Criminal Justice Schools and Programs
Studying Criminal Justice and what it entails
If you have an interest in law and enforcement, then you may want to consider applying for various colleges and Universities pan India for enrolling in one of their courses on Criminal Justice.
While Criminology deals with studying the crime and the reasons as to why the crime was committed in the first place, Criminal Justice is more about society’s reaction to the same.
With a criminal justice degree, you can then opt for various careers in this sector, such as:
- Lawyer
- Corrections officer
- Detective
- Criminologist
- Forensic scientist etc., just to name a few.
You may have noticed that the lines are blurred when it comes to criminology and criminal justice, and to an extent that’s true in the sense you can opt for bachelors in criminology and then choose criminal justice.
In the end, it is about what you are interested in and how you would want to proceed ahead with it. When it comes to criminal justice majors in India, most colleges and universities offer LLB or LLM; in case of the former, you would be applying for the same post your high school graduation or while you are currently pursuing your UG degree.
However, in the case of LLM or Masters of Law, you can apply for this, only after your graduation with a percentile pass of 60% (but this depends more on the individual colleges that you apply to).
Criminal Justice Schools and Programs
There are various schools and universities across the world that you can apply to, in order to pursue your interest in Criminal Justice as a major. While you would be required to meet the requirements of each college or University that you apply to, some allow you to apply with the results of a common entrance exam, which should help facilitate the process of admission.
Some of the law Universities in India have adopted the same process and while you do not have to sit in for a GRE exam, you would still be required to sit for the common Law admissions test or CLAT, in order to apply for their LLB and LLM programs.
Most of the national laws Universities take the CLAT into consideration when evaluating your application form. Some of those universities are, NALSAR, NLSIU, WBNUJS, NLU, NLIU, and GNLU.
Top Criminal Justice Schools in India
NALSAR (Nalsar University of Law)
This prestigious law university offers both LLB and LLM programs to both undergraduates and graduates. It also offers doctoral research programs and uses CLAT as one of the main metrics when evaluating various application forms for admission.
NLSIU (National Law School of India University)
The NLSIU also happens to be the first law university in India and was first established in concert with the then Karnataka government, in 1986. Today, it stands out as a premier law University and offers students both LLB and LLM degrees. It too utilizes CLAT as an essential tool to review and evaluate admission applications.
WBNUJS (West Bengal National University of Judicial sciences)
This is one of the elite law schools across India and is also one of the most competitive and it too utilizes CLAT as one of the metrics for evaluating all admissions applications.
NLU (National Law University, New Delhi)
This is a premier law University located right in the heart of the capital; one of its main objectives is to impart comprehensive education to students following various disciplines and programs.
It currently offers two LLM programs and also has in place various scholarships that students can avail for the duration of their respective courses. It too uses CLAT as one of the metrics for evaluating admission applications.
NLIU (National law Institute University, Bhopal, India)
This is one of the few elite universities to offer a combined BBA, LLB (Honors) program and uses the CLAT as well, for evaluating the various admission forms it receives from all over the country
It is closely affiliated with the bar council of India and is one of the ranking members of the association of Indian Universities.
Work experience
When it comes to applying for new jobs post graduation, you may find that companies value work experience much more than any other metric with the rather simplistic view that you had worked in the field, and therefore, you are interested in the same.
The point is that applying for a temporary position, during the holidays may end up securing a high paid job which is why it may pay well to work as a legal intern during the holidays in between the semesters.
Check with your college or Institute, they may have an ongoing internship arrangement with a few companies – failing which, you can always check online and apply for the same. But you need to make sure that the temporary job you apply for is in the same field, preferably Legal.
You may want to check in with a few legal companies, talk to them and you can even volunteer your time for free, as long as you can add the time at the company in your resume.
Conclusion
Pursuing a degree in the field of criminal justice in India may not be an easy task; that’s granted, especially when you see the various choices, for specializations starting back at you in the face. This is why it makes perfect sense to discuss your options with your career counselor so that you may get a better idea of what a career in criminal justice exactly entails.
You can also become a tenured professor in the same subject, provided you have the required qualifications for the same. With the field so wide open, there are various careers that you can opt for, once you have graduated from Criminal Justice.
Please make sure that you review all the college and university admission terms and regulations carefully before applying for the same. While most law schools follow the general guidelines as it applies to new students, some of the basic rules are bound to change.
These are some of the points that you have to look out for when applying to various schools and colleges pan India, for either an LLB or an LLM degree.
