Criminologist
Criminologists research crime, victimisation and the justice system's response, producing the evidence that police, courts and governments use to make decisions.
- Median salary*
- $93,600
4.3%vs last year, before tax
- People employed*
- 2,000
0.0%vs last year
- Projected growth*
- +6%
to 2035
- AI exposure*
- Moderate
- automation risk
- Average hours*
- 38/wk
−2h vs all jobs
- Shortage status*
- Not in shortage
national
Most criminologists work in state and federal justice departments, the Australian Institute of Criminology, universities or community organisations, where they turn police, court and corrections records into evidence about what is happening and why. The role sits closer to social research than to forensic science: a criminologist studies offending, victimisation and how the system responds, while a forensic scientist analyses physical evidence from a crime scene. The field is small, at about 2,000 people, so teams are usually a handful of researchers and analysts working alongside policy staff.
How much do criminologists earn?
The median full-time salary for a criminologist is $93,600 per annum, before tax, up $19,800 since 2018.
Pay follows the sector you work in more than the job title. Government research and policy roles sit on a public service classification scale with defined annual increments, while university positions depend on academic levels and the length of grant funding behind them. Contract research can pay well per project but is rarely steady, and many early roles are fixed-term or part-time.
What does a criminologist do day to day?
The list below is what fills most weeks; the exact mix shifts with seniority and whatever stage the current work is at.
- Pulling together police, court and corrections data to see where offending concentrates and how it changes over time
- Designing surveys, interviews and evaluation studies, then writing them up as a journal article or a government report
- Testing whether a program did what it set out to do, such as a youth diversion scheme or a change to bail laws
- Briefing policy officers, police or community organisations on what the evidence shows and where the gaps are
- Mapping crime and disadvantage with tools such as ArcGIS to show how place and offending relate
What skills do criminologists need?
Employers look for data analysis, statistical modelling, policy analysis and advice, backed by SPSS fluency and strong written communication.
Specialist skills
- Data analysis
- Statistical modelling
- Policy analysis and advice
Software and tools
- SPSS
- R
- ArcGIS
- Tableau
- NVivo
General skills
- Written communication
- Problem solving
- Attention to detail
- Stakeholder management
Is the job growing?
About 2,000 people work as criminologists in Australia, and employment is projected to grow 6% over the decade to 2035. That's modest growth: demand is steady rather than booming.
How do you become a criminologist?
Here's the path most criminologists take, step by step.
- 1Complete a bachelor degree
A three-year degree in criminology, criminal justice, sociology or a related social science is the standard entry point, and an honours year is worth taking if you want to work in research.
- 2Build your research methods
Statistics and research design are what get people hired in a small field, so choose quantitative electives and learn one analysis package such as R, SPSS or NVivo properly.
- 3Get a first job in the sector
State justice departments, the Australian Institute of Criminology, police research units and university research centres take on graduates and research assistants, and an internship or research assistant job during study is the usual way in.
- 4Add postgraduate study to lead research
26% of criminologists hold a postgraduate qualification, and a master's degree or PhD is generally expected for roles that head a research program or teach.
- 5Consider a sideways entry
People move across from policing, corrections, law and community services, but you will usually still need a degree to shift into research or policy work.
Ready to apply as a criminologist?
Whether you're working toward becoming a criminologist or already are one and want a hand with the next step (sharpening your resume for ATS screening, tightening your cover letter, or knowing what you'll actually be asked at interview), here are examples grounded in this specific role, not generic templates.
What jobs can a criminologist move to?
Moving into Policy Officer typically comes with the biggest pay rise, worth $19,400 a year more on average.
| Move to | Typical pay change | Overlap | Retraining |
|---|---|---|---|
| Policy Officer Criminologists bring justice policy knowledge and research skills to policy officer roles, needing only a short course. | +$19,400 | 53% | short course |
| Intelligence Analyst Criminologists bring analytical research and understanding of criminal behaviour to intelligence analyst roles, with a short course. | +$19,400 | 53% | short course |
| Data Analyst Criminologists bring research design and quantitative analysis to analyst roles, adding a short course in technical tools. | +$7,800 | 57% | short course |
| Sociologist Criminologists bring crime theory and research methods to sociology roles, with little retraining needed. | +$5,200 | 65% | minimal |
| GIS Analyst Criminologists bring crime mapping and spatial analysis skills to gis analyst roles, with a short course in specialist software. | +$5,200 | 53% | short course |
Moves are chosen from Jobs and Skills Australia's Data on Occupation Mobility, which follows income tax records between 2011-12 and 2020-21, together with entry requirements and skill overlap. A known move is one people were seen making in that data. Pay change compares median full-time pay for the two roles.
Who works as a criminologist?
The typical criminologist is 42 years old; 60% are women, 75% work full-time, and full-timers average 38 hours a week.
