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Does anyone know what the job prospects are for holders of a Criminal Justice/Criminology PhD in today's economy? Salary information, demand for the degree (academic and non-academic), and even what non-academic jobs are available for someone with a PhD in CJ? I was just recently accepted to UCF's CJ/MPA dual degree masters program. Although it is designed for working professionals and not necessarily someone who plans to pursue a PhD in CJ, I figured if I enjoyed the academia side of CJ enough I would consider applying to such programs hence the questions being asked.

I know most of the people on this forum are primarily interested in pursuing a PhD in criminal justice or have already done so. I'm curious as to what the job prospects are for holders of a CJ PhD in today's economy? What is your dream job and, although less important, what is the expected salary from that job? I assume most want to go on to become tenured professors but besides that what are some other job prospects for this degree? I was just recently accepted to UCF's CJ/MPA dual degree masters program. Although it is designed for working professionals and not necessarily someone who plans to pursue a PhD in CJ, I figured if I enjoyed the academia side of CJ enough I would consider applying to such programs hence the questions being asked.

For those of you who still have full time jobs in grad school I was wondering what advice you might have for balancing the load that comes with both work and school. Right now my work schedule is 4 days on 4 days off (11.25 hour days). I just recently got into the University of Central Florida's dual masters program in Criminal Justice/Public Administration. The good thing is this program is completely online. I'm taking two courses this spring (6 credit hours). I'm just kind of nervous about going back to school. I want to not only pass but excel in my classes just in case I one day want to continue my academic pursuits. I also want to take full advantage of actually learning something this time. I know that sounds odd but lets face it, most of us probably just got our bachelors just to get the degree and the job opportunities that follow, not fully devoted to actually learning. My course textbooks are already available for the spring semester so I've considered going ahead and ordering them to get a head start, but how early is too early? lol.

So I asked someone to write me a LOR at the end of August and the deadline is Nov. 1. I told them no rush but I didn't figure it would take this long and I'm kind of nervous they forgot. How do i email them and remind the recommender about the letter without it sounding like I'm rushing them? Should I give them more time? I just don't want to wait too long and remind them causing them to feel rushed because they completely forgot.

So I applied for a new program the University of Central Florida just started, which is a dual masters degree in both criminal justice and public administration. Just kind of wanted to get a general idea what you guys might think my chances are for admission into such a program. GPA: 3.16 from the University of Florida (Finance major) The low GPA was due to one semester of straight C's because I thought I was going to major in accounting. Boy was I wrong... This program does not require a GRE score which is why it is the first program I applied to seeing as how I have yet to take the GRE. I emailed an admissions person and they said it is highly recommended if your GPA is below a 3.0. I'm currently a police officer in the state of Florida. Not too many special certifications or anything to add to my resume as I have only been on the force for about 8 months. Before that I was part of a sort of apprenticeship program with the same police department where I was sponsored through the police academy, held leadership positions, 2nd in the class in academics, etc. I held an internship with a federal law enforcement agency while attending UF where I also trained the new interns. I've held a student job with the UF police department while attending UF. I think I screwed up my admissions essay slightly, but I'm going to have 3 awesome letters of recommendation from people in the criminal justice field. Just wanted some honest opinions into what you think my chances might be for such a program. I'm 21 btw. I think I could easily get into the criminal justice program with no problem, it's the mpa side that I'm worried about due to my age and lack of professional leadership experience.

Just an FYI, and this school isn't exactly prestigious, but University of Central Florida just started a dual MPA/MS in Criminal Justice. Although it isn't "prestigious" the MPA has the NASPAA accreditation. Just food for thought. I'm sure other universities would be willing to allow you to dual enroll in the two programs as well if you ask and meet requirements for both colleges. Of course the cost goes up exponentially...

I'm new to these forums, and have recently been exploring grad school opportunities. I was just curious if there were any current or former police officers like myself (current police officer) who have chosen to pursue a PhD in the field and criminal justice/criminology. I've been messing around with the possibility of going that route after a masters program.