A criminal justice degree opens up so many job opportunities, some of those would have you working in a courthouse.

Judge
What is a judge? A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings. He can be the sole decision maker at a trial or he can work with a panel of judges or with a jury. A judge is selected from lawyers or law practitioners in the county or state they will be presiding over. A judge has the power to uphold the rights of all those involved in a legal process. They give out guilty or not guilty decisions in non- jury criminal cases and sentencing in all cases.

There is no degree program that makes you a judge. You must have an educational foundation that includes a bachelor’s degree in political science, economics or business.

Then you also need a law degree. Judges are elected or appointed to the court after extensive practice and experience. The process of becoming a judge is a lengthy process with a lot of educational preparation.

Defense Attorneys
A defense attorney is an attorney or lawyer that represents an accused person in a trail or case.is, a defense attorney. They can work for the government, individuals, or companies. They deal face to face with judges and juries, and must have excellent communication skills. They must have the ability to convince a jury into his line of argument.

A bachelor’s degree and 3 years of law school is required to be a defense attorney.  Continuing education classes in political science, business, economics and English to further your career is necessary.  Getting required experience at law firms that specialize in criminal law will also help prepare you for this career.

Crime Scene Investigator
These are the authorities that gather physical evidence at crime scenes.  Their findings determine where the crime occurred, how it happened and who it happened to, so the police can solve the crime. It is not as easy or glamorous as on the TV shows. It takes a lot of educating and hard work to become a crime scene investigator.

It is not required but preferred that investigators hold a bachelor degree. Crime scene forensics, forensics science, criminal psychology and sociology, law enforcement, and criminal investigations are a few of the courses that prepare you for this career.

Not everyone is cut out for this career. You must have patience, be methodical, pay attention to detail, properly handle evidence, and be logical and deductive in reasoning. They need to have a very strong stomach for handling the cadavers. This is a serious job that relies on the personnel to help catch the bad guy and maybe even prove the accused is innocent.

Officers of the Law
There are lots of different branches of law enforcement; police officer, correction officer, security, parole, border patrol, U.S. Marshalls, FBI, CIA , DEA, and Secret Service. This is just a few of the many opportunities to work in the security field. Each job has a different educational requirement.

Police officers are not required to have a degree at this time but most employers are requesting that they obtain college training or a degree. Once hired by an agency they go through a training course. There are physical tests and eye examines, hearing tests, mental evaluations and extensive background checks.

Security officers or guards outnumber the police officers. There are more in this field because the population needs to feel safe. There are several different types of this job; bodyguards, watchmen, safety patrols, store guards, and private police, are just a few.  Though the educational requirements are usually a high school diploma, most require specialized training.

Criminal justice careers offer numerous options at several levels. This can be a very rewarding career and most pay well due to the nature of the job.

Jerry Gerber is a college student and in his spare time he writes for top-criminal-justice-schools.net. If you have an interest in pursuing a degree in criminal justice he recommends checking out their list of the Top 10 Best Online Criminal Justice Schools at Top-Criminal-Justice-Schools.net. This article was written by a guest author. Would you like to, submit a guest blog post?