PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in North Dakota

A criminal justice PhD could be the right move for your career goals. Get more information by contacting the schools listed below.

What Can I Do With My PhD in Criminal Justice in North Dakota?

Across all the counties of North Dakota, county jail populations increased 83% between 2005 and 2015 (KXNet, 2016). This is extremely expensive to taxpayers and indicative of a decrease in safety, both of which are relevant to doctoral graduates.

If you take into account all of the prisons in North Dakota, the state has seen a 236% increase in prisoners over the last 22 years (Bismarck Tribune, 2016). State criminal justice professionals indicate a need to address recidivism rates and, subsequently, shrink the prison population.

In general, the job outlook in North Dakota is positive. Job openings for judicial law clerks should remain steady through 2030, as will as demand for criminal justice professors (CareerOneStop, 2022). The average salary for a judicial law clerk is $80,550 per year and criminal justice professors earn an average of $69,090 per year (BLS, 2022).

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for North Dakota contained here reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2023.

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

Doctoral programs are the highest level of education in criminal justice, which is why you must meet strict admissions requirements and education requirements to succeed.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree, you’ll likely need to take the GRE and receive a favorable score to attend the program. Programs meant for Bachelor’s graduates generally require you to complete at least 80 credits. If you have a graduate degree, you may be able to graduate in as little as four years with 40 credits. These programs may expect you to have a closely related graduate degree and applicable work experience.

While you work through your program, you should gain skills and knowledge in many different areas. Your classes may cover different types of crime, overarching goals of the criminal justice industry, administrative issues in this field, and ethical research.

Although course names vary between schools, you may find courses like those listed here in your curriculum:

• Historical Perspectives in Criminology
• Contemporary Perspectives in Criminology
• Criminal Justice Administration
• Criminal Justice Policy Analysis
• Occupational and Organized Crime
• Theories of Punishment
• Victimology

There are some part-time and executive programs for those who already work full-time in this industry. However, the majority of schools require you to attend full-time.

Furthermore, they may heavily discourage outside work. In exchange for tuition and a monthly stipend, you may work part-time as a research assistant or teaching assistant. This experience can be very beneficial in your future career.

You may complete a number of projects and research papers throughout your doctoral degree. This is when it is important for you to have clearly defined research interests and goals. Potential employers look at your body of research to find out what your strengths are and what you want to accomplish in criminal justice, so you should create work that is in line with your career objectives. This is especially true with your dissertation, which can easily take up two or more years of your doctorate program.

The criminal justice community of North Dakota may continue to change for years to come. Learn how you can help it improve by requesting information from criminal justice PhD programs now.