What jobs can you get with a criminal justice certificate

Lawyer
To practice criminal law, you’ll have to continue your education in law school. But with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, you’ll already be ahead of the pack. Not only will you show law schools that you’re dedicated to the field, but you’ll have a better grasp of issues that your law school classmates will be encountering for the first time. And when it comes time to argue a case in court, either as a prosecutor or a defense attorney, you’ll feel confident knowing that your command of criminal law is second to none. 

Homeland Security
Maybe you’d like to be a criminal investigator with the TSA; maybe you’re thinking of working in Customs and Border Protection, or in Citizenship and Immigration Services. Every one of them falls under the wide jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security. The sense of security we all take for granted exists because people at the DHS work 24/7 to keep our country safe. If you feel drawn to that mission, a master’s degree in Criminal Justice is a great way to prepare yourself for it.

Detective
When the police conduct a criminal investigation, detectives take the lead. It can take years for a police officer to earn the gold badge of a detective; but with a master’s degree in Criminal Justice, you’ll be ready to move quickly through the ranks. By interviewing witnesses and persons of interest, and surveilling suspects in open cases, police detectives secure the evidence they need to make an arrest. And as they work a case, they’re not just solving crimes. They’re arming prosecutors with the evidence they need to find justice in the courtroom. 

Forensic Accountant
Fraud is a crime; and no business, no matter how secure, is fully immune from falling victim to it. When a business notices suspicious financial activity, they turn to forensic accountants to uncover the truth. Forensic accountants examine data to locate and recover missing funds — and then bring those responsible to justice. 
During legal proceedings, they will often present their findings as expert witnesses.

Forensic Psychologist
Once you’ve completed your master’s degree in Criminal Justice, you can go on to complete a doctorate in Psychology to become a forensic psychologist. Forensic psychology uncovers the motivations behind criminal behavior, drawing on decades of research to help explain — and anticipate — criminal activity. They may serve as expert witnesses in criminal trials, assessing a defendant’s state of mind at the time an offense was committed. They may also help to determine a defendant’s competency to stand trial; and determine whether they pose a further danger to others (which can affect their sentencing in the result of a conviction).

Criminal Investigator
Criminal investigators often do detective work for private clients, including financial institutions, insurance companies, and law firms. And criminal investigators often provide outside services to state and local police departments; in fact, many criminal investigators were once police detectives themselves. 

DEA Agent
DEA agents often work in partnership with  other federal, state, and local agencies to fight drug trafficking and distribution within the US. Sometimes that even means traveling outside the US, to partner with foreign intelligence agencies to target international drug crime.

Secret Service Agent
The Secret Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the country. We all think we know what they do: they provide protection for government officials considered critical to national security. But that’s only part of their job. As a division of the Department of the Treasury, the Secret Service also investigates financial crimes against the government, including counterfeiting, fraud, and money laundering.

FBI Agent
While detectives work on the local or state level, FBI agents investigate violations of federal law, including cybercrime, financial fraud, insurance fraud, human trafficking, organized crime, drug crime, and much, much more. Essentially, FBI special agents investigate any crime that crosses state lines. As an FBI agent, no matter where your interests in law enforcement lie, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to pursue them — as you pursue criminals nationwide. 

Forensic Science Technician
You’ll often find forensic science technicians — also known as forensic examiners — collecting and cataloging evidence at a crime scene. That’s only the part you see, though: the bulk of their work takes place in the lab, where they search for the most microscopic of clues using state of the art equipment. Using chemical and biological analyses, they might pull DNA from blood and hair samples to track down a suspect. And once a suspect has been apprehended, those same technicians will write reports for use by the prosecution. 

Cybersecurity Investigator
It doesn’t matter whether your organization is large or small; private or public; or even if you’re not part of an organization at all. If you’re using the internet — and if you’re reading this, you are — you’re vulnerable to cybercrime. Every day, data thieves, identity thieves, and online predators target businesses and individuals. That’s why cybersecurity investigators are so essential in today’s world. Cybersecurity investigators are the detectives of the online world. They recover and preserve digital evidence to aid in the prosecution of cybercrime. 

Intelligence Analyst
While detectives, forensic investigators, and cybersecurity personnel are hard at work solving crimes, intelligence analysts are looking to prevent the next ones from happening. Intelligence analysts study data from a variety of sources — confidential informants, public records, surveillance, and communications searches — to link suspects to criminal activity in the past, present, and future. They use the information they gather to predict future moves by gangs, organized crime, and terrorist groups. 

Criminal Profiler
Criminal profilers may have a background in forensic psychology, but their responsibilities are distinct from those of a forensic psychologist. Like intelligence analysts, criminal profilers will use data to try to anticipate a suspect’s next move. They will use evidence from a crime scene to determine a suspect’s possible age, education, personal background, as well as the motivations behind a crime. Using that information, they may also help investigators to reconstruct crimes after they have happened. 

Correctional Officer Supervisor
Correctional officer supervisors are responsible for more than public safety. They’re responsible for the safety and welfare of the officers — and the offenders — under their responsibility. They may work in correctional facilities like prisons or juvenile detention centers, where they will assign, train, and evaluate their staff; keep and review inmate records; anticipate and defuse potentially dangerous situations; and, whenever necessary, lead a response to emergencies. Correctional officer supervisors may also work in parole departments, where they will oversee the work of a parole or probation officer as they monitor the progress of former offenders.