An administration degree in criminal justice can pave the way for a graduate to become anything from a corrections officer to a special agent. The program emphasizes the ability to evaluate and interpret laws. The degree focuses on collecting and analyzing data. Being able to efficiently communicate verbally is considered important for an administration degree.
Criminal psychology programs, also known as forensic psychology, train students to be psychological experts in legal matters. They prepare graduates to be able to provide therapy to clients as well as assist in criminal cases. A criminal psychologist may be called into court to testify on whether a defendant is fit to stand trial, whether a death was an accident or suicide, or whether an elderly person is capable of making his own decisions.
Some degrees are tailored for potential candidates for police departments. These programs teach all of the basics of criminology but also meet all the requirements of the state police agencies. A law enforcement degree has a much narrower focus, elevating a graduate's chance of becoming a police officer, but is less applicable toward other criminology careers. Often, colleges and programs that offer law enforcement degrees assist with job placement for individual graduates.
The types of forensic degrees focus on the tactics and science involved in collecting and analyzing data to solve a case. Some of these degrees have been renamed "Crime Scene Investigation" degrees because of the popularity derived from the term due to the television show. Someone interested in becoming a detective would major in forensics. There are also various subsets of forensics, from forensic entomology---using insects to determine time of death---to fingerprint specialist.