Published June 24, 2019 in CSU Christian College Blog 

1. Police Officer
2. Crime Scene Investigator
3. Parole or Probation Officer
4. State Trooper
5. U.S. Marshal
6. FBI Agent
7. Correctional Officer
8. Private Detective/Investigator
9. Security Officer

Looking for the best colleges for criminal justice? If you think you need a school that will teach you how to stay strong in the face of adversity, you’re right.

That school had better teach from the most powerful and authoritative of texts on justice, right? And shouldn’t it also give you guidance on balancing justice and mercy? Punishment and redemption?

That’s why we firmly believe the best college for criminal justice is a Christian Bible college. Nowhere will you find more comprehensive guidance on how to conduct yourself as a law enforcement officer or prison guard or private investigator, than the Word of God.

Below are just nine of many career paths you might take with a degree in criminal justice. And we explain why a Christian education will serve you best no matter which path you choose.

1. Police Officer

A biblically-based education in criminal justice helps you see your beat as your mission field.

Do you have a desire to help people in their time of greatest need? If you have ever called the police, you know it’s often in the most desperate situations people make that call. Imagine if you were on the other end.

A biblically-based education in criminal justice helps you see your beat as your mission field. You will respond to crises to help make communities safer. You’ll also demonstrate Christlike compassion in critical moments.

After your bachelor’s degree, you’ll move on to police academy. There, you will draw from biblical wisdom to see everyone—offender and victim—as a child of God. Your understanding of restorative justice, beyond the basics of crime and punishment, is what will truly help make the world a better place.

2. Crime Scene Investigator (CSI)

Are you determined to pursue truth? If you’re the kind of person who needs to look at something from 100 different angles before you’re satisfied, you might consider becoming a crime scene investigator.

The biblical value of pursuing the truth is the most important characteristic of a good CSI. Just think, your examinations of fingerprints, hairs and fibers could be the reason someone is properly held accountable for a crime. Or the reason a falsely accused person remains free.

If you want to pursue this career, a bachelor’s degree is the first step. Then you may need to go to police academy and work toward a certification. It’s a serious commitment. But if this is your passion, it will be worth it—both to you and the lives you impact in pursuit of the truth.

3. Parole or Probation Officer

You’ll know from Scripture that anyone can be redeemed.

Do you speak up for others who need a second chance? Or a third, or fourth? Is one of your favorite verses the one where Jesus tells Peter he should forgive those who sin against him 77 times? You could make a great parole or probation officer.

A parole officer who believes in the power of biblical redemption is a passionate advocate for those working to reintegrate into society after prison. A probation officer with these beliefs also commits to advocating for offenders before they land in prison.

Whether the offender in your care is a teenager, elderly adult or anyone in between, your foundation in Christ will give you a unique perspective. You’ll know from Scripture that anyone can be redeemed.  And that will make all the difference in helping your clients succeed.

4. State Trooper

Let’s talk about safety. Do you perk up at that word? Are you the one in the group who’s always thinking about what might happen if everyone doesn’t follow a few common-sense rules? There may be a rewarding career keeping our roads and communities safe as a state trooper in your future.

With your biblical worldview, you will consider your job not only to enforce the laws but to care for souls. You will be a defender of life.

As a state trooper, or a member of the state police, you will police areas that fall outside of the jurisdiction of cities and counties. You will work to protect commuters on state roads and expressways. Similar to being a city police officer, a bachelor’s degree is your first step in pursuing this rewarding career.

5. U.S. Marshal

Perhaps you like the idea of using your criminal justice degree to serve not only a city or state but your entire country? One way to do this is by protecting federal judges, attorneys and jurors, keeping witnesses safe, transporting offenders, tracking down fugitives and more as a U.S. Marshal.

With the heart of Christ, a U.S. marshal views his or her job as defending the justice process and returning lost sheep to the fold. Your education will make you less likely to speak of “hunting down bad guys,” and more likely to humbly acknowledge the humanity of every person, regardless of their crime.

As in many careers in criminal justice, your journey toward becoming a marshal begins with a bachelor’s degree. You’ll also need at least one year of specialized experience to demonstrate your ability to do the job. By then, you will be well qualified to enter this exciting field ready to serve as both an agent of the federal courts and servant of the Lord.

6. FBI Agent

Another way to serve your country is to become an investigator responsible for bringing federal offenders to justice. Is your passion for pursuing truth is so strong you’ll go anywhere in the country to do it? Then you may want to consider joining the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

As an FBI agent, you will apply the biblical values of truth-seeking and faithful servanthood to the task of investigating federal crimes. Your insights into the human mind will come not only from an understanding of social science and psychology but from an understanding of why our world is fallen.

Whether you’re shuffling papers or rescuing hostages, your degree from one of the best colleges for criminal justice—which we believe is a Christian college—will remind you that you are ultimately serving the Lord.

7. Correctional Officer

Every one of us has redemption within our grasp.

Are you usually the last person to give up on a person? That is the heart of Christ, our guide for what biblical restorative justice in our prison system looks like. And that heart will set you apart as a correctional officer.

As a Christian correctional officer, you will draw on your strong biblical foundation to serve those society has cast aside, out of the belief that all are redeemable. Beyond that, you will even have the ability to see Jesus Himself in the prisoner you serve (Matthew 25:36).

Your job will be to enforce prison rules and see to the safety of people many see as not worth protecting. But the Word of God will daily remind you of the truth and help you to serve with humility. All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, but every one of us has redemption within our grasp.

8. Private Detective/Investigator

Not all career paths in criminal justice lead to government work. Are you a truth-seeker who wants to help private individuals or businesses? You might consider becoming a private detective, a.k.a. private investigator, or private “I.”

A Christian PI applies the highest ethical standards to the pursuit of truth. There is a fine line between seeking evidence to hold wrongdoers accountable and recklessly invading someone’s privacy. Your grasp of biblical values will help you know the difference.

As an ethical PI, you could be the person responsible for relieving fears and doubts and forcing necessary conversations. To make sure you are honoring God with your work, you will need to remain in the Word.

9. Security Officer

You’ll have the courage you need, as a child of God, to defend the defenseless.

Another way you could serve outside of government is as a security guard or security officer. In doing so, you could be a critical extension of law enforcement. If your building is threatened—by an armed robber, for example—you would likely be the first to alert the police. You also deter would-be robbers from attempting a crime.

As a security officer, your biblical criminal justice education will give you the courage you need, as a child of God, to defend the defenseless. And it will give you the tactical knowledge to do it well. 

You will know better than anyone in that building what to do in a crisis, and you will be the one able to help others stay calm and safe. 

WHAT MAKES CSU THE BEST COLLEGE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE?

Clarks Summit University will thoroughly prepare you to take the next step toward any of the above careers and other career possibilities related to criminal justice. 

Our faculty in the criminal justice program at CSU knows the field. For field tactics, court system procedures, criminal psychology and more, you will learn from experts in the field, including multiple hands-on learning experiences.

Also, for questions about the ethical and moral implications of holding people accountable for their crimes, we turn to the most authoritative text we know: the inspired Word of God.

Contact us now to learn more about how you can make a difference with your criminal justice degree from Clarks Summit University.