How to Get a PhD in Justice Administration

Over two million Americans are in jail. When you add on top of that the nearly five million Americans on parole or probation, the immensity of the criminal justice system starts to come into focus.

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Whether you think of the criminal justice system in terms of size or in terms of the importance of the work, you can see that this system is the source of many significant career opportunities. If a job in this field interests you, one option would be to earn a PhD in justice administration.

Pursuing a doctorate degree is a big step. It takes a commitment of resources including time, money, and intellectual energy. Therefore, it is a decision to be considered carefully, so that you can ultimately make it with complete confidence. This guide helps you reach that decision by taking you through the various steps involved in contemplating a PhD in justice administration:

Deciding whether a doctorate in justice administration fits your career plans. There are plenty of jobs within justice administration, from entry-level jobs that you might not need a degree to pursue, to high-level administrative, policy-making, and teaching jobs. It is for these higher-level positions that a PhD in justice administration might be an asset. In a sense, then, the decision of whether to pursue a doctorate in justice administration is one of how high you intend to rise in the field.

Evaluating opportunities within justice administration. There are not only a variety of levels to justice administration, but the field is also extremely broad. Different careers within justice administration may focus on the present or the future; they may also focus on policy or implementation. Getting a sense of your specific career goals helps you identify the skills you need to acquire as you pursue your PhD in justice administration.

Choosing a graduate justice administration program. There are many considerations that go into choosing a PhD program, and these are complicated by the fact that there are relatively few programs offering a PhD in justice administration. Broaden your search by considering an online PhD in justice administration, but you should consider several other selection criteria as well.

Navigating the application process for a PhD in justice administration. It is likely that a doctorate program will be the most competitive academic program you have ever experienced. Careful planning helps you put your best foot forward in the application process.

With so much at stake in U.S. justice administration, the system needs qualified people to help meet its goals today and determine its direction tomorrow. The following steps can prepare you for becoming part of that system by earning a PhD in justice administration.

Examining How a PhD in Justice Administration Fits into Your Career Plans

The first question is whether you need a PhD in justice administration to meet your career goals. There are some good jobs in the field that you can qualify for with a lesser degree, and it may not require any degree at all just to get into the profession on some level. However, if you really want to make a difference by working at the highest levels of justice administration, a doctorate might come in handy.

Specifically, a PhD in justice administration may be an asset in the following situations:

You want to run for public office. Many higher-level positions in justice administration are publicly elected, and having a doctorate in the field might help distinguish you from your rivals.

You apply for government job. Appointments to government posts can be subject to highly-specific hiring protocols, so an advanced degree can help ensure that you meet these standards.

You want to work in a policy or consulting capacity. A great deal of research and analysis goes into examining trends and techniques in justice administration, and into making recommendations about future policies and tactics. A doctorate in justice administration helps you qualify for employment within a "think tank" or similar research and advisory institution.

You want to teach in the field. Given the size of the justice administration system, a constant demand for qualified personnel exists. You can help meet this demand by teaching courses in this subject, in which case a doctorate in justice administration helps you qualify for college-level jobs.

In particular, if you have already gained some employment experience within the justice administration system, you may have already seen how a doctorate could help you get to the next level of opportunity. If so, the next step is to start to think about which area of justice administration you want to pursue.

Evaluating Opportunities Within Justice Administration

Justice administration is complex--it draws on many academic disciplines and skill sets, and it takes on many forms in practice. As you consider a career in justice administration, it would be helpful to recognize some of these diverse elements and identify which apply most to your situation.

Academic disciplines include:

Law
Social sciences
Philosophy
Statistics
Organizational management

A study of justice administration is likely to include all of the above to some degree, but you can tilt your overall course of study in one direction or another depending on your interests and aptitudes.

Speaking of aptitudes, some of the skill sets required for justice administration include:

Interpersonal and mass communications
Decision-making
Maturity and stability
Personal integrity
Persistence
Team-building
Individual responsibility

How are these skills applied? Here are some of the many jobs that contain some element of justice administration:

Executive officer--law enforcement
Judge
Department of corrections administrator
Legislator or legislative advisor
Policy researcher
Professor of justice administration

When you have identified which aspects of justice administration are relevant to your abilities, interests, and career plans, you can focus your search on a PhD program that addresses those elements effectively.

Choosing a Graduate Justice Administration Program

PhDs in justice administration are not commonplace, so when choosing a graduate justice administration program, you should cast a wide net by including both on-campus and online PhD programs, and also by considering related program labels such as law & policy, criminal justice administration, or other programs that are substantially the same as a PhD in justice administration.

