Criminal Justice (Crime Analysis Career) Worth It? (bachelor's, skills, degrees)

[VM1138]

I've cast about for years trying to figure out what to do with my life after my first chosen professions (anything in museums, historic preservation or colleges) didn't pan out. I've considered a wide range of other professions but they've all required Master's Degrees and offered very little job stability and high unemployment.

I have a BS in Political Science and History and a Master's in History.

I think I'd like to become a crime analyst. I've never taken any stats or probability courses, so I need some more training to become a viable candidate for these types of positions. I know criminal justice as a whole is a popular field in college and people may have unrealistic expectations.

My goal isn't to work for the FBI or be at the top of the food chain. I'd like a job for a local department, I'm willing to move.

Is going for a bachelor's in Criminal Justice a good way into that field? I figure once I gain the training in quantitative analysis and probability and whatnot, it would combine well with my critical thinking skills and general societal awareness from my History and Political Science degrees.

Am I far off the mark here? Is there hope of finding work after doing this?

[joe from dayton]

A BA/BS in CJ is not going to do you any good. If anything, gets your master's in CJ and take a strong stats and research methodology curriculum. A strong computer background will also help with map and graph making. You need to be willing to move to a major metro area because the majority of police departments use their police officers to do analysis; you need major metro to find civilian analyst positions. The positions are scarce and it is not uncommon to find experienced police officers and federal agents in the applicant pool. Anyone looking to get into this line of work has a hard row to hoe.

[VM1138]

Any reason why a bachelor's wouldn't do me any good? I just looked at about 10 job postings from across the country, and none of them required a Master's. One didn't even require a bachelor's, just a core bloc of criminal justice courses.

The good news is, some of them do say history majors would be looked at, but I personally just don't have any experience in quantitative research, so that would disqualify me.

EDIT: Another option I might consider is a certificate. APU has an online one that includes coursework in these areas:

INTL300Research Methods in Intelligence Studies3 hours
INTL401Critical Analysis3 hours
INTL402Intelligence Analysis3 hours
INTL434Threat Analysis3 hours
INTL419Applied Geospatial Intelligence3 hours
INTL431Criminal Intelligence Analysis3 hours
INTL432Geographic Information Systems I3 hours
INTL433Geographic Information Systems II3 hours
INTL446Intelligence and Narcotics3 hours
INTL454Forecasting Terrorism3 hours

Yeah, it's online, but coupled with my history degree maybe that could be useful, too?

[aplcr0331]

Originally Posted by VM1138

Any reason why a bachelor's wouldn't do me any good? I just looked at about 10 job postings from across the country, and none of them required a Master's. One didn't even require a bachelor's, just a core bloc of criminal justice courses.

The good news is, some of them do say history majors would be looked at, but I personally just don't have any experience in quantitative research, so that would disqualify me.

EDIT: Another option I might consider is a certificate. APU has an online one that includes coursework in these areas:

INTL300Research Methods in Intelligence Studies3 hours
INTL401Critical Analysis3 hours
INTL402Intelligence Analysis3 hours
INTL434Threat Analysis3 hours
INTL419Applied Geospatial Intelligence3 hours
INTL431Criminal Intelligence Analysis3 hours
INTL432Geographic Information Systems I3 hours
INTL433Geographic Information Systems II3 hours
INTL446Intelligence and Narcotics3 hours
INTL454Forecasting Terrorism3 hours

Yeah, it's online, but coupled with my history degree maybe that could be useful, too?

What were the work-related experience requirements for those positions? That's probably more important than your education.

Here's a good place to start: IACA Home

You can find some decent information there. I agree with the above poster, these types of jobs are difficult to actively prepare for, rare, and mostly filled from internal (experienced) sources.

[maus]

Why go for another college degree when you already have 2? Do you have lots of finances and time to pay for it? The positions you are interested in are in government, local, state or federal. I would aim for federal government if I were you, there is more than just the FBI. I don't know much about FBI agents themselves other than they often have to move around every few years similar to being in the military. Generally speaking a criminal justice degree in of itself is not all that marketable. I think you need to get your foot somewhere in the door with local law enforcement if you wish to stay close to where you live now.

