Studying for a criminal justice PhD will open up a world of different opportunities in the field of criminal justice, criminology and forensic science. A criminal justice PhD can be offered in a number of ways, as a full-time course, a part-time course and in some cases, through distance learning.
A criminal justice PhD will consist of three major types of activity. You will study theory, you will research specific topics in depth, and you will subject this research to analysis and synthesis.
In order to be able to conduct research, you will learn research design, information retrieval and social science analysis methods. You will study criminology, criminal law, organizational behaviour, criminal procedure and the psychology of criminal justice.
Different criminal justice PhD programs will offer different specializations, which could include forensic science, forensic psychology, public policy and organizational behaviour, criminal law and a variety of other areas. You will be asked to complete a dissertation on a subject of your special interest.
This is a major part of a criminal justice PhD, and will involve deep and detailed research, preferably with some original element of research or analysis. Many people take the opportunity to use this part of the PhD program to study a topic that they have direct experience in, or that affects their present employment or circumstances. This can be an opportunity to make a reputation in a specific important area of research.
After successfully completing your criminal justice PhD, you can consider many different career opportunities in government, policy making bodies, voluntary organizations, education and other areas.
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