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Corrections Major

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Corrections

$68,350 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Corrections Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many corrections graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Basic Certificate 2,945
Associate Degree 669
Bachelor’s Degree 354
Undergraduate Certificate 68

What Corrections Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to corrections and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Corrections Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • Public Safety and Security - Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Administration and Management - Knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, human resources modeling, leadership technique, production methods, and coordination of people and resources.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Corrections Majors

corrections majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Abilities for Corrections Majors

Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a corrections student include the following:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

What Can You Do With a Corrections Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with corrections:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 6.6% $89,030

Who Is Getting an Associate’s Degree in Corrections?

669 Associate's Degrees Annually
58% Percent Women
59% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
This major is dominated by women with about 58% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of corrections majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 4
Black or African American 108
Hispanic or Latino 245
White 249
International Students 1
Other Races/Ethnicities 62

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Corrections, too. About 0.1% of those with this major are international students.

How Much Do Corrections Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $49,300 to $72,390 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to corrections. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for a Corrections Major  ( 49300 to 72390 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

Some careers associated with corrections require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for corrections careers below.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 50.6%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 7.2%
Some College Courses 10.5%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 11.2%
Bachelor’s Degree 7.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. 0.5%
Master’s Degree 7.6%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. 1.4%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 0.3%
Doctoral Degree 4.0%

Online Corrections Programs

In the 2020-2021 academic year, 245 schools offered some type of corrections program. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 65 5
Certificate (2-4 Years) 1 0
Associate’s Degree 123 12
Bachelor’s Degree 2 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 2 1
Post-Master’s 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 0 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Corrections Worth It?

The median salary for a corrections grad is $68,350 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 71% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $569,000 after 20 years!

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You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to corrections.

Major Number of Grads
Criminal Justice Studies 43,192
Criminal Justice 29,797
Criminal Justice & Police Science 22,593
Other Corrections & Criminal Justice 3,202
Criminal Justice and Corrections, General 1,100
Securities Services Administration/Management 662
Security & Loss Prevention Services 413
Corrections Administration 134
Law Enforcement Investigation & Interviewing 100
Juvenile Corrections 89
Protective Services Operations 20
Law Enforcement Record-Keeping & Evidence Management 0
Critical Incident Response/Special Police Operations 0

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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