PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Indiana

The criminal justice industry depends on professionals at all levels of training and education. Not only do agencies need first-line workers to respond to immediate threats and situations, they need legislators, researchers, and leaders to plan for the future of this industry.

Criminal justice is growing and changing in many ways. The Indiana State Police Department is the first agency in the United States to create a program that targets cyber victimization by educating children and parents; some of their programs involve teaching students about cyber security in the classroom (CBS, 2018).

Featured Online Criminal Justice Programs

What Can I Do With My PhD in Criminal Justice in Indiana?

As you explore the possibility of earning a PhD in criminal justice, you may find that many of the most prestigious criminal justice careers are reserved for those with doctoral degrees. Judges in Indiana earn a median income of $119,870 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017). Job openings for judges may expand 4% percent by 2022 (CareerOneStop, 2017).

Indiana universities and colleges hire criminal justice professors from many different professional backgrounds. Educational institutions across the country may have a 13% increase in job openings between 2016 and 2026 (CareerOneStop, 2017). Indiana professors earn an average of $52,250 each year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2017).

Find out what you may be able to do with a doctoral degree. Request information from criminal justice graduate programs on this page.

What Will It Take to Earn My Criminal Justice Graduate Degree in Indiana?

If you have a bachelor’s degree, you may spend up to seven years in a PhD program. If you have a master’s degree, you may spend up to five years in a PhD program. Either way, this stage of your education involves a significant amount of time and it’s important that you like the school you attend.

As you weigh your options, consider traveling to criminal justice schools in Indiana to meet with professors, discuss your research plans, and learn more about the goals of the PhD program.

As part of your education, be prepared to take courses in every area of criminal justice. You should spend most of your time focusing on one area of concentration, but it is important to have a well-rounded and complex knowledge of the field as a whole.

To meet the educational standards of your school, you may enroll in courses like those listed below:

Seminar in Criminological Theories
Seminar in Law and Criminal Justice Administration
Criminal Justice Organization and Management
Advanced Criminal Procedure
Advanced Criminal Investigations
Ethics and Criminal Justice
Seminar in Corrections

Further coursework may be dependent on your elective choices or your selection of an area of concentration.

Although your dissertation may take up the majority of your educational time, it generally only covers about 12 credits. The rest of the time, you may take classroom courses, complete one or more internships at local criminal justice agencies, and work as a research or teaching assistant to earn PhD funding.

If you do not receive PhD funding or it doesn’t cover all of your expenses, there are other grant programs to explore. The Indiana Sheriffs’ Association awards scholarships based on academic evaluation.

A PhD can help you get the research experience you need to influence criminal justice at the legislative, management, and research levels. By contacting criminal justice graduate programs, you can take the first step to a doctoral degree.