Accredited online and on-campus courses from leading Australian universities, TAFEs and colleges
About Criminal Justice
You'll become
Average Salaries
Criminal Justice workers may earn between $54,000 and $99,000 per year
Play a critical role in shaping how society understands and interprets crime, and use your skills to improve our world. It starts by studying a criminal justice course.
A multi-disciplinary area of study that considers a range of different influences, the study of criminal justice is concerned with understanding what we consider criminal behaviour, why people commit crimes, and how crime can be minimised and prevented. In a volatile and dynamic society, skilled professionals who understand the nuances of criminal justice are required to help us respond to modern challenges. By studying a criminal justice course, you’ll build the critical skills required to help our society stand up to crime, injustice and the most pressing modern threats.
Combining elements of psychology, sociology, law, social work, history and political science, criminal justice courses offer a holistic, contextually grounded picture of criminals and crime, and offers solutions for law enforcement officials to more effectively understand, prevent and punish crime. After completing a criminal justice course, you’ll be able to seek employment in a range of social science industries and may also start a path to working in law or policing.
You may study criminal justice as a bachelor’s degree and may have the opportunity to pursue research or more specialised study into a particular area relating to criminal justice in a master’s degree or as a doctorate of philosophy. After completing your qualification, you can work in a variety of roles in the security, intelligence and justice sectors.
What do criminal justice graduates do?
Graduates of criminal justice courses can seek employment in a range of positions across the risk, security, intelligence, and justice and counter-terrorism sectors, and may also work in academic research, or for a body like the Law Reform Commission.
You may choose to work as an analyst or researcher, and may perform tasks like conducting research, interpreting data, cataloguing and analysing surveillance information, and contributing to publications and policy documents. You may also work as a case manager, where you’ll work closely with vulnerable clients to design and monitor specific interventions for managing that person’s behaviour and circumstances. Or, you might work in an educative role, providing training and facilitation to law enforcement officials on topics like human behaviour, psychology, drug and alcohol problems and community attitudes to crime.
You may also choose to work in policy development or analysis, the education sector, or in a training role with law enforcement officials, working closely with key stakeholders to share your knowledge of criminal justice and human behaviour in order to influence decision-making.
Career Outcomes
Career Outcomes
Graduates of criminal justice courses work in a variety of different roles in the intelligence, security and justice sectors, and may also pursue work in academia.
After completing a criminal justice course, you may choose to seek employment as a:
- Writer
- Sociologist
- Parole Officer
- Historian
- Criminologist
- Public Servant
- Indigenous Community Liaison Officer
- Probation Officer
- Community Development Officer
- Correctional Officer
- Policy Officer
- Project Officer
- Immigration Officer
- Case Worker
- Researcher/Analyst
- Juvenile Justice Officer
- Security Officer
- Law Enforcement Officer
- Welfare Support Worker
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Is criminal justice right for you?
You’ll find a career in criminal justice rewarding and enjoyable if you:
- Are curious and open-minded
- Can think critically and analytically
- Can make sound decisions and exercise judgment
- Have excellent organisational and time management skills
- Have good communication and interpersonal skills
- Are highly motivated
- Are proactive and disciplined
- Love solving problems
- Can work well independently and in a team
- Can work well under pressure
Job opportunities
The Australian Government’s Job Outlook offers job prospects for intelligence and policy analysts, describing the industry as a small sector, with moderate potential to grow. Job Outlook states that fewer than 10,000 people are employed in these roles, and that the industry is likely to grow modestly or remain the same size to 2020.
Job Outlook notes that the policing industry in Australia is likely to grow strongly, predicting that 8,000 new opportunities will open in the sector by 2020.
A criminal justice qualification may also enable you to seek employment opportunities overseas.
Average Salaries
According to PayScale, an intelligence analyst can expect to earn on average between $54,000 and $99,000 per year, with an average salary of $75,000. While a moderately positive relationship between earning capacity and experience exists, PayScale notes that the majority of analysts have fewer than 10 years of work experience, indicating that people progress into more senior supervisory roles as their careers advance.
PayScale indicates that graduates of criminal justice courses can expect to earn on average $73,000 per year, surveying professionals across a range of industries.
Learn how to become a
Industry Bodies
- Australia and New Zealand Society of Criminology
- Australian Institute of Criminology
- Australian Criminal Justice Society