Criminal Justice Schools in Kentucky

Kentucky State Criminal Justice Degrees

You have probably heard the expression “That building is like Fort Knox!” Fort Knox is not some mythical location but a military base about 35 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky with tens of thousands of employees, soldiers and family members. It also continues to serve as the United States Bullion Depository, safeguarding a large proportion of the country’s gold reserves. Kentucky is additionally home to a range of professionals that serve to protect the public and enforce the law. Criminal justice schools in Kentucky offer numerous degrees and courses so that you can become a police officer, probation officer, a paralegal, an information security expert or many careers in between.

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If you are posted at one of Kentucky’s bases or are a veteran and wish to pursue post secondary education, a number of schools participate in the Post 9/11 GI Bill or Yellow Ribbon Program.

You also have the choice between taking a criminal justice degree in Kentucky on campus or online to fit your busy lifestyle, whether you are a stay-at-home mom, work full time or are in the military.

Check out the list below of campus and online criminal justice schools in Kentucky to request information on the degrees and courses they offer. Certificate, undergraduate and graduate programs include criminal justice, legal studies, homeland security, law enforcement, criminology, intelligence, cyber crime and more!

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Kentucky Criminal Justice Career Outlook

Criminal justice schools in Kentucky offer degree programs and courses to prepare you for some worthy careers. If you are considering pursuing a criminal justice or legal career in the Bluegrass State, we’ve provided some examples of state-specific employment and salary data in the table below. Employment growth percentages are sourced from Projections Central, which obtains its data from state employment agencies in cooperation with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Median annual salary data is sourced from the BLS, the “principal fact-finding agency for the Federal Government in the broad field of labor economics and statistics.” As you look at employment growth or outlook statistics, keep in mind that job openings also come from the need to replace workers who retire or who move on. These numbers are not reflected by employment growth percentages. In other words job openings come from both growth and from replacement needs. You can find “average annual openings” data at Projections Central for each state; and the BLS offers “Job openings due to growth and replacement needs” at a national level.

CareerEmployment Growth (2010-2020)Average Median Salary (May 2013)
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers6.8%$41,630
Detectives and Criminal Investigators3.1%$49,460
First-line Supervisors of Police and Detectives2.4%$58,130
Correctional Officers and Jailers1.6%$26,980
Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists15.0%$34,570
Information Security Analysts, Web Developers and Computer Network Architects19.1%$63,590
(information security analysts)
Forensic Science Technicians14.3%$40,700
Paralegals and Legal Assistants16.2%$42,050
Private Detectives and Investigators16.7%$46080
Security Guards16.3%$21,440
Emergency Management Directors7.7%$44,300

Employment Growth Data for 2010-2020, was obtained from Projections Central: http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm Kentucky and each individual occupation were selected among the “Search” drop down menus to yield % Change data. (Projections Central also offers average annual openings for many occupations).

Annual Median Salary (May 2013) was obtained from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) by visiting http://data.bls.gov/oes/search.jsp?data_tool=OES We selected “Multiple occupations for one geographical area”, followed by “State” followed by “Kentucky”. Then for each of the Occupation titles, we selected “All data types” to collect Annual Median Wage data.

Top Criminal Justice Employers & Agencies

A range of Illinois employers and agencies, large and small, hire criminal justice (i.e. law enforcement, corrections, judicial and related) professionals. One of Kentucky’s largest employers is its Department of Corrections which has several thousand personnel, including correctional officers, probation and parole officers, wardens, members of victim services, support services, and more. Look for information among the criminal justice schools in Kentucky for relevant educational programs to get hired on with this thriving department. Some examples include law enforcement, corrections, psychology/human services or occupational therapy degrees. (If you visit the Commonwealth of Kentucky’s Department of Corrections’ website, check out their annual reports as they provide great insight into the daily life of their employees).

Kentucky also boasts two U.S. Secret Services field offices. Additionally the state is home to one of the FBI-sponsored Regional Computer Forensic Laboratories, as well as the Small, Rural, Tribal and Border Regional Center (a branch of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center). If you are interested in a technological legal justice career, look into completing a criminal justice degree in Kentucky majoring in computer forensics, information security or cyber security.

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Studying in Kentucky – Did You Know?

  • Cora Wilson Stewart (1875-1958) is often credited as the country’s adult education pioneer. As a teacher and school superintendant in Kentucky, she started the Moonlight School Movement with the goal of teaching illiterate adults how to read as a means to combat poverty.
  • A number of Kentucky’s cities and towns have been deemed by numerous publications, like CNNmoney.com, U.S. News & World Report, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, USA Today & Rand McNally Best of the Road, Livability.com and BusinessClimate.com, as a great place to visit or live. The Bluegrass State has been recognized as a prime location for both young people and retirees, for affordability, business, culture, recreation, scenery, its welcoming manner and other factors. “From the smallest community to the most sophisticated city, Kentucky offers a wealth of resources sure to fit just about any lifestyle,” states BusinessClimate.com. “From world-class galleries and museums to scenic waterways and state parks, the Bluegrass State has a knack for turning visitors into full-time residents.”

Sources & Reference Information

  • http://www.projectionscentral.com/Projections/LongTerm
  • http://www.bls.gov/bls/infohome.htm
  • http://data.bls.gov/oes/search.jsp?data_tool=OES
  • http://www.knox.army.mil/
  • http://www.usmint.gov/about_the_mint/fun_facts/?action=fun_facts13
  • http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fort-knox-depository.htm
  • http://corrections.ky.gov/about/Pages/ResearchandStatistics.aspx
  • http://www.secretservice.gov/field_offices.shtml
  • http://www.krcfl.org/
  • http://srtbrc.org/
  • http://www.moreheadstate.edu/content_template.aspx?id=6704
  • http://www.kentuckypress.com/live/title_detail.php?titleid=1862#.U6MPhvldUud
  • http://businessclimate.com/kentucky-economic-development/kentucky-communities-gain-national-notice
  • http://businessclimate.com/kentucky-economic-development/charm-quality-life-welcome-newcomers-kentucky

Degrees by State