Criminal Justice and Corrections at Institute of Technology

The numbers here tell an uncomfortable story: graduates earn just $25,131 in their first year—$8,000 below California's median for this program and ranking in the bottom 5th percentile nationally. While the debt load of $13,852 isn't catastrophic, that's cold comfort when you're earning roughly what you could make in many entry-level retail positions.

Even the upward trajectory offers limited reassurance. Four years out, earnings climb to just under $30,000, still trailing both state and national benchmarks by significant margins. The 19% growth sounds promising until you realize it's bringing graduates to where they should have started. Among California's 131 programs in this field, this ranks in only the 25th percentile—meaning three-quarters of comparable state programs deliver better outcomes.

For parents considering this investment, the core issue is simple: there's a substantial gap between what this program costs (in both tuition and opportunity cost) and what it delivers in market value. The top performers in California are producing graduates who earn $36,000 right out of the gate—nearly $11,000 more than Institute of Technology grads. Unless there are compelling personal circumstances that make this the only viable option, your child would likely see better returns from either a stronger criminal justice program or pursuing this career path through alternative entry points that don't require debt.