by: Cory Cascalheira

It's hard not to admire the casts of primetime crime TV. Every week, shows like CSI: Miami and Criminal Minds tackle a new case, solving it after 25 minutes of heart racing drama. The highly trained teams of forensic scientists, detectives and criminal investigators are always at the cutting edge of their respective fields, discovering hidden clues and possible suspects at critical moments. While a career in criminal justice will certainly be rewarding, it's important to acknowledge real crimes don’t unfold as systematically as they do on TV.

Criminal justice is an interdisciplinary major that focuses on crimes, laws and the operations of the judicial system. Criminal justice majors can expect to take classes in statistics, the philosophy of law, forensics and criminology. At most schools, criminal justice programs prepare students for a career in law enforcement, usually at the state level. Some programs offer internships with the local police department; these opportunities provide hands-on experience and can often lead to job placement upon graduation.

A criminal justice major can also prepare students for graduate work in more specialized areas, such as forensic analysis and criminology. These degrees, usually offered at the master's and doctorate lev