Career Preparedness: Perspectives from C&CJ Alumni at an SCU

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State comprehensive universities (SCUs) feature degree programs designed to help graduates achieve their career aspirations. Criminology and Criminal Justice (C&CJ) programs have become popular at SCUs, in part because students are inspired by media portrayals of law enforcement to work in the criminal justice field. Yet little is known about how C&CJ alumni of SCUs perceive their educational experiences. For this exploratory study, an online survey was distributed to alumni of a Southern SCU C&CJ program. Alumni were asked about their perceptions of their own career preparedness following graduation and their satisfaction with the C&CJ program. Overall, alumni were satisfied with their education and felt prepared for the workforce. Students raised in the same region as the location of the SCU felt particularly ready to establish a career upon graduation. The findings have important implications for future research in the area of career preparedness among SCU graduates and C&CJ majors specifically.