The University of Maryland Criminology and Criminal Justice graduates have been successful in many different fields post-graduation. Using information from the annual University of Maryland graduation survey, we have compiled details about CCJS majors, such as their post-graduation adventures. Use this information as a place to start exploring your career interests. Review additional resources below and on the Feller Center's website.
Explore Career Paths
Start Planning
Related Titles & Work Areas
Job Titles:
- 911 Operator
- Background Investigator
- Border Patrol Agent
- Detention Officer
- Dispatcher
- Enforcement Officer
- Firefighter/ EMT
- Intelligence Specialist
- Paramedic; Sergeant
- Police Candidate
- Police Officer
- Security Assistant
- TSA Officer
- Uniformed Protection Officer
Organizations:
- Branchville Vol. Fire Co. 11
- City of Gaithersburg
- CSRA
- Gaithersburg Police Department
- Inter-Con
- Metropolitan Police Department
- Next Level Investigations
- OPM
- PG County Police Department
- Pinkerton
- The Universities at Shady Grove
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Secret Service
Review FirstHand's Career Guide to Public Safety and Defense Jobs for industry information and entry tips.
Job Titles:
- Background Investigator
- Contract Specialist
- Coordinator, Domestic Violence
- Crime Data & Intelligence Analyst
- Diplomatic Security
- English Monitor Analyst
- Global Engagement Center Assistant
- Judiciary Clerk
- Legal Assistant
- Legislative Correspondent
- Management and Program Analyst
- Operations Specialist
- Policy Assistant
- Program Analyst
- Program Assistant
- Public Safety Officer
- Research Assistant
- Secret Service - Uniform Division
- Security Specialist
- Social Science Analyst
- Staff Assistant
Organizations:
- Army Research Laboratory
- ATF
- CIA
- Defense Intelligence Agency
- District of Columbia Government
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- Maryland Courts
- Maryland Government
- Metropolitan Police Department
- Smithsonian Institution
- U.S. Air Force
- U.S. Department of Defense
- U.S. Department of Homeland Security
- U.S. Department of Justice
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Department of the Navy
- U.S. House of Representatives
- U.S. Marshal Service
Review FirstHand's Career Guide to Government Jobs for industry information and entry tips.
Job Titles:
- AML Contractor
- Case Manager
- Case Manager/Legal Advocate
- Contracts Lead
- Intake Coordinator
- Intellectual Property Support Service
- Assistant
- Legal Assistant
- Legal Practice Assistant
- Litigation/Legislative Paralegal
- Paralegal
- Paralegal Specialist Trainee
- Senior Paralegal
- LEGAL SERVICES: Career options
Organizations:
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLC
- Bergman & Moore LLC
- Crowell & Moring LLP
- Delany McKinney LLP
- Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP
- Harman Claytor Corrigan & Wellman
- Jaklitsch Law Group
- Konare Law
- Littler Mendelson P.C.
- Mayer Brown
- Pretrial Services Agency, DC
- Public Defender Service for District of Columbia
- Robert Half Legal
- Stepto & Johnson LLP
- U.S. Department of Justice
- WilmerHale Law Firm
ENTRY TIPS:
- Important qualities/skills generally include: communication, interpersonal, organizational, research, analytical, speaking, problem solving and writing skills.
- Apply for internships. Gaining experience in the field will test your interest and demonstrate interest to law school programs.
- Review FirstHand's Career Guide to Law and Criminal Justice Jobs for industry information and entry tips.
Job Titles:
- Case Manager
- Caseworker
- Coordinator
- Criminal Justice Program
- Coordinator
- Diversity Programs Coordinator
- English Teacher
- Outreach Assistant
- Outreach Coordinator
- Prevention Education and Outreach Specialist
- Program Coordinator/Manager
- Rehabilitation Counselor
- Sociology Academic Advisor
- Social Services Foster Care,
- Teaching Assistant
Organizations:
- American Physical Society
- Anne Arundel Conflict Resolution
- Center
- Bethany Christian Services
- CASA de Maryland
- Cornerstone Montgomery
- Department of Social Services
- District of Columbia Public Schools
- Home Base Inc.
