This is a great question. Really, it is. Whenever I told people that I am in school for Criminal Justice their first response was “are you going to be a lawyer or something?” My response was a little longer than that and began with the word “no.”
I want to make it clear for all those that ask this question that Criminal Justice School is different from Law School. Even though a lawyer deals with the criminal justice system, the schooling hugely differs.
Criminal Justice universities and colleges are inclined to teach Criminal Justice programs under the umbrella of Sociology, rather than Law. Yes, there are legal aspects associated with the Criminal Justice degree, but they are not as predominant as they would be in Law Schools.
Law schools are teaching under the umbrella of Law, not Sociology. Potential lawyers are taught to develop pristine writing and deep rooted knowledge in law and not the criminal justice system.
In all, both degree options deal with law and criminal justice. Both programs focus on morals and ethics. Yes, they are intertwined, but are not one and the same. So before you confuse a lawyer with a law enforcement professional, please try listening to the answer first instead of interrupting with your question. If you think that’s harsh try to explain it to 9 out of 10 people.
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This is so true. I remember telling my friends that I am into sociology and criminal justice and that I would be pursuing a criminal justice degree online. They asked if I am going to be a lawyer. I kind of laughed and didn’t bother to explain. I needed to take a look myself into what CJ is really all about.
Law Degree and a Masters in Criminal Justice are two totally different things.
Great post. I’m probably going to bookmark it and send it to all my friends who asked.
D. McPherson
Most of the people i talk to are actually quite unimpressed with CJ. The average joe (at least in urban areas) seems to equate CJ with degrees from fly by night schools that pump out medical transcriptionists, dental hygenists, or medical office assistants.
Maybe this is because we see round the clock commercials for less than reputable colleges on tv (honestly would anyone ever go to a college they saw on television? Really?) It is these for profit scams like the university of phoenix that give people with a baccalaureate in CJ a bad name (yes phoenix is a scam dont believe me? whats to keep anyone from opening up a similar diploma mill and churning out internet diplomas? Accreditation? No! Accreditation deals more with how much the body can charge the school and they are concerned with proper syllabi write up more than if a degree is worth the paper it is printed on.
No one believes that if you have a CJ degree you are going to Law School. Many people have asked me if i needed my GED to get my CJ degree (yes and a good gpa and sat to get into a tier 1 school.) In fact after finding out about my degree in CJ i recently had my dentist remark to me that he did not realize that The University of Texas gave out certificates and that he should talk to their job placement division about getting a new dental assistant. ARE YOU SERIOUS I AM IN GRAD SCHOOL YOU MORON! Universities dont give out certificates.
I agree with you about the over-advertising of the Criminal Justice degree programs. I know first hand that most people associate CJ with Kaplan University or University of Pheonix or a locally advertised for-profit college or university. It’s expected as they have a huge advertising budget which goes straight into TV, radio, and Internet advertising. But, I also know that there are quite a few Tier 1 schools with superb academic qualifications. I wish more people would find my blog so they know this.
As for UOP being a degree mill, it’s not. I know it’s your opinion to qualify it as such, but I want readers to know that despite the hefty price tag, University of Phoenix is a regionally accredited institution. I will agree that given a choice I would rather go to Michigan State University, Penn State University, or University of Cincinnati – all wonderful schools, with superior Criminal Justice and Criminology programs, and yes, they’re online as well.
Thanks for the constructive input on this one.
I don’t mean to sound overly ambitious, but I plan to graduate from the University of Hartford with a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice this coming May 2012; and I plan to hop right into University of Cincinnati’s online MSCJ 1 year full time program. Right after that, I plan to pursue a dual JD/MBA degree program at Uconn Law School (4 year program for both degrees). Finally, I will complete my education at the University of New Haven where I will earn a PhD in Criminal Justice. Does this education plan sound sufficient for an aspiring Criminologist? I also have an Associates Degree in Criminal justice.
Thanks.
This plan may be overly-ambitious, but it’s definitely doable. Still, you don’t sound overly ambitious it’s just the scope of what you want to accomplish will require some sacrifices; especially in your personal life and finances. And “sufficient” is probably not the word I would use and “overkill” isn’t one of them either. It’s just perfect in my opinion, because of the level of education in similar – yet somewhat diverse – fields you’ll be able to command a higher salary, and probably won’t have to worry about promotion requirements (when starting from scratch at a law enforcement agency, for example). The education should open you up for college teaching positions, with some experience in the field under your belt. Overall, it’s a very solid plan
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