Photo: Shane T. McCoy (Public domain)
Job description
A typical week mixes lecturing on topics like criminal law and investigation techniques with leading class discussions, grading papers, and building course materials like syllabi and assignments. Professors are also expected to stay current in the field through reading and conferences, and many split their time between teaching and research rather than teaching exclusively. Most positions require a PhD in criminal justice or criminology, though real-world law enforcement experience can open doors to some practitioner-focused teaching roles.
Pros
- Alternate path into teaching for those with extensive law enforcement experience, not just a PhD
- Subject matter draws on real-world criminal justice practice, keeping courses grounded and relevant
- Moderate, steady demand without the sharp swings seen in some other academic fields
Cons
- Above-average hours, expect more than a standard 40-hour work week
- Only about 1,200 positions nationwide, a fairly narrow academic niche
- Below-average entry pay relative to the credentialing required for the PhD track
A typical day
The 9am Intro to Criminology lecture opens with a real case from this month's news, because theory sticks when it explains something students recognize. A hundred undergrads work through why crime statistics can mislead, and the sharpest question comes from a student headed to the police academy. Office hours mix advising — a senior planning law school, another weighing federal agencies — with a thesis student's data problem. The professor's afternoon is research: analyzing recidivism data for a journal article, revising a grant proposal on reentry programs, and peer-reviewing a colleague's manuscript. Practitioner-track faculty layer in war stories from years on the job; research-track faculty build the evidence the field argues about. Both grade more papers than anyone warned them about.
Tasks at the job
- Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as criminal law, defensive policing, and investigation techniques.
- Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
- Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
- Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
- Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
- Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
Workplace & working conditions
Work happens indoors in a climate-controlled setting.
There's a regular, moderate amount of time pressure, and you're expected to exercise significant independent judgment day to day. The work is highly structured, following set procedures.
Education necessary or common
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in criminal justice, criminology, or a related field; extensive law enforcement experience supports some practitioner-track positions
Common college majors
Career path
Related fields
Courses to take
- AP Psychology — criminology borrows heavily from behavioral science
- AP U.S. Government — the justice system's legal architecture
- AP Statistics — criminal justice research is quantitative
- Sociology — crime is studied as a social phenomenon
- AP English Language — lecturing and publishing are writing jobs
Clubs, activities & competitions
- Mock Trial or Youth Court
- Debate team
- Teach or tutor anything — the classroom skill is half the career
- Model UN
- Criminal justice club or law enforcement Explorer post
First steps you can take now
- Take a free online criminology course and note how professors structure argument
- Court-watch a criminal proceeding and write up what surprised you
- Interview a criminal justice professor or a police officer — ideally both — about the field's debates
- Read one criminology classic and one critique of it
