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Summary:
This article looks at some of the results of graduate tracking by the Criminal Justice Department at Faulkner University over an eight-year period (1995-2003) and provides some insight into the career paths of students who graduate with a four-year degree in criminal justice.  The eight-year study reports on two groups of students: traditional day students (18-22 year olds) and adult students (23 years plus with full-time employment).

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Graduate Tracking
ICJE Feature Article, May 27, 2003

Where Have All the CJ Graduates Gone?

Dr. Louis M. Harris, Jr., Chair, CJ Department, Faulkner University, Montgomery, Alabama.

Introduction

The 1960s popular song, “Where have all the flowers gone?” by the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary recently came to mind as the May 2003 CJ Graduating Class walked across the stage.  Since 1998 the CJ Department has conducted an annual review of its degree programs.  Much of the information used in the annual evaluation is obtained from graduates through telephone contacts, mail surveys and most recently, contact by e-mail. In an attempt to be responsive to market demands, CJ courses have been added and deleted based on the annual review results.  For instance, an introductory course in Terrorism was added as an elective in 1998 due to changing world events and feedback from CJ graduates in law enforcement.

The Criminal Justice Department offers the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice in two formats: the traditional day format (typically students 18-22 years old) and the adult evening format (typically 23 or older and working in the CJ field).

Graduate tracking information is used by the CJ Department to make the following annual assessments:

Whether or not CJ courses are meeting the demands of the job market in each sub-field: law enforcement, private security, courts and corrections;

What role, if any, did an internship play in determining a student's future career path; and

Are the CJ Department's writing requirements relevant to the organizational requirements in the CJ field?

This article will report some of the findings of the 2003 CJ Graduate Tracking Assessment.

Traditional Day Format

The traditional CJ format began in 1993 with the first students graduating in 1995.  The following chart depicts the percentage of students employed in each area of the Criminal Justice System.



The following frequency distribution table depicts the number of students who graduated each year and their employment.

                                               Traditional Day Students
YR
LE
PS
MIL
CTS
COR
OTH
NR
 Total
%
1995
   1
  1
    2
   3.6
1996
 2
 1
   1
  2
    6
 10.7
1997
  2
   2
  2
    6
 10.7
1998
  1
   2
  1
  2
    6
 10.7
1999
  1
 2
  1
    4
   7.1
2000
 1
   4
  2
  3
  1
  11
 19.6
2001
   2
  2
  1
    5
   9.0
2002
  3
 1
  1
  3
    8
 14.3
2003
  1
 2
   2
  3
    8
 14.3
Total
  8
 5
 4
 14
  3
17
  5
  56
%
14.3
 9
 7.1
 25
  5.4
30.3
  8.9
100%
Key:     YR     Year day students graduated with B.S. degree in CJ
LE     Law enforcement at the federal, state or local levels
PS     Private security (all non-governmental, for-profit organizations)
MIL     All branches of military service
CTS     Courts, prosecutor offices and law firms
COR     Corrections (prisons, jails and community corrections agencies)
OTH     All non-CJ related jobs
NR     No response (lost contact with student)

Analysis and Discussion:

     Two statistics warrant immediate attention: the large number of graduates employed in non-CJ related jobs and the low number of graduates employed in corrections.

     Conventional wisdom suggests that students major in a discipline with the intent of pursuing a career in a related field of employment.  This study shows that about one-third of the CJ graduates entered a non-CJ field primarily in the business and managerial areas.  Many of these students reported that their employers required a non-specific college degree.

     Another interesting statistic is the low number of graduates entering corrections.  With the rate of incarceration at record levels in Alabama and the high demand for corrections employees in Alabama and nationwide, five percent seems unexpectedly low.  Advertisements for corrections-related job opportunities dominate the CJ bulletin board and salaries are competitive with entry-level jobs in law enforcement and private security.  Are corrections employment opportunities less attractive to graduates?  Are the selection processes more difficult?  Are the requirements for correction employments comparable to other CJ employment opportunities? Is this phenomenon related to curriculum?

Both of these observations suggest future research to ascertain curriculum needs to meet market demands on CJ graduates.

Adult Evening Format

     An adult evening program began in 1993 with the first students graduating in 1995.  The program was converted to a one year, lock-step degree format in 1998.  The following chart depicts the percentage of adult graduates in each area of the Criminal Justice System.


The following frequency distribution table depicts the number of students who graduated each year and their field of employment.  


                                                Adult Evening Students
YR
LE
PS
MIL
CTS
COR
OTH
NR
Total
%
95-97
12
7
1
4
2
 5
 0
31
 12.2
98-99
14
2
0
6
5
 0
 3
30
 11.8
2000
19
5
2
8
2
 2
 1
39
 15.4
2001
19
5
1
13
9
 5
 3
55
 21.6
2002
19
18
3
8
4
16
 9
77
 30.3
2003
  8
6
3
2
0
  2
 1
22
   8.7
Total
   91
   43
   10
   41
   22
    30
   17
  254
%
35.8
 16.9
    4
   16.1
   8.7
  11.8
   6.7
100%
Key:     YR     Year day students graduated with B.S. degree in CJ
LE     Law enforcement at the federal, state or local levels
PS     Private security (all non-governmental, for-profit organizations)
MIL     All branches of military service
CTS     Courts, prosecutor offices and law firms
COR     Corrections (prisons, jails and community corrections agencies)
OTH     All non-CJ related jobs
NR     No response (lost contact with student)

Analysis and Discussion:

     The percentage of graduates in the law enforcement area seems reasonable given the incentives offered by law enforcement agencies in Alabama.  These incentives include tuition assistance, flexible work schedules and access to one of Faulkner University's campuses (Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery and Mobile).  Officers generally report that they use the CJ degree for promotion within their current employment or to seek employment at the federal or state level in law enforcement.

     Predictably, adult students seem more focused on their career path and fewer adult CJ graduates obtain employment outside the CJ field.  About 12% work in non-related CJ areas such as business and management positions.  The rationale for these phenomena mirrors the traditional student graduate response - the job just required a degree.

Comparison of Traditional and Adult Student Post College Employment
Certain trends may be observed from the following chart that provides a comparison of traditional and adult student employment.  For instance, traditional students tend to be employed in non-CJ jobs more than adults and law enforcement officers comprise a significant portion of the adult student population.  The following chart clearly displays these differences.



Conclusion
     The lyrics of Peter, Paul and Mary's ballad observe that the flowers are “a long time passing.”  To the contrary, today's CJ students tend to move rapidly through their college days, many completing the so-called four-year degree in three years.  Job opportunities in the CJ field are diversified and abundant; the current job market provides immediate employment following graduation.  The tragic events of September 11 may have a future impact on employment opportunities in the private security field but those influences have not appeared in Alabama to date.  Graduate tracking provides an important element in the curriculum assessment process and gives significant insight into the course needs of traditional and adult students.  This article has provided a brief snapshot of where the CJ graduates have gone and employment differences between the traditional and adult student groups.