- 42
- Median age
- 60%
- Female share
- 75%
- Full-time
- −2h
- vs all-jobs avg
What's it like being a criminologist?
The work runs on projects: a research or evaluation project takes shape over months, with quiet stretches of cleaning data and running analysis, then busier weeks when a report is due or a briefing is scheduled. Full-time criminologists average about 38 hours a week, most of it at a desk with statistical software, reading or writing. It suits people who are comfortable with ambiguity, like working with data and can explain a complicated result in plain language.
What people like
- Evidence that gets used. A well-run evaluation can change how a program is funded or delivered, and you are often in the room when that decision is made.
- The subject keeps changing. One project might be youth offending in a regional town, the next bail reform or family violence reporting, so the material stays new.
- Access to data most people never see. Clearance to work with police, court and corrections records is the raw material of the field, and it makes detailed analysis possible.
- A small field with a clear reputation. Most criminologists in Australia know each other's work, so a careful paper or evaluation travels quickly and builds your name.
What people find hard
- Short-term funding. Many research roles are fixed-term contracts tied to a grant or a government project, so you may change jobs every two or three years before landing something ongoing.
- The evidence rarely gives a clean answer. Evaluations often find a program worked a little, or only in some places, and reporting that honestly can be harder than reporting a clear win.
- Slow access to data. Ethics approvals, data access agreements and freedom-of-information processes can take months before analysis even starts.
- Findings can be inconvenient. Research that contradicts a government's position may be published late or receive little attention, which can be frustrating after a long project.
Based on our synthesis of professional-body surveys and public accounts of the role, not first-person verified reviews.
Which industries employ criminologists?
Public Administration and Safety employs the largest share of criminologists, followed by Education and Training.
Top employing industries
- 1Public Administration and Safety
- 2Education and Training
- 3Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
- 4Health Care and Social Assistance
- 5Other Services
Ranked by employment share; the source doesn't publish an exact percentage per industry.
| Bachelor degree | 52% | |
|---|---|---|
| Postgraduate | 26% | |
| Diploma / Advanced Diploma | 13% | |
| Other | 9% |
Will AI replace criminologists?
Criminologists work with large datasets and long documents, which is the kind of material AI tools handle well, so a fair share of the role is exposed. Statistical packages and language models already speed up coding, analysis and first drafts of literature reviews. What keeps the exposure at a moderate level is the interpretive and political side: deciding which questions matter, meeting ethics and privacy obligations with sensitive data, and explaining to an agency or a minister what the findings do not show.
Share of typical working time by exposure level
- Cleaning and coding research dataSorting and coding interview transcripts or case file records is increasingly done by language models, which can label thousands of documents in minutes, though someone still sets the coding frame.30%high
- Running statistical analysis on crime datasetsTools such as R and SPSS automate regressions and trend analysis quickly, but choosing the variables and checking whether the model reflects how police actually record crime is the analyst's job.25%high
- Writing literature reviews and drafting reportsA language model can summarise dozens of papers in an afternoon, yet the critical reading, the argument and the judgement about which sources are sound still come from you.25%moderate
- Designing studies and advising on policyFraming a research question, negotiating data access with a police agency and telling a minister that the evidence is mixed depend on relationships and accountability that no tool takes on.20%low
Common questions about becoming a criminologist
Straight answers to the questions people ask most.
How much do criminologists earn?
Criminologists earn a median of $93,600 per annum, before tax, and the figure moves with sector and level. Government research and policy roles follow a classification scale, while university and contract roles depend on grant funding and the length of the appointment.
How do I become a criminologist?
Start with a three-year degree in criminology, criminal justice or a related social science, then build statistics and research design skills. Graduate and research assistant roles in justice departments, police research units and university centres are the most common first jobs.
Are criminologists in demand?
Criminologists are currently not in shortage, and employment is projected to grow 6% over the decade to 2035. The field is small and hiring moves with government funding cycles and research grants, so a strong methods skill set widens the range of roles you can apply for.
Will AI replace criminologists?
Not the whole job, but AI is already part of the work. Software handles much of the coding of interview transcripts and case files, and statistical tools speed up trend and regression analysis, while choosing research questions, handling sensitive data ethically and explaining findings to agencies and ministers still rests with the researcher.
What else can a criminologist do?
Sociology is a close move, drawing on the same theory and research methods, and it pays $5,200 more. Policy officer roles use your justice knowledge and evidence skills and pay $19,400 more, and data analyst roles suit criminologists who want to work with numbers and pay $7,800 more.
Is criminology the same as forensic science?
No. Criminologists study offending, victimisation and the justice system using social research methods, while forensic scientists examine physical evidence such as DNA, drugs or trace material. The two meet in court and investigation work, but the training and daily tasks are different.
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