A master’s degree can strengthen career opportunities and earning potential. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, workers with a master’s degree had higher median weekly earnings and a lower unemployment rate than workers with a bachelor’s degree in 2024. BLS also projects continued openings in occupations that typically require graduate-level education from 2024 to 2034.
A great variety of advanced-level criminal justice career opportunities exist at the local, county, state and federal levels, as well as in the private sector. The federal government especially values candidates with advanced degrees, and a master’s degree is typically required to teach at the post-secondary and college level.
For those with an MLS in Criminal Law, potential career opportunities (some of which may be dependent on undergraduate major and professional work experience) might include, among others:
- Management and supervisory positions, such as:
- Correctional Officer Supervisor
- Police & Detective Supervisor
- Supervisory Criminal Investigator
- Emergency Management Director
- Warden
- Sheriff
- Positions with the federal government, such as:
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF Agent
- Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA Agent)
- Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI Agent)
- Bureau of Prisons
- Case Manager
- Correctional Officer
- Office of Justice
- Border Patrol Agent
- Secret Service Agent
- Central Intelligence Agency (CIA Officer or Analyst)
- Emergency Management Director
- Homeland Security (Federal Protective Services)
- U.S. Postal Inspection Service (Postal Inspector)
- U.S. Air Marshal
- U.S. Department of the Treasury (Investigator)
- U.S. Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS Agent)
- U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE Agent)
- U.S. Department of Justice
- Court Positions, such as:
- Administrative Law Judge
- Hearing officer
- Claims Adjudicator
- Magistrate
- Other positions, such as:
- Compliance Officer
- Computer Forensics Investigator
- Forensic Accountant
- Probation Officer
- Senior Investigator
- Private Investigator
- Industrial Security Consultant
- Information Security Analyst
- Juvenile Probation Officer
- Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement Teacher
- Victims Advocate
- Youth Correctional Counselor
Career outcomes vary widely by role, employer, location and experience. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that selected related occupations had median annual wages ranging from $57,970 for correctional officers and jailers to $124,910 for information security analysts in May 2024. In several related fields, including law enforcement, compliance, forensic science and information security, workers at the higher end of the salary range earned more than $100,000.