Why study Criminal Justice at MC?
Are you looking for a stimulating career that provides the opportunity to serve others? A degree in Criminal Justice is one that prepares students to become professionals, researchers, and educators in a wide variety of contexts. Environmental protection officers, park rangers, and counselors of juveniles are fields open to graduates with Criminal Justice degrees. Additionally, federal agencies, such as the Secret Service, Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and Federal Probation and Parole, are seeking college graduates with criminal justice backgrounds. Other related fields include: public health (health inspector/regulation administrator), social work (case worker, child protective services agent, adult services provider), and city and state policy researchers.
Meet a Current Scot
Phoebe Deering
Hometown: Knoxville, Tennessee
As a double major in Criminal Justice and Developmental Psychology (with a track in Child Resilience), Phoebe wants to pursue her doctorate after graduation, with a goal of working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a behavioral analysis expert.
“I chose criminal justice because it sets you up for a broad range of career fields,” Deering said. “As we live in a time where social justice and the criminal justice fields seem to combat each other, I know that my time at Maryville has equipped me with the knowledge to work with a diverse group of people, but to also serve as an ally and a voice for those people.”
In that regard, she added, MC’s liberal arts approach is providing her with so much more than just classroom knowledge.
“Criminal Justice isn’t merely a degree, but rather an opportunity to learn the skills and knowledge of how to be socially and morally just, while protecting the people who need it the most,” she said. “I’m so thankful for the experiences I’ve had working in the criminal justice field at Maryville College.”
Meet a Recent Grad
Gavin Egan ‘20
Currently: Police Officer with Knox County Sheriff’s Office
Gavin has had a passion for law enforcement since youth. When he discovered the Criminal Justice major at Maryville College, he knew right away that he wanted to expand his knowledge regarding the American criminal justice system. He completed an internship at the Knoxville Police Department and was hired on full-time as a KCSO police officer. Eventually, he would like to work for a federal law enforcement agency.
“I believed that the individualized learning at MC combined with a dense criminal justice program would best prepare me for a future career in law enforcement,” he said of his decision to major in Criminal Justice.