[VM1138]

I have to go for another degree. I can't find work with the ones I have. I have no other real world experience other than retail. I'm pretty much doomed unless I get myself on another career track, but everyone I've looked at requires expensive schooling, experience and the job prospects aren't good. I appreciate the honest, folks.

[L210]

Originally Posted by VM1138

I have to go for another degree. I can't find work with the ones I have. I have no other real world experience other than retail. I'm pretty much doomed unless I get myself on another career track, but everyone I've looked at requires expensive schooling, experience and the job prospects aren't good. I appreciate the honest, folks.

Completing a criminal justice degree just to enter a very small field, especially considering that you're already having trouble finding employment, will be a huge mistake. If you can handle it, you might want to look into getting a degree in statistics. You might even find a graduate program that will accept a set of prerequisites instead of requiring a whole undergraduate degree in mathematics or statistics. With your undergraduate degrees, you do have many options for graduate programs: criminal justice (even though I wouldn't recommend this if you're not working toward a leadership position in the field), public policy, public affairs, law school (hard to find work when you didn't attend a top 14 or 15 school), public administration, international relations, national security studies, political science, and history. With a few prerequisite courses, you can get into an MBA program; but, MBAs are really for people with experience.

[Knightly Knight]

Recruit 1138.

Recruit, you already have enough education, more so then most but not more then the VERY best. And you are IN FACT a Blue Chip.
You Sir, are what we call a Blue Chip Recruit, and I can prove it. I've worked with some smart people like yourself who were a lot smarter then me and others,(The old Guard) the one thing all good investigators and cracker jack analyst have in common is this, Military experience.

Fasten your seat belt, Johnnie is going to give it to you hard, fast and clean. Think about this..

The one branch that gives you the most is the Army National Guard, it's both State and Federal. Here we go..

@ BCT Training. (nine weeks)
@ Airborne School (Five weeks) you'll regret it the rest of your life if you don't earn your wings, five jumps and out.
@ AIT ( Technical school ) 20 weeks or more because your going LE.
@ MOS (Military Occupational Specialty) C I spook -Criminal Investigations Unit.
@ Six year contract, they are only taking the best because of the economy. Only Blue Chippers.
@ (SLRP) Student loan repayment program, New Jersey pays $50,000.00 dollars towards your debt. Other states may pay more or less depending on your state.
@ (GI BILL) Pays $575.00 for books, and another $500.00 for necessities to further your education.
@ Two weekends a month, and you'll probably live there at your unit because you'll be around cracker jack State Police operators and the gym.
@ Monies off from car dealerships, banks, oh, and lets not forget that after 180 days, your classified a VET.
@ (free beer forever) VFW.
@ Depending on your state's unit, ours has (Black Hawks) Airborne Assault, you'll already be a first responder.
@ You might never get deployed, it's been slowing up after the withdraws.

Now lets begin again, shall we? with your education, I would love to Mentor you to the day you swear in not only has a Soldier and C I Spook, but also as an criminal analyst on the local, state, and federal levels. The real deal young man. That's how you get hired on any level. Countless others have been hired with less education, the only diff between them and you is the uniform. No matter what they say (Bla Bla Bla) about further education or anything else, without military Service, your chances are slim to none.

Your going to make it either way, think about all your options, Keep us posted on your progress please. Good Luck Trooper.


Knight..

[joe from dayton]

With your educational background you can easily get a MA/MS in CJ for the same class load that it is going to take you to get a BA/BS in CJ, so go for the grad degree if you decide to head down that road. You are also looking at posted "minimum" qualifications. I doubt if many of the crime analysts who are hired meet "minimum" standards.

[Knightly Knight]

Without Military Service, they look at key words on the application, your just another application unless your the top of your class at MIT, without Military Service- you simply don't fit.It's just the nature of Public Service.