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Criminal justice professors shape the next generation of law enforcement, corrections and court professionals. Justice-system dramas and crime-scene investigation shows continue to make this field exceedingly popular among new students, and criminal justice professors are tasked with ensuring these students can hit the ground running, professionally speaking.

Many criminal justice professors have years of experience working in the field and teach the subjects best aligned with their experience. Some start out as assistant professors with the goal of becoming full, tenured professors. Tenure provides criminal justice professors with a new degree of academic freedom and unique job security: according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, tenured professors cannot be fired without just cause and due process. Tenure can also improve your earnings significantly.

Criminal justice professor salaries: Experience pays

Teaching criminal justice can pay relatively well, especially among tenured professors. According to the BLS, the median criminal justice professor salary in 2010 was $59,520, but the top 10 percent earned in excess of $108,980. Glassdoor.com, which collects salary data from various employers, reports that assistant criminal justice professor salaries ranged from $44,000 to $76,000, though tenured professors can earn significantly more. While it does not list salary information specifically for criminal justice professors, Salary.com reports that full professors in the related legal support field earned nearly $15,000 more in 2011 than assistant professors ($65,502 and $50,980, respectively).

When it comes to estimating your potential earnings, location matters. According to the BLS, the following states boasted the most competitive criminal justice professor salaries in 2010:

1. California: $96,540
2. Pennsylvania: $91,790
3. New Jersey: $72,830

Sometimes knowing which areas pay the best is not enough, however, as those living in expensive areas may lose their extra cushion to higher-than-average living costs. According to data provided by the BLS and the Council for Community and Economic Research, the following metropolitan regions were among the most lucrative for criminal justice professors in 2010 relative to cost of living:

1. San Bernardino, Calif.
2. The lower Michigan peninsula
3. Phoenix, Ariz.

Perhaps the most significant driving factor in your future earnings as a criminal justice professor, however, is your experience, and that includes your education.

How to become a criminal justice professor

Many criminal justice professors have experience in the field, but most colleges still require that they earn master's degrees or beyond. Some career or community colleges might consider applicants with bachelor's degrees when their work experience makes up for their lack of formal training. While criminal justice professor schools and training programs are in short supply, a degree in education, criminal justice or a related field should suffice.

Working professionals who want to transition to the academic world can often complete much of their criminal justice professor training online, though note that some schools require face-to-face internships within local schools or law enforcement offices.

Career outlook for criminal justice professors

Criminal justice professors are in high demand. The BLS reports that positions among all college professors are projected to grow by 15 percent between 2008 and 2018, but according to the University of Maine, positions among criminal justice professors specifically are projected to grow by at least 20 percent. Earning your degree can help you to gain credentials to compete for these positions.

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