Is Criminology a Good Major? What to Know Before You Enroll

Is criminology a good major? Yes, for students who want a justice, public safety, or research career, and for working adults who want a bachelor’s degree that builds research and writing skills. A Bachelor of Arts in Criminology covers criminological theory, research methods, and statistics, so graduates can read evidence and explain it clearly.

If you are choosing a major, or going back to school while you work, the practical questions are pay, hiring requirements, and difficulty. This guide answers each with federal data and shows where the degree is enough on its own and where a path adds a law degree, work experience, or a longer hiring process.

Most pay figures come from federal sources. Each median is the point where half of an occupation’s workers earn more and half earn less.

What Does a Criminology Major Study?

A criminology major studies why crime happens, how society responds, and what works to reduce it. Courses draw on sociology, psychology, and policy research. Students also learn how to test ideas with data.

What is a criminology major in practice? Mostly reading, writing, research, and data work.

Is criminology a hard major? Expect steady reading, writing, and research, and check each program’s course list before you enroll. At Benedictine University, the required core courses include Criminology, Law and Politics, Research Methods and Criminological Inquiry, and Advanced Criminological Theory.

Titles like this show whether the mix of theory, law, and research matches how you like to study.

Is criminology a lot of math? Expect statistics at a basic level: Benedictine’s program outcomes include applying descriptive and basic inferential statistics and using computers to interpret data analyses. Beyond statistics, you build these skills along the way:

• Research: You learn to ask clear questions and test them with data.
• Writing: You explain findings in reports and briefs.
• Critical thinking: You weigh evidence before you reach a conclusion.
• People skills: You study behavior, communities, and institutions.

These skills transfer across fields, which matters if you later change careers or employers. The Benedictine program also ends with a capstone you choose: a 150-hour internship, which students can complete at their current workplace, or a senior thesis.

Why Is Criminology a Good Major?

Criminology is a good major because it leads to many careers, and several pay above the national median. Careers in criminology include policing, probation, crime analysis, and research.

BLS reported a $77,310 median wage for police and detectives in May 2025, against $50,980 for all occupations. The BLS entry requirements for police and detectives say applicants need at least a high school diploma or equivalent, so that median does not by itself show what a bachelor’s degree adds. For detectives and federal investigators, BLS says agencies such as the FBI may require a bachelor’s degree, so the degree matters on that path.

BLS reported a $66,270 median wage for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists in May 2025 and lists a bachelor’s degree as the typical entry requirement. The BLS education details for probation officers name criminal justice, social science, and psychology as common degree fields; criminology is generally classed as a social science, though postings vary by employer.

• Wide career range: Graduates can pursue law enforcement, courts, corrections, crime analysis, and research.
• A path to graduate study: The BLS education details for lawyers say most law schools do not require a specific bachelor’s degree and list social science among common undergraduate fields.
• Skills BLS names: BLS lists communication, critical thinking, and interpersonal skills as important qualities for probation officers.
• A degree premium: The NCES earnings data for young adults show 2022 medians for full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 34: a bachelor’s degree earned $66,600, and a high school diploma earned $41,800. These figures cover all bachelor’s degree holders, not criminology majors alone.

Is criminology a good major for pay? For these roles, yes: both medians sit well above the $50,980 national median. The degree can decide eligibility for probation work and for detective or federal investigator roles, so match your target job to its entry requirement before you enroll.

What Are the Downsides of a Criminology Major?

The main downsides are wide pay ranges, extra hiring steps, and graduate degrees for the top-paying paths. A bachelor’s degree opens doors, but it does not guarantee any one job.

Criminology major salary data depends on the job you choose. The BLS police pay percentiles show the lowest 10 percent of police and detectives earning under $48,160 in May 2025 and the highest 10 percent earning over $121,600. The BLS probation pay percentiles put the range for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists at under $46,840 to over $107,790. A gap of more than $60,000 within a single occupation is why a median alone is a poor guide to what you would earn first.

What some higher-paying paths add beyond a bachelor’s degree

If higher pay is your goal, plan for what comes after the bachelor’s degree. Each path below adds years of study, work experience, other requirements, or both, and each still starts with the bachelor’s degree.

Hiring steps also take time. The FBI’s 2025 special agent announcement lists ten steps, from application screening and testing through a background investigation and basic field training. That announcement covers the law enforcement and military background path, and other agencies and entry paths set their own steps.

A criminology degree salary also varies by employer. In May 2025, BLS lists a $77,710 median for police and detectives working in government and $62,310 for those in educational services.

Growth is steady, not fast. The BLS job outlook for police and detectives projects 3 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, the same as the average for all occupations. A 2025 PERF survey of member agencies found hiring up 5 percent in 2024 and 12.5 percent above 2019, even as staffing stayed 5.2 percent below its 2020 level. Plan for competition by building experience, skills, and a clean record.

Is criminology a good major if you want a high salary right away? It can be, if you choose a path whose entry requirements you can meet, such as probation work, which lists a bachelor’s degree as typical and has a $66,270 median. The higher-paying paths in the table add training or experience, so plan the added years into your timeline.

Is Criminology a Better Choice Than Criminal Justice?

Criminology is the better choice if you want to study causes and research, and criminal justice is the better choice if you want to study how agencies operate. The two majors overlap: NCES defines criminology as the study of crime, criminal behavior, and society’s response, while NCES defines criminal justice around the justice system’s organization and processes, so the right choice depends on how you want to spend your coursework.

