The Advantages To Earning A Juvenile Justice Degree
Students interested in a juvenile justice career gain the information necessary to work as professionals focused upon children and teens within the changing criminal justice system. Obtaining an online degree juvenile justice gives students the skills necessary to work toward reducing juvenile crime, rehabilitate juvenile offenders, and work with incarcerated juveniles.
As students manage work and family responsibilities, many colleges and universities created online degree programs based upon innovative changes within the field. Most online degree programs provide the same educational experience as their traditional, brick and mortar counterparts. Most online courses consist of groups of 25 students with 24 hour access to course materials, instruction, and information. Online courses also provide one on one chats with classmates and other instructors and virtually similar experiences as on campus courses. Additionally, online degree programs offer students the added benefit of flexible course scheduling. Online courses are often one of the best paths to obtaining a degree while advancing personal, educational, and professional goals.
What Students Learn Within An Online Juvenile Justice Degree Program
Students enrolled within an online juvenile justice degree program gain a broad understanding of the criminal justice system paired with specialized training in juvenile justice. Students gain the skills and knowledge necessary to reduce and rehabilitate juvenile offenders. Associate degrees in the field of juvenile justice do not exist so many students major in the criminal justice discipline to advance to bachelor degree programs. Courses at an associate level in criminal justice include: introduction to criminal justice, ethics in criminal justice, corrections, juvenile justice administration, police operations, current issues in criminal justice, crisis and conflict intervention, criminal law, criminal procedure, criminal investigations, criminology, introduction to psychology, introduction to logic and critical thinking, and cultural diversity prepare students for more specialized training within the field of juvenile justice.
Bachelor degree courses generally include: introduction to the criminal justice system; youth and addiction; corrections casework; abnormal psychology; juvenile delinquency; judicial process; criminology; criminal investigations; computers, technology and criminal justice information systems; criminal procedure; criminal law for criminal justice; crime prevention; exploration of computer crime; introduction to forensic psychology; white collar crime; deviance and violence; investigating terrorism; applied criminal justice ethics; comparative criminal justice systems; supervisory practices in criminal justice; organized crime; managing criminal justice organizations; and research methods in criminal justice.
Graduates from a bachelor degree program may advance to master’s degree programs with courses like: juvenile deviance; behavior modification; crisis intervention; human development; legal issues in corrections; social aspects of alcohol and drug abuse; multicultural juvenile development; sociology of crime; sex crimes; white collar crime; cybercriminology; terrorism and politics; sociology of delinquency; deviant behavior; advanced criminology; treatment of the offender; victimology; crime and the media; organized and transnational crime; psychology of criminal behavior; epidemiology of deviant behavior; law, evidence, and ethics; capital punishment; U.S. constitutional law; the constitution and criminal justice; criminal law; public administration; investigative techniques; youth crime and delinquency control; probation and parole: theory and practice; punishment and responsibility; crime mapping; drugs, crime, and the criminal justice system; and psychology and treatment of the juvenile.
Graduates from a masters degree program in the field of juvenile justice may advance to employment or doctoral degree programs. Doctoral degree courses in the field of juvenile justice include: advanced research methods; advanced statistical methods and computing; juvenile justice statistics lab; juvenile justice issues and practice; seminar on juvenile corrections; philosophy of punishment; demographics and juvenile justice; seminar on juvenile processing by police and courts; legal aspects of juvenile justice; policy analysis and program evaluation; the juvenile offender and youth gangs; theories of crime and delinquency; advanced seminar in crime and delinquency; prevention and treatment of crime and delinquency; and policy analysis and program evaluation. Graduates from a doctoral degree program in juvenile justice generally qualify as experts within the field.
Prospective Jobs For Graduates With A Juvenile Justice Degree
As the criminal justice system expands and advances, the demand for qualified professionals is anticipated to rise significantly. Graduates who obtain juvenile justice degrees generally gain employment working with juvenile offenders in local, state, federal, or public agencies. Most graduates work toward treating and rehabilitating juvenile offenders in a one on one environment focused upon improving lives. The juvenile justice system is based upon rehabilitation rather than punishment and most associate degree and bachelor degree graduates work within community based agencies. Graduates often work as juvenile mental health counselors, juvenile corrections caseworkers, juvenile probation officers, child protective service workers, juvenile court referees, juvenile activities directors, or a school based resource officer. Graduates with advanced degrees may work as juvenile life skills teachers, juvenile security or supervision group specialist, supervisors within state and county juvenile probation departments; or as supervisors within juvenile and community correctional facilities or agencies. Graduates with doctoral degrees often work as lead researchers, instructors, and experts within colleges or universities, research facilities, and other agencies.
Salary Range For Graduates With Juvenile Justice Degrees
The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that job growth in the field of criminal justice to increase by 10 percent through the year 2018. Graduates with juvenile justice degrees are expected to find plenty of employment opportunities. Salaries for juvenile justice degree graduates are based upon factors like level of education, organization of employment, geographic location, the economy, and related work experience. Graduates may expect median annual salaries to range from $35,390 to $60, 430. Graduates with advanced degrees may have earnings as high as $78,210 annually. Graduates who work within State or Federal agencies as juvenile probation officers and correctional treatment specialists generally earn $46,580 annually. Graduates who work in urban areas also generally have higher earnings than those who work in rural areas.
Career Outlook and Advancement Opportunities For Graduates With Juvenile Justice Degrees
Graduates with juvenile justice degrees gain the skills necessary to establish rewarding and often lucrative careers in the field of criminal justice. As the trend for rehabilitation and alternative treatments for juvenile offenders increases, graduates with juvenile justice degrees are predicted to have excellent job opportunities in comparison to other occupations. Economic downturns and budgetary constraints may adversely effect the number of jobs available to graduates with juvenile justice degrees but overall job prospects and stability are predicted to remain relatively high for those in the field of juvenile probation and corrections. Due to the relatively low earnings, high workloads, and high work related stress in the field of juvenile justice in comparison to other occupations, job opportunities may increase as workers retire or need to be replaced. Graduates who advance their degree, specialize training, continue education, and gain work related experience through on the job training and internships are generally preferred for employment and promotions. Many associate and bachelor degree graduates obtain entry level positions and work their way up to jobs with higher salaries and increased responsibilities. Graduates with masters or doctoral degrees often obtain supervisory, executive, researcher, or instructional positions and work as experts within the field of juvenile justice.
