I can tell that my wife really would love to work in criminal justice, but she's a psychology major. How can I help her achieve that? Oh, and we're financially broke with 3 kids at home. small obstacle huh.
2006-06-13 06:10:10 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Education & Reference ➔ Higher Education (University +)
Its not as hard as you may think! A BS in Psych. is a great degree to have. Yes, although general, its essential in understanding the human psyche. Doctors and nurses, social service workers, all are required to have classes in psychology. So, to answer your question, the decision is based on what field she's interested in, i.e. law enforcement, litigation, maybe a private investigator or forensics. All of these have different paths. There are many online accredited colleges that offer degrees to help her get there, and there are counselors to help guide her. Also, with your situation, she will most likely qualify for financial aid. There are also grants and scholarships she should look into, provided she's a "C+" student or better. People have a tendency to make excuses for themselves when they're not going where they want to. I'm a mother of two small children, married twice, and I am now a med. student at UNC, with a BS in Psychology. You can accomplish anything you set your mind to!
2006-06-13 06:26:12 · answer #1 · answered by carolinagrl 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Good on you for being so supportive of your wife. Financially broke and three kids aren't an insurmountable problem. But your wife needs to refine her goals a bit. The criminal justice field is very wide and she has to determine exactly what she wants to do, and then find out the prerequisites for that job. It's lovely to have a Masters or a PhD, but not always necessary, so her BA(Psych) may suffice.
Re-reading your question, I suddenly realized that you said, "I can tell my wife would really love to work in criminal justice..." How can you tell that? Has she ever said so? I'm just a tad concerned that you didn't say, "My wife would like to work in criminal justice..."
First thing the two of you should do is sit down and have a long talk about precisely what she wants to do. From there, you can make solid plans.
Good luck to you both!
2006-06-13 13:25:23 · answer #2 · answered by old lady 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It depends on what your wife would like to do in Criminal Justice. If she is interested in being a police officer, she needs to attend your local law enforcement academy. If she is more into the Forensic Psychology portion of criminal justice, she would have to continue with her education (sorry) and obtain a Doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology. I live in IL and I am Doctorate student at one of the private Psychology schools in Chicago. It is well worth the money and there are tons of scholarships out there. More and more jobs in Psychology are requiring at least a Masters degree; however, if she is fortunate enough to get in with the local State's Atty or Dept. of Corrections, she could have the chance to work her way up the ladder and still make decent money. Good luck to her!
2006-06-13 13:20:25 · answer #3 · answered by Hypnotiq73 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A degree is psychology is nearly universal. That means, your wife should be able to find some facet of Criminal Justice that fits her specific interests. The most obvious advise would be to look at local criminal justice jobs (by going online to your local facility, etc.) and looking at the qualifications for the job.
Psychology majors can actually serve as social worker types within the prison system. In addition, a degree in psychology is good for any type of public relations job. Certainly a college degree would satisfy some of the requirements for non-psych related jobs (jailer, etc.).
2006-06-13 13:16:58 · answer #4 · answered by Young Professor 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Why is she taking psychology if she wants to go into criminal justice?
There are lots of people that get their doctorates with 3 kids (my friend has 4 boys and she did).
She should decide what she wants to do and then research the qualifications.
(I hope she learnt how to use spell check in university.)
2006-06-13 13:16:14 · answer #5 · answered by Poutine 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If u have a diploma for college how come u don't go staright to the criminal justice department to apply for a job that is really wack what u are doing cause u have a career but u don't use it to get a job that is not good for u and ur family.
2006-06-13 13:25:00 · answer #6 · answered by jr570935 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess it depends on your area, but I know someone that has a degree in early childhood development and has a career as a felony probation officer. Go to your local government website and search. There are plenty of government positions that only require a degree and arent real particular about what kind of degree. I'm not sure about criminal justice .
2006-06-13 13:17:04 · answer #7 · answered by Anne E 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A BS in Psychology usually doesn't land a good paying job. A person generally needs a master's or PhD in that field to get any where.
2006-06-13 13:22:09 · answer #8 · answered by mama_wizard 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Look at the FBI website, there are a wide variety of jobs I'm sure she'd qualify for. If she did pursue a Grad level degree that would only make it easier to find a good job.
2006-06-13 14:01:12 · answer #9 · answered by jaburch87 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i suggest you apply for financial aid if she have done well in her GRE.
I heard that you can get scholarships quite easily that way. Some universities actually give out FULL scholarships very easily when it comes to pursuing a masters degree and doctoral degree.
I think your wife have to do criminology or criminalist psychology as her master or Ph.D
You can get much more information at http://www.princetonreview.com its free! go to college then go to majors and careers. just sign up to gain access... its free
I will pray for you and your family.
God bless =)
2006-06-13 13:29:00 · answer #10 · answered by ryan_manchester 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