Criminal Justice and Corrections at Long Island University

The 65% jump in earnings between years one and four tells an unusually optimistic story for Long Island University's Criminal Justice program—graduates start at $31,432 but reach $51,807 by year four, well above both the national and New York state medians. That's rare in a field where many programs show flat or declining earnings trajectories.

However, there's real uncertainty here. With fewer than 30 graduates in the data, these numbers could shift dramatically with the next cohort. The first-year earnings sit at just the 10th percentile nationally, though that improves to the 40th percentile among New York programs (where starting salaries tend to run lower). The debt load of $27,531 is roughly average, creating a manageable 0.88 ratio to first-year income—not comfortable immediately after graduation, but potentially fine if that four-year earnings pattern holds.

The key question is whether your child will follow the trajectory that leads to $51,000+ or gets stuck closer to that $31,000 starting point. Criminal justice careers are notoriously dependent on connections, civil service exam performance, and geographic flexibility for agency hiring. If the plan involves staying in the expensive New York metro area while working toward a government position, those early years could be financially tight. The program's potential is real, but so is the risk that comes with a small sample size and a field where outcomes vary wildly based on individual circumstances.