Exploring a Master’s in Criminal Justice and Community Corrections: Your Path to a Rewarding Career 

As more community resources are being channeled away from mass incarceration and toward restorative justice, individuals who want to pursue careers in justice will need to look for new educational opportunities to achieve that goal. Although many advanced degrees in criminal justice include focused study for prospective police officers, Russell Sage College’s master’s degree in criminal justice and community corrections offers a unique program that focuses on the development and evaluation of alternatives to incarceration as well as professional opportunities that accompany criminal justice reform. 

The Sage online master’s in criminal justice and community corrections is the only online graduate program in the country that focuses on community corrections. The Sage master’s degree program includes courses in institutional corrections and offender rehabilitation, offender reentry and reintegration, community corrections, restorative justice, abnormal psychology, and addiction. Students graduate prepared to pursue a range of career opportunities that are geared toward establishing a more just society.  

As with many master’s programs, a master’s in criminal justice has advantages in terms of career advancement. This master’s program is unique because it focuses on restorative justice, meaning applicants already working in the criminal justice field will be able to tailor their future professional paths toward community approaches, including substance use disorder counseling, mediation, and other alternatives to incarceration.  

The master’s in criminal justice and community corrections also lends itself to research opportunities. During the program, students design a culminating project with a faculty member or complete an externship with their academic advisors to obtain real-world research experience. Graduates of the program may work in research-focused positions at think tanks, for the government (particularly as probation officers), or at academic institutions.  

The master’s in criminal justice and community corrections faculty at Sage consists of working professionals in restorative justice. Students in the program will have an opportunity to work with an assigned academic advisor and connect with their teachers as well as their fellow classmates to establish lasting professional relationships.  

Most bachelor’s degree programs are broadly focused with many general education requirements. Master’s level programs are tailored to help students achieve professional success in criminal justice careers and key areas that are relevant in the real world.  

Correctional officers who want to take their careers to the next level and applicants who want to explore a modern take on correctional work will benefit from coursework in correctional policy and practice. Courses such as Institutional Corrections and Offender Rehabilitation and Community-Based Corrections explore evidence-based best practices to reduce recidivism and improve community safety without mass incarceration.  

One way that the most prevalent system of justice in the U.S. fails many offenders is in re-entry. Master’s coursework in Reentry and Reintegration of Offenders as well as Alcoholism/Drug Addiction: Vulnerabilities, Dynamics, Problems can help students understand issues facing offenders as they are reintegrated into mainstream society.  

Evaluating theories is also part of the master’s in criminal justice and community corrections program. In addition to baseline coursework in psychology and forensic mental health, students learn about crime and criminal behavior, the theory and statistics behind restorative justice, and community-based healing.  

Community corrections involves many levels of administration, from the corrections officers at a specific facility to government officials and indeed offenders themselves. Master’s students in criminal justice and community corrections learn the intricacies involved in developing correctional policies and procedures and getting these policies implemented.  

Earning a master’s degree can open new career opportunities for both graduates who have yet to work in the criminal justice field and those who are looking to advance.  

Probation and parole are both common ways for offenders to reenter society after being incarcerated. Probation and parole officers have the power to help these individuals access the services they need to build lives to help them avoid recurring offenses. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2,400 new probation office jobs are expected to be added between 2022 and 2032 with a median annual salary of $59,860.  

With a master’s degree, correctional officers may be eligible for advancement opportunities such as correctional program manager positions. A correctional program manager guides the policies of a corrections department either at an institutional or system-wide level. Correctional program managers with community corrections knowledge can help shape correctional programs to minimize the friction people experience when they are released from custody.  

Graduates of this master’s program may even become educators in the criminal justice field. According to the BLS, criminal justice and law enforcement teachers are largely employed at colleges and universities or junior colleges and earn a median annual salary of $69,030, with the top 10% earning more than $130,000 annually.  

If you are ready to explore the Sage master’s degree in criminal justice and community corrections program, reach out to get more information or submit your application today.