BLS lists criminal justice and social science among the common degree fields for probation officers, and criminology is generally classed as a social science. Where the majors differ is emphasis: Benedictine’s criminology courses focus on theory and the root causes of crime, while many criminal justice programs put more weight on how police, courts, and corrections operate.

Your goals decide which emphasis fits better. Ask three questions before you choose:

1. What do you want to learn? Criminology focuses on causes and research, and many criminal justice programs focus on operations.
2. How do you like to work? Criminology coursework leans on data and writing, while many criminal justice programs add hands-on agency topics.
3. What will you do after graduation? Probation work lists a bachelor’s degree as typical, while police work starts with a high school diploma, so decide whether your target job requires a degree before you choose a major.

Some schools name the two majors differently or blend them, so compare required courses instead of program titles. A program that requires a research methods course, as Benedictine’s does, gives you data skills that either path can use.

What Can You Do With a Criminology Major?

A criminology major can lead to law enforcement, courts, corrections, crime analysis, research, and social services. The examples below note what a source says about each role, so you can see where a bachelor’s degree is the entry requirement and where other steps come first.

• Probation and parole: BLS says probation officers and correctional treatment specialists typically need a bachelor’s degree.
• Detective and criminal investigator: BLS notes that some federal agencies may require a bachelor’s degree for these roles.
• Federal agent: Benedictine says its criminology students have advanced into positions at the FBI, ATF, and DEA.
• Crime analyst: The International Association of Crime Analysts publishes an overview of crime analysis describing it as both a profession and a set of techniques that help police departments use better information. Those techniques overlap with the research and statistics skills a criminology major practices.
• Research and policy: Benedictine names public policy and academia among the fields where criminology skills apply.
• Social services and advocacy: Benedictine also names social work, and requirements for these roles vary by employer.

For a full list of criminology major jobs, read What Can You Do with a Criminology Degree? That guide covers jobs with a criminology degree and pay data across several fields.

If your goal is a specific job, read its posting first. Note the degree, experience, and tests it requires. Then work backward to your major.

Is Criminology the Right Major for You?

Criminology is a good fit if you like research, writing, and understanding why people act as they do. No major guarantees a salary, but the research and writing skills criminology builds carry across the paths above.

• You enjoy reading and research: The major includes steady reading, writing, and data work.
• You can handle hiring steps: Some jobs add exams, background checks, or training, the FBI’s multi-step selection process is one example.
• You are open to more education: Some top-paying paths need a law degree or other advanced study.
• You want options: Criminology careers span justice, public safety, research, and social services.

Is criminology a good major for working adults? Yes, if the format fits your schedule: Benedictine’s program is delivered online and asynchronously, can be completed in as few as 18 months, and accepts up to 12 credit hours of prior learning through portfolio assessment. Check term length, transfer credit rules, and support at any program before you enroll.

Is criminology a good degree for career changers? Yes, if you add experience in the field you want, since the research and writing skills carry over.

Compare Criminology Programs Against Your Goals

A criminology degree works best when you start from the job you want and work backward to the requirements. For probation work that means a bachelor’s degree, for detective and federal roles it may mean more, and for the higher-paying paths in the table it means added training or experience.

If you are still deciding, ask an admissions advisor how required courses, capstone options, and transfer rules apply to your situation. Then compare two or three programs on the same points, including course list, term length, and how many prior credits would count.

See whether the Bachelor of Arts in Criminology from Benedictine University fits your goals and your schedule.

Frequently Asked Questions About a Criminology Major

These answers cover common questions about choosing criminology, from pay to program format. Each answer stands on its own, with figures from the federal sources cited above.

Is criminology a good major?

Yes, for students who want a justice, public safety, or research career. BLS reports May 2025 median pay of $77,310 for police and detectives and $66,270 for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists, both above the $50,980 median for all occupations.

How much can you earn with a criminology degree?

Pay depends on the occupation rather than the major. BLS medians run from $66,270 for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists to $77,310 for police and detectives, and the highest-paid tenth earned over $107,790 and over $121,600, respectively.

Do you need a graduate degree to work in criminology?

Not for every path. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as typical for probation officers, while lawyers need a law degree and a bar exam, and BLS says a master’s degree may help probation officers advance.

What is the difference between criminology and criminal justice?

Criminology emphasizes why crime happens and how to test ideas with data, while many criminal justice programs put more weight on how police, courts, and corrections operate. Both majors can lead to the same kinds of work, including probation, so compare each program’s required courses.

Can you complete a criminology degree while working full time?

Benedictine’s online courses are asynchronous, so students can study when and where they prefer, and the capstone can be an internship completed at a current workplace or a senior thesis. Check how any program handles term length and transfer credit before you commit.

About the Online Bachelor of Arts in Criminology

Benedictine University’s history begins in 1887 with the monks of St. Procopius Abbey in Chicago, and its main campus is in Lisle, Illinois. The Higher Learning Commission has accredited the university since 1958, according to HLC’s accreditation status page.

The major consists of 13 courses totaling 39 credit hours within the 120 credit hours required to graduate, taught in eight-week terms. Applicants need a minimum 2.0 GPA, no ACT or SAT scores are required, and Benedictine evaluates previously earned credits against its own course equivalents.

Faculty include Julie Cowgill, Ph.D., a professor of society, justice, and politics with an M.S. and Ph.D. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. Her current research examines organized retail crime and its effects on retail sales, law enforcement, and communities.

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