Find Affordable College Courses

What Do You Want to Study?

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary: Career Overview

Teach courses in criminal justice, corrections, and law enforcement administration. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.

What Do Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Perform?

The core tasks performed by criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary cover:

  • Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as criminal law, defensive policing, and investigation techniques.
  • Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
  • Evaluate and grade students' class work, assignments, and papers.
  • Compile, administer, and grade examinations, or assign this work to others.
  • Keep abreast of developments in the field by reading current literature, talking with colleagues, and participating in professional conferences.
  • Maintain student attendance records, grades, and other required records.
  • Prepare course materials, such as syllabi, homework assignments, and handouts.
  • Plan, evaluate, and revise curricula, course content, course materials, and methods of instruction.

Skills and Knowledge

Successful criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary rely on a mix of skills and domain knowledge.

Most Important Skills

The competencies that matter most in this role, rated on an importance scale of 0 to 5:

Speaking  4.8 / 5
0
5
Critical Thinking  4.1 / 5
0
5
Active Listening  4.1 / 5
0
5
Active Learning  4.0 / 5
0
5
Learning Strategies  4.0 / 5
0
5
Instructing  4.0 / 5
0
5

Knowledge Areas

Education and Training  4.5 / 5
0
5
English Language  4.5 / 5
0
5
Law and Government  4.5 / 5
0
5
Public Safety and Security  4.4 / 5
0
5
Customer and Personal Service  3.9 / 5
0
5
Computers and Electronics  3.8 / 5
0
5

Types of Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Jobs

This career also goes by job titles like:

  • Adjunct Criminal Justice Instructor
  • Adjunct Criminal Justice Professor
  • Adjunct Instructor
  • Adjunct Professor
  • Assistant Professor
  • Associate Professor
  • College Faculty Member
  • College Professor

How Many Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Are There?

There are about 46,533 criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary working in the United States today. Demand is forecast to grow by +12.0% over the projection horizon.

Forecasted number of jobs for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

How Much Do Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Make?

Statistic Value
Annual median $91,449
Hourly median $43.97
10th percentile $58,678
25th percentile $75,064
75th percentile $107,835
90th percentile $124,221

Wages vary widely based on experience, location, and industry.

Salary ranges for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

How Much Do Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Make in Different U.S. States?

State Annual median salary
California $136,240
Colorado $101,880
Wisconsin $97,290
Maryland $95,410
Oregon $82,400
New York $80,960
Minnesota $80,700
Utah $79,700
Puerto Rico $79,630
New Hampshire $79,620
Louisiana $79,470
Massachusetts $78,900
Rhode Island $78,520
Mississippi $78,280
Wyoming $77,910
Delaware $77,530
Missouri $77,410
Nevada $76,760
Texas $76,580
New Jersey $76,290
Virginia $74,940
Idaho $72,150
Connecticut $71,990
Pennsylvania $69,960
Arizona $68,350
Ohio $67,490
Washington $66,680
South Carolina $66,090
Illinois $65,390
West Virginia $65,350
Vermont $65,280
Nebraska $64,710
District of Columbia $64,360
Alabama $64,020
New Mexico $63,850
South Dakota $63,290
Oklahoma $62,730
Michigan $62,210
Maine $61,720
Georgia $61,540
Tennessee $60,780
North Carolina $60,080
Florida $59,660
Indiana $58,620
Kentucky $58,320
Arkansas $57,610
Iowa $52,500
Kansas $48,410

Top-Paying U.S. Regions

Compensation for criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary shift depending on where you work. These regions lead on median pay:

Region Median annual wage Share of U.S. jobs Location quotient
Far Western US $124,163 12.1% 0.76
Rocky Mountains $96,671 4.9% 1.71
Other U.S. Territories $79,630 0.2% 0.37
Middle Atlantic $77,974 18.8% 1.28
New England $77,026 4.4% 1.20
Southwest $73,640 12.5% 1.03
Great Lakes $70,007 13.1% 0.92
Plains States $64,625 6.2% 1.19

Where the Jobs Cluster

Metro area State Median annual wage Employment
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA CA $214,870 150
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA CA $164,500 60
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA CA $163,770 130
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA CA $162,810 120
Madison, WI WI $133,630 50
Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO CO $128,040 280
Milwaukee-Waukesha, WI WI $104,550 80
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA CA $103,940 510

Which Industries Hire Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

The bulk of criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary are found across these industries:

Industry Employment Median annual wage
Educational Services 13,330 n/a

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary work in the following industries:

Tools and Technology

  • Word processing software: Google Docs (hot technology)
  • Data base user interface and query software: Microsoft Access (hot technology)
  • Spreadsheet software: Microsoft Excel (hot technology)
  • Office suite software: Microsoft Office software (hot technology)
  • Electronic mail software: Microsoft Outlook (hot technology)
  • Presentation software: Microsoft PowerPoint (hot technology)
  • Word processing software: Microsoft Word (hot technology)
  • Computer based training software: Learning management system LMS (in demand)

What the Workplace Is Like

The work environment for criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary is shaped by the following characteristics:

  • E-Mail
  • Indoors, Environmentally Controlled
  • Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
  • Freedom to Make Decisions
  • Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams

Education and Training

Entry-level criminal justice and law enforcement teachers, postsecondary positions require a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education. The role falls in Extensive Preparation Needed (Job Zone 5), signaling the level of preparation typically expected.

Similar Occupations

About the Data

Data on this page comes from the following authoritative sources:

  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) for employment and wage data by state and industry.
  • BLS Employment Projections for total employment and growth forecasts.
  • O*NET (Occupational Information Network) for skills, knowledge, tasks, work activities, work context, technology, and education-zone data.

SOC code: 25-1111.00 (Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary).

Find Teaching Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited education & teaching schools across the U.S.