Current Journalism major...thinking about switching

[Santo]

Im currently majoring in Communications --> Broadcast Journalism, at William Paterson University (New Jersey). It's something I've always liked to do and it's a field that's pretty broad and has many job opportunities. Thing is, the major itself is kind of easy for me and Criminal Justice has always been the field that interests me the most. So, I want to take Criminal Justice but my school only offers Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice. Take a look at the courses they offer ---> http://ww2.wpunj.edu/cohss/sociology/programs.htm.

I don't even know if it's worth double majoring, or switching up majors. I mean, IS IT worth it? Im interested in Criminal Justice not neccesarily Sociology. Is it the same thing to major in Sociology: Criminal Justice at my school as oppose to Criminal Justice at another school?

I was even considering transferring. I dorm, so expenses are pretty high. Parents live in NYC, not too far from John Jay College, one of the best Criminal Justice schools in the country. It would be a lot cheaper for me to go there, but then again, I would ONLY be limited to Criminal Justice (no COMM.)

Any thoughts? They'd be greaaatly appreciated.

[greenlead]

I'm not really qualified to comment, but I think a degree in Journalism would come in handy if you decided to become a police officer.

[canuckofapeach]

At least you could spell. :D

I know an Officer with a Fine Arts degree; it didn't hinder him in the hiring process.

[Kimble]

Santo,

First, read this: http://forums.realpolice.net/showthread.php?t=44734

Im currently majoring in Communications --> Broadcast Journalism, at William Paterson University (New Jersey). It's something I've always liked to do and it's a field that's pretty broad and has many job opportunities. Thing is, the major itself is kind of easy for me and Criminal Justice has always been the field that interests me the most. So, I want to take Criminal Justice but my school only offers Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice. Take a look at the courses they offer ---> http://ww2.wpunj.edu/cohss/sociology/programs.htm.

I don't even know if it's worth double majoring, or switching up majors.

If you're university offers a double major, do that. The college I've worked at for the past 2+ years does not have a double-major option, but if yours does, do so, or minor in CJ.

I mean, IS IT worth it?

Having a Criminal Justice degree - by and large - will give you no real advantage over other applicants with degrees in other fields with most departments. There are exeptions, but by an large they are just looking for educated applicants with a degree.

Im interested in Criminal Justice not neccesarily Sociology. Is it the same thing to major in Sociology: Criminal Justice at my school as oppose to Criminal Justice at another school?

No. My CJ master's degree had a heavy sociology/criminology slant to it, and it's not the same as a purely CJ degree. A degree founded in sociology will go over numerous sociological/criminological theories, research methods, social science and policy research design. On the other hand, a degree that's purely CJ generally will touch on "hot topics" like crime scene analysis, current issues in the CJ field, homeland security, etc.

I was even considering transferring. I dorm, so expenses are pretty high. Parents live in NYC, not too far from John Jay College, one of the best Criminal Justice schools in the country. It would be a lot cheaper for me to go there, but then again, I would ONLY be limited to Criminal Justice

If you want an exclusively CJ education, John Jay is a great place to do it. They do offer CJ and fire science degrees, but also offer concentrations you may not find elsewhere, like computer forensics, forensic science, economic crime, and others, as well as great ties with the local CJ system for internships and career fairs. If you can afford it, its a great school, but you need to think long and hard whether it would be best for you (financially, living conditions, eventual career placement, etc.) to leave your current school/program and transfer to another.

[Santo]

Having a Criminal Justice degree - by and large - will give you no real advantage over other applicants with degrees in other fields with most departments. There are exeptions, but by an large they are just looking for educated applicants with a degree.

So..double majoring in COMM and SOCIOLOGY with a concentration in CJ would be good enough? Criminal Justice, out of all the majors, is the one that interests me the most. I know they say it's good to have a "plan b" and major in something else since it won't hurt you when you're trying to get a job in the field, but since my school only offers a Sociology concentration in CJ, I don't know if it's enough "CJ" for me. You know what im saying?

No. My CJ master's degree had a heavy sociology/criminology slant to it, and it's not the same as a purely CJ degree. A degree founded in sociology will go over numerous sociological/criminological theories, research methods, social science and policy research design. On the other hand, a degree that's purely CJ generally will touch on "hot topics" like crime scene analysis, current issues in the CJ field, homeland security, etc. If you want an exclusively CJ education, John Jay is a great place to do it.

What do you mean by "Hot Topics"? So your CJ degree had a lot to do with Sociology? How did you like that?

[Kimble]

So your CJ degree had a lot to do with Sociology? How did you like that?

I didn't like it. Taking one course in criminology is fine, but all my professors were criminologists (not former cops or other professions in the CJ system), so criminological theory was thown into every class. Some may like this, but I'd have preferred it not be so theory-riden. The good thing was my university was in a metropolitan area, so it afforded me the opportunity to do two really good internships (one local and one federal) that were right near the university.

[H.R. Cufnstuf]

I'd say stick with the journalism. No one will be able to challenge your report writing skills and if it's easy for you you'll come out with a higher GPA.