private investigator
  • Secret Service agent
  • Sheriff
  • State trooper
  • Surveillance officer
  • U.S. Coast Guard maritime enforcement specialist
  • U.S. marshal

Peace Officer, Police Officer, or Policing-Related Occupations in Detail