Choosing the Optimal University for a Criminal Justice Career

An education in Criminal Justice can lead to a career that provides unique opportunities throughout such as; collaborating with other agencies, assignments in other countries and involvement in presidential inaugurations and such events. After comparing Sam Houston State University, University of California Berkeley, and Florida State University based on my criteria of distance from home, a strong education in Criminal Justice and internship opportunities in the Criminal Justice field, Sam Houston State University would be the best choice in helping me pursue a career in Criminal Justice. Criminal Justice is one of the most difficult and risk-taking majors you may pursue. Your journey in the Criminal Justice field can lead to exciting

Sam Houston State University is known to have one of the best Criminal Justice Programs in the nation. It is located in Huntsville, Texas and is an urban University with an enrollment of 20,107 students. “Sam Houston State University is…known for their excellent criminal justice program.” In the course of my research based on the university’s website, students are offered scholarships based on high test scores(ACT/SAT). In addition, the university has reasonable tuition costs and fees. Room and board averages approximately $8,324 per year while books and supplies average approximately $1,124 per year. Additionally, the student population is 61% female to 39% male. “In this major, investigators and agents find, package and send physical evidence to a lab for analysis.” Graduating with a Criminal Justice degree provides various career opportunities as a federal agent in a number of agencies. Some of those jobs include being a Border Patrol Agent or an ICE HSI Special Agents. “To be successful in this major you need…excellent verbal communication and a high fitness level”. (www.shsu.edu). After conducting my research, Sam Houston State University would be my best choice due to distance from home and their excellent Criminal Justice

While conducting my research about Criminal Justice, I interviewed my dad, Michael Renaud who is an ICE HSI Special Agent himself. He mentioned that “sometimes connecting the dots is not as simple as it may appear.” Getting into the federal government is tough, but you shouldn’t let anyone tell you you can’t follow your dreams. The federal government looks for agents with good backgrounds and high standards. You also need to stay out of trouble and don’t stop trying. You need to be able to have excellent writing skills and be well versed in a wide array of Federal Laws. Special Agents conduct long term investigations into large scale criminal organizations. The areas investigated include narcotics and human smuggling, cyber crimes, financial crimes, terrorism, national security and arms smuggling. After three or four years, an ICE HSI Special Agent can test for a supervisor exam. If successful, he or she is then eligible for promotion to the GS-14 Pay grade. After that, there are opportunities to promote to the GS-15 level and above. In order to promote above a GS-15, a Special Agent almost always must relocate to Washington D.C.(Interview done by an HSI ICE Special Agent, Michael Renaud). Choosing a path in the Criminal Justice field is a very unique, fulfilling and exciting opportunity. Although it does require hard work and commitment, it is not