Criminal Justice and Corrections at Georgia Gwinnett College

In Georgia's crowded criminal justice field—with 37 competing programs—this bachelor's degree faces an uphill battle. Similar programs across the state suggest around $37,300 in first-year earnings, which aligns with the national median but trails significantly behind top Georgia performers like Herzing ($67,229) and Reinhardt ($62,019). That $30,000 earnings gap isn't trivial when you're starting at under $40K.

The estimated debt load of $27,250 is actually better than Georgia's typical $30,658 for this field, putting the debt-to-earnings ratio at a manageable 0.73. For a school serving a large population of Pell recipients (50%), keeping debt below national and state averages matters. Still, peer programs suggest your child would be earning less than $3,200 monthly before taxes in year one, making even modest loan payments a squeeze.

The concerning reality is the program's small graduate cohort—too few for the DOE to report actual outcomes—which raises questions about career support and employer connections in a field where institutional networks often determine who lands the better-paying law enforcement or federal positions. Before committing, push the school for placement specifics: which agencies hire their graduates, and what percentage actually secure full-time positions in the field versus settling for lower-paying security work?