If you want to further your academic studies and become qualified for a career in law enforcement, you may have come across two similar-sounding but distinct fields: criminology and criminal justice.
To begin a career in law enforcement or the criminal justice system, you often must hold a degree in at least one of these fields. It can be confusing to distinguish between criminology and criminal justice, so here we’ll outline the differences between each degree and the varying career paths associated with them.
What is Criminology?
Criminology is a social science closely related to psychology and sociology focused on the study of human behavior in relation to crimes and criminal behavior. The study of criminology also teaches you to understand the how, why, when, and where of crime. Criminologists use their specialized knowledge to develop policies and procedures that will help tackle and prevent crime.
Numerous sub-fields and career paths within the field of criminology exist, including criminal profiling and forensic psychology.
Career paths in criminology include:
- Police officer or criminal investigator
- DEA agent
- FBI agent
- ATF agent
- Homeland Security agent
- CIA agent
- Victim advocate
- Researcher
- Probation or parole officer
- Corrections officer or classification officer
- Pre-trial or diversion officer
- Re-entry case manager
What is Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice refers to the study and application of criminology. In other words, while criminologists are responsible for studying the thought processes of criminals and offering solutions to address issues in crime, criminal justice enforces these solutions and is directly involved in the crimes themselves.
Criminal justice students study the inner workings of the justice and law enforcement systems—from its inception to its structures and role in society today. As a student of criminal justice, you prepare yourself to play a role in any of the numerous infrastructures and agencies involved in tackling crime and enforcing the law.
The criminal justice system is comprised of different departments and agencies that apply the solutions of criminology practices.
Career paths in criminal justice include:
- Police officer
- Correctional officers
- Wardens
- Detectives
Criminal Justice vs. Criminology
Criminology and criminal justice may seem alike because the career paths in both fields sometimes overlap. For example, a detective can work both in the criminal justice system and as a criminologist.
However, the difference between criminology and criminal justice plays out in a few ways:
- While criminal justice studies the law enforcement system and operations, criminology focuses on the sociological and psychological behaviors of criminals to determine why they commit crimes.
- Graduates of criminal justice programs will often pursue careers in law enforcement, while criminologists may get jobs as investigators and analysts within the criminal justice system.
Degrees in Criminology vs. Criminal Justice
Confusion often occurs as students are considering which degree to pursue. Getting a criminology degree can lead to a wider range of careers in the private sector, law enforcement, and criminal justice. As a criminology graduate, you can play a huge role in helping the government and law enforcement agencies study criminals, analyze crimes, and work to predict and prevent crime in your community and beyond.
The Chicago School offers a four-year B.A. in Criminology program that also covers criminal justice in its curriculum, preparing students to take on careers in law enforcement. To learn more about this program in criminology, visit our program page here.
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