- Institute for Creative Community
- Latin American Youth Center
- State of Maryland
- Teaching Assistant Program - France
- U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
- University of Maryland
Job Titles:
- Absence Coordinator
- Assistant Project Manager
- Auditor
- Background Compliance Analyst
- Claims Representative
- Client Specialist
- Contract Specialist
- Core Assurance Associate
- Drone Data Analyst
- Incoming Discovery Associate
- Intelligence Associate
- Logistics Coordinator
- Loss Prevention Associate
- Operations Associate
- Operations Manager
- Outside Sales Representative
- Quality Assurance
- Realtor
- Recruiter
- Research Analyst I
- Research Associate and Publisher
- Sales Associate
- Sales Representative
- Selling Manager
- Senior Case Management Specialist
- Special Investigator
Organizations:
- Aerotek
- Alliance Material Handling
- Ankura
- Bank of America
- C2G Partners
- CACI
- Compass
- Critical Systems LLC
- GIS Benefits
- Great Shoals Winery
- Hugo Boss
- Leonard Resource Group
- Measure
- Optimal Solutions Group
- Point72
- Protection Strategies Incorporated
- Protiviti, Inc.
- PWC
- SAP National Security Services
- START- UMD
- Target
- The Cadmus Group
- The Hartford
- TitanHouse
- Toll Brothers
- Valcourt Safety Systems
Review current internship & job openings in Handshake.
Start Exploring Career Titles/Work Areas
Use the sample job and internship titles (mentioned above) to start exploring career paths. The links below provide a short overview of the positions. Review more career areas related to this major as well as tips to succeed.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook, a career title dictionary
- O*NET Online, the nation's primary source of occupational information
- Career assessment options, FOCUS2, etc.
- Explore career options in the field of criminal justice
- Terrapins Connect, talk with professionals working in the field through UMD’s alumni network
- Federal positions by major, research career titles with the federal government related to your major
- Women in Intelligence & Law Enforcement, gain insiders tips by reviewing these notes
What does it mean to be a...
- Intelligence Analyst
- Police Officer
- Examiners/ Investigators
- Review employer notes about Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS)
Resources: Career Planning & Graduate School
Explore career options by reviewing current openings. Note what qualities you currently have or need to gain so that you exceed the qualifications upon graduation.
- Law/Legal
- Law Enforcement
- Policy
- Youth/Advocacy
- Featured Job & Internship Openings
- List of organizations where CCJS students have interned
Federal and state government: Application tips for BSOS majors
- Intelligence Community - Openings & planning resources
- Federal position options by major
- Forensic Sciences- Career Panel, UMD Notes
- Forensic, Polyographer, & Communications: More Than Just Law Enforcement Panel Notes
- Tips for breaking into the field of Public Policy, UMD Panel Notes
For detailed industry tips visit Vault Career Guides. Sample list below.
Review a sample list of graduate programs recent UMD CCJS alumni are pursuing.
Start researching your career path of interest to identify if there are additional educational requirements. Sample job titles that require an advance degree:
- Adjunct Professor
- Assistant United States Attorney
- Attorney
- Consular Officer
- Contract Attorney
- Contract Patent Attorney
- Crime Analyst
- Criminal Intelligence Analyst
- Foreign Affairs Officer
- Investigator
- Professor of Criminology
- Program Analyst
- Research and Writing Specialist
- Senior Consultant (Anti-Money Laundering)
- Special Agent
- Plus many more
Graduate School Resources/Tips from the Feller Center
- Questions to consider before applying
- Application timeline: stay on track with your graduate school application
- Law School Prep Resources
Market Skills Developed: CCJS Major
Skills lead to jobs. Which skills do you possess?
- Assess your skills, abilities, interests, and values and explore how they relate to career options.
- Skills inventory - get started identifying your unique assets.
Sample list of skills developed in class.
- Descriptive and inferential statistics
- Social science research methods
- Understanding of basic criminology and criminal justice content area
- Competency in applying quantitative skills to criminological concepts
- Read more about your major's learning objectives
Skills lead to jobs. Which skills do you possess?
- CCJS students: Gain these career readiness skills
- Assess your skills, abilities, interests, and values.
- LinkedIn Learning skill based videos.