Use online guides and Web sites to help you identify relevant on-campus and online PhD programs, as well as publications that annually review colleges. The Department of Education's Web site is also a good reference source for topics such as financial aid and accreditation.

After you've identified an initial list of candidate programs, you can begin your narrowing-down process. The following are some of the steps involved in moving from a wide field to a short list:

Assemble a full list of candidate programs. At this stage, don't eliminate either on-campus or online PhD programs. Before you go through some of the other selection criteria, you won't be able to tell whether an on-campus or online PhD in justice administration is the best overall fit for your needs. Start with the most inclusive list you can, and again, be sure to look for PhD programs with similar names to justice administration.

Check accreditation status. Accreditation is an important baseline requirement for the PhD programs you consider. Independent agencies perform regular evaluations of their member institutions in order to validate their academic quality. In addition to ensuring the value of your degree, you may also be able to gain access to federal funding. Visit the Department of Education Web site for more information on accreditation standards.

Find out which schools fit your budget. Cost can be a quick way to pare down your list of candidate schools--you shouldn't spend much time on researching programs you can't afford. Cost may also be a key factor in choosing between an on-campus or an online PhD in justice administration, because online PhD programs are often very cost-effective. However, don't make any final decisions about cost until you've explored your financial aid options.

Match the program with your career goals. Some programs may be particularly strong in management techniques, while others emphasize law and policy, while still others lean toward statistical analysis. Think of what skills you may need for your career, and identify the programs that may do the best job of developing those skills.

Consider the program's reputation. Some schools may simply have more prestigious names than others. You can gain additional insight by researching college guides and rankings such as those published annually by Kiplinger's and U.S. News & World Report. Asking potential employers is another good source of information on how schools are regarded, and it's also a good way to make contacts.

Research the quality of the faculty. For this, you'll want to look at what schools the faculty attended and what degrees they've earned, as well as the books and articles they've published and other positions they've held. More quantitative factors include the average tenure and the student-teacher ratio.

Assess geographic access. At this point, you may have started to identify some schools you like. Now, you have to decide whether the locations of those programs are practical for your situation. If a school is not in your area, can you afford to move there and live on or near campus? Depending on your location, you might find that an online PhD in justice administration is a practical solution to the geographic issue.
Decide about campus environment. Here, if you've still got more than one school that meets the previous criteria, you can start to make more subjective judgements about what kind of learning environment you want. Do you value the personal interaction of an on-campus program, or the convenience and simplicity of an online PhD program? Do you want a big or small campus? Something cutting-edge or in the classic academic tradition? These choices come down to personal taste, but they can affect your learning experience.

Check admissions standards. The goal here is to aim high, but not unrealistically high. Having a fallback school with easier standards is not a bad idea.

By the time you've waded through all these criteria, your list of candidate schools should be considerably shorter. Your short list makes the application process that much easier.

Pursuing a PhD in Justice Administration: The Application Process

Chances are, you can find details about each school's application process on the Web sites for those schools. As you research this information, make a list of what materials you need to submit and when those materials are due. Timing is the key to a successful application process, and some items take considerable lead time to get ready. Work backward from the due dates to figure out when you have to start various steps in the process, and leave yourself plenty of time to spare.

Some of the items that you need to submit may include:

Transcripts from prior schools
Score reports from the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) or similar standardized tests
Writings or examples of work product
Letters of recommendation from prior employers or teachers

There is also likely to be a cost involved in applying to each school, so don't apply frivolously. Pick your spots so you can conserve your financial resources and put your best foot forward where it matters the most.

Beyond the PhD in Justice Administration: Furthering Your Career

Earning your PhD in justice administration can be an important step forward in your career, but there are additional things you can do to make the most of your doctorate degree. Some things that can further your career include:

Read widely on the subject. Don't just gravitate toward points of view that agree with your own. Studying opposing viewpoints can help broaden your view, or at least help you debate the subject knowledgeably.

Become an authority on topics related to justice administration. Look for opportunities to publish articles, give speeches, or make media appearances.

Cultivate a wide range of contacts. Seek out people in law enforcement, the judicial system, and academia. Consult them for their views, and seek their advice on your career goals.

Become active in associations related to justice administration. Often, there are local groups dedicated to issues related to justice administration. Joining these groups is a good way to learn about what's going on in your community, and to make yourself known to people who could help your career.

Justice administration includes a number of functions which are essential to a fair and orderly society. Take each step toward this career seriously, and you can benefit both yourself and society at large.