Home Schools University of Houston-Downtown Criminal Justice
Public Safety & Security · Criminal Justice Rank #49 of 629

Criminal Justiceat University of Houston-Downtown

Graduates earn $42,122/yr in their first year — about 9.0% above the national Criminal Justice average. Base-case 10-year earnings $521K; scenarios range from $482K to $523K depending on AI disruption.

Houston, TX Public Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
63 SOLID
63
Optimistic
53
Pessimistic
Earnings
$42,122
1-year post-graduation
ROI
16.9x
Earnings : in-state tuition
10-yr Base
$521K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
Moderate
40% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at University of Houston-Downtown

University of Houston-Downtown's Criminal Justice graduates start at $42,122/yr — above the $38,544 national average, though not by a wide margin.

The 16.9x earnings multiple means ten-year projected earnings exceed tuition cost by an order of magnitude. By pure financial math, this is a standout.

AI risk is moderate — 36% task exposure — and the 8% scenario spread suggests disruption would dent but not destroy the earnings outlook.

Loan repayment is a non-issue here — $19,815 in median debt clears quickly against $42,122 in annual earnings.

A #49 ranking out of 629 Criminal Justice programs nationally puts University of Houston-Downtown in the top 10% — a strong but not elite position.

The five-year earnings trajectory from $42,122 to $55,229 shows 31% growth, reflecting steady but unremarkable salary progression.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$482K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score53/100
Earnings Multiple15.6x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$521K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score63/100
Earnings Multiple16.9x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$523K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score63/100
Earnings Multiple17.0x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Houston-Downtown's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Criminal Justice graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Managers, all other
+4.5% 10-yr growth · 106,700 openings/yr
$136,550/yr
Moderate
2
First-line supervisors of police and detectives
+2.9% 10-yr growth · 10,900 openings/yr
$105,980/yr
Moderate
3
Detectives and criminal investigators
-0.7% 10-yr growth · 7,800 openings/yr
$93,580/yr
High
4
Financial examiners
+18.5% 10-yr growth · 5,700 openings/yr
$90,400/yr
High
5
Emergency management directors
+3.0% 10-yr growth · 1,000 openings/yr
$86,130/yr
Moderate
6
Transit and railroad police
+3.0% 10-yr growth · 200 openings/yr
$82,320/yr
Low
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Criminal Justice

How University of Houston-Downtown stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
Charter Oak State College
CT · Public
67
DW Score
$69K
1-yr earn
19.3x
ROI
Herzing University-Birmingham
AL · Private nonprofit
67
DW Score
$67K
1-yr earn
10.9x
ROI
Herzing University-Atlanta
GA · Private nonprofit
67
DW Score
$67K
1-yr earn
10.9x
ROI
Herzing University-Minneapolis
MN · Private nonprofit
67
DW Score
$67K
1-yr earn
10.9x
ROI
Herzing University-Akron
OH · Private nonprofit
67
DW Score
$67K
1-yr earn
10.9x
ROI
Also at University of Houston-Downtown

Other top programs at University of Houston-Downtown

Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Houston-Downtown, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

Consider the trade route

Not sure a 4-year degree is the right path? Trade programs in Criminal Justice offer shorter timelines, lower debt, and strong AI resilience for hands-on careers.

Compare Criminal Justice trade programs on TradeSchoolOutlook →
FAQ

Frequently asked about Criminal Justice at University of Houston-Downtown

How does University of Houston-Downtown's Criminal Justice program score?

This program scores 63/100, reflecting respectable but not exceptional financial outcomes for Criminal Justice graduates.