PhD in Criminal Justice Programs in Wyoming

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

One of the main issues in criminal justice as of late is the risk posed to children of offenders. A Wyoming study found that 9% of Wyoming school-age children have lived in a home with an incarcerated adult (Billings Gazette, 2016). The long-term effects on children’s well-being and propensity for crime are being studied, and the findings may call for programs to support children of inmates.

Cultural sensitivity is also crucial in Wyoming. The Wind River Indian Reservation is located in Wyoming, and police officers recently completed training in this area to keep reservation roads safe (Wyoming Public Media, 2016). High-level criminal justice training may help you address complex issues of cultural awareness.

You may boost your earning potential with an advanced degree. Judges earn an average salary of $151,030 per year nationwide (CareerOneStop, 2022), while criminal justice professors claim an average income of $67,170 per year (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022). Demand for judges should remain steady through 2030  (CareerOneStop, 2022). Job openings for criminal justice professors should also remain steady (CareerOneStop, 2022).

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Wyoming 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 Wyoming?

Earning a doctorate in criminal justice is a significant accomplishment, which means that it comes with a lot of work. Before enrolling in a PhD program, you must have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited school. If you have completed a Master’s degree in a field related to criminal justice, you may test out of certain doctoral courses and shorten the amount of time you spend in school.

Overall, PhD in criminal justice programs require about 70 credits beyond the undergraduate level. While earning these credits, you establish a thorough understanding of criminology theory, morals and ethics in criminal justice, and administrative skills in this field. Furthermore, you may gain hands-on experience in an internship or practicum course. This requirement is especially important if you do not have work experience in criminal justice.

Course names vary between criminal justice degrees WY options. Some commonly required courses are listed below:

• Public Policy and Crime: Policy analysis, planning in criminal justice systems; critique of the ideologies and assumptions made in daily criminal justice work
• Survey of Criminal Justice: Evaluation of this field as a whole; reading and discussion of important studies and papers; how the criminal justice system works and which components contribute to it
• Comparative Criminal Justice: Compare criminal justice in the United States to criminal justice systems in other countries, paying specific attention to trends, prevention, and punishment in criminal justice
• Social Inequality and Criminal Justice: How social inequality negatively impacts crime rates, sentencing and punishment; how class, gender, and race may influence justice decisions and actions
• Crime Causation: Mechanisms that produce crime; theoretical perspectives, views from different fields, and social factors that may contribute to crime rates
• Leadership and Management in Criminal Justice: An overview of the need for managers and administrators in criminal justice

As you near the end of your program, you carry out your final major project in this field. Over a period of one to three years, you work with an advisor to write and perfect a dissertation in a specific area of research. Defending your dissertation is the final step in earning a doctoral degree.

If you’re ready to contribute to a fairer criminal justice system in Wyoming, this is the time to get started. Contact criminal justice doctorate programs to take the first step.