Criminal Justice at McNeese State University

Lake Charles, LA · Public · Bachelor's Degree · Criminal Justice and Corrections

DegreeOutlook Score (Base Case) — assumes in-state tuition

Optimistic

Base Case

Pessimistic

Earnings $34,178/yr (-11% vs median)

AI Risk Moderate (36% exposed)

Job Market Very Large (480,600 openings/yr)

ROI 13.9x earnings multiple (11.8x out-of-state)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Criminal Justice graduates.

	Optimistic No Disruption	Base Case Gradual AI	Pessimistic Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings	$467K	$469K	$440K
Earnings Multiple (In-State)	13.8x	13.9x	13.0x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State)	11.7x	11.8x	11.0x
Probability of Field Employment	34%	32%	26%
DegreeOutlook Score	48	48	38

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition, In-State (Sticker)

$33,840

Out-of-state: $39,840 (11.8x ROI)

4-Year Net Price (After Aid)

$45,028

-33% less than sticker · See by income

Median Debt at Graduation

$24,685

8.7 months of Year 1 earnings

Reported Earnings (5 Year)

$40,540

19% growth from Year 1

McNeese State University accepts 68% of applicants, balancing access with selectivity, a smaller institution with 4,846 students in Lake Charles, LA.

Managers, all other $136,550/yr

First-line supervisors of police and detectives $105,980/yr

Detectives and criminal investigators $93,580/yr

For students who prefer applied learning, trade programs can deliver strong earnings with significantly less debt and shorter time to employment.

What does a 48/100 DegreeOutlook Score mean for Criminal Justice at McNeese State University?

At 48/100, the financial outlook is modest. Higher-scoring Criminal Justice programs exist, though non-financial factors may justify this choice.

Scores use College Scorecard earnings, BLS employment projections, and AI task-exposure research. See full methodology →