Highlight your skills in your application materials.
Gain Experience
Internships are a great way to try out an interest, regardless if they are directly related to your major. Employers tend to favor job seekers who have had an internship in the field they are hiring for. CCJS, Internship Success Stories.
Sample internship sites/title
- Consulting Intern, Protiviti, Inc.
- Counterterrorism Research Intern, National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism (START)
- Criminal Investigative Intern, Major Crimes Unit at the Fairfax Public Defender’s Office
- Data Entry Intern, Maryland State Commission on Criminal Sentencing Policy
- Drug Enforcement Task Force Intern, U.S. Attorney's Office
- Drug Task Force Intern, Georgia Bureau of Investigation
- Discovery Unit Intern, New Jersey State Police
- Government Affairs Intern, Maryland Chamber of Commerce
- Homicide Unit Intern, Philadelphia District Attorney's Office
- Intern and Clerk, Chester County Office of the District Attorney
- Intern Investigator, Public Defender Service
- Intern, DC Pretrial Services
- Intern, Greenbelt Police Department
- Intern, International Community Corrections Association
- Intern, Office of the Attorney General
- Intern, Office of Majority Leader, Congressman Steny H. Hoyer
- Intern, Metropolitan Police Department of Washington DC
- Intern, U.S. Department of State
- Investigative Intern, Legal Aid Society
- Law Enforcement Apprentice Program, Montgomery County Police Department
- Legal Aid Intern, Undergraduate Student Legal Aid Office
- Legal Intern, The Law Offices of Darlene Wright Powell and Investigative Intern, Maryland Office of the Public Defender for Prince George’s County
- Legislative Intern, Maryland General Assembly
- Manhattan Special Victims Squad Intern, New York City Police Department (Manhattan Special Victims Squad)
- Office Assistant/Firearms Examiner Assistant, Montgomery County Police Department
- Research Intern, Justice Policy Institute (Research)
- Student Analyst, U.S. Department of Justice
- Student Intern, State Attorney's Office of Montgomery County
Start your search with these tips.
Sample list of opportunities:
- CCJS offers internship for credit, study abroad, and independent study
- Handshake - job and internship openings for off campus openings
- UMD Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice Blog - list of opportunities
- Police Auxiliary - on campus opportunity
- Summer Internships: Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS), UMD | Seek undergraduates studying criminal justice.
- Federal government internships - links to openings and application tips
- Legal internships
- Access Tom Manatos list of internship & job openings for government and political positions
Prepare to apply: Tips to customize your resume, cover letter, etc.
Review this comprehensive list of organizations where past UMD CCJS students have successfully acquired internships.
BSOS Students Gain Experience Through:
Build Connections
After researching career paths, consider talking with people working in your field of interest to gain inside information. The links below provide sample events where you may be able to meet professionals in your field of interest. Use these opportunities to learn more about your field of interest, establish new networking contacts, and informational interviews.
- Career Events for BSOS students
- University Career Center Event Calendar
- Terrapins Connect, is an online platform that allows students’ virtual access to UMD alumni who have volunteered to share industry specific information and as well as conduct resume reviews, among other things.
- Use LinkedIn to Locate Alumni & Recruiters
- Intern for a Day, matches students with professionals working in a field of interest to shadow for the day or offer informational interviews- offered in the fall and spring
Notes from recent Employer Information Sessions- Log in with your CAS credentials to view the notes.
- CIA Application Tips & Programs
- FBI Application Notes
- View all Employer & Industry notes for BSOS majors
Consider reviewing state and national associations related to criminal justice to access career path information and even attend association sponsored events to network with professionals in your field of interest. Start exploring areas below:
- American Correctional Association, offers resources, conferences, and professional development opportunities for individuals interested in the correctional field
- American Society of Criminology, objectives are to encourage the exchange, in a multidisciplinary setting, of those engaged in research, teaching, and practice so as to foster criminological scholarship, and to serve as a forum for the dissemination of criminological knowledge
- American Academy of Forensic Sciences, multi-disciplinary professional organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system (includes student and career information)
- NALS – The Association for Legal Professionals, contains information about certifications and volunteer opportunities
- National Sheriffs' Association, for information about sheriffs
