Why Study Criminal Justice: Insights From Dr. Elicka Sparks
Written by:
Appalachian State University
• Dec 3, 2025
From lawyers and judges to police officers and victim advocates, criminal justice professionals don’t see their careers as jobs but as callings. Some are called to protect their communities on the front line, others to advocate for the vulnerable and still others to hold the justice system itself accountable.
No matter how a person feels called to serve, though, that journey can start by earning a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (BSCJ). However, before beginning, students need to consider why they should study criminal justice at the bachelor’s level, what career paths it opens up and how they can make earning a degree happen.
To answer those questions, there’s perhaps no better guide than someone who’s been there before: Dr. Elicka Sparks of App State Online’s Criminal Justice program.
Since beginning her own criminal justice studies, Dr. Sparks has taken her passion for the field to exciting places and is committed to helping her students do the same.
Career Opportunities for Criminal Justice Students
For many students, the main reason to study criminal justice is simple: it’s the first step toward an impactful career in a vital sector. Fortunately, a professional with a bachelor’s degree can enter the workforce in any number of positions with strong career potential.
With a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice, a professional can become a:
-
Law enforcement officer at the local, state or federal level
-
Probation or correctional officer
-
Victim advocate
-
Paralegal
-
Claims adjuster, appraiser, examiner or investigator
-
Private investigator or fraud investigator
After gaining some experience, a criminal justice professional can pursue higher-level roles and more advanced degrees. For example, an experienced paralegal can earn a Juris Doctor (JD) and become a lawyer, while a law enforcement officer can become a detective or an administrator.
Dr. Sparks, however, took a different but equally rewarding route — one that underscores just how big the field of criminal justice really is.
Dr. Elicka Sparks: Professor, Researcher, Consultant and More
After earning her BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice, Dr. Sparks earned a master’s and a Ph.D. in the same subject. She’s been an award-winning, much-loved professor at App State for over 20 years.
“Homicide has always been an area of expertise and interest for me and I love to learn and teach about it,” she said. “I get to teach thousands of students to go out and make a difference.”
In addition to homicide, Dr. Sparks is an expert in intimate partner violence and violent religious extremism. She also uses her knowledge to train criminal justice professionals to work with the victims of sexual assault and often works as a consultant, expert witness and victim advocate.
While Dr. Sparks is more than happy to share her expertise locally, her career has taken her to some unexpected places, as well.
“I was working on a United Nations advisory board on Violence Against Women,” she remembered. “And Gloria Steinem introduced me to my coauthor on the intimate partner violence book, Kit Gruelle.”
Through that introduction, Dr. Sparks coauthored Intimate Partner Violence: Effective Procedure, Response and Policy. First published in 2016, it is an accessible, evidence-based guide for everyone from first responders to lawmakers.
Criminal Justice: A Field That Needs Professionals from All Walks of Life
As Dr. Sparks’ career trajectory highlights, criminal justice is a field that needs professionals with all kinds of skill sets. It needs prodigious researchers like her but also those who want to work on the front line, those with a mind for effective policy and those with exceptional technical skills.
As such, Dr. Sparks is quick to encourage students who’ve decided they want to study criminal justice but aren’t sure about their academic abilities to consider earning their degree and finding their niche. In fact, when Dr. Sparks began her own journey, she had no idea which direction she would go.
“I had no idea I was smart — I didn’t do terribly well in high school — and I had no idea learning could be so fascinating and fun until college,” she said. However, self-doubt wasn’t the only thing in Dr. Sparks’ way at first.
“I had to drop out of high school and become an emancipated adult in my sophomore year due to some family problems,” she remembered. “In my mid-20s, I decided to try to get into a university, did, and worked several jobs at a time throughout school to make ends meet. I’ve worked as everything from a cab driver to a server at Denny’s on the midnight shift.”
Along the way, Dr. Sparks says her professors were always there to support her, directing her to scholarships and other resources she needed to continue her studies. Now, she’s paying it forward to her own students at App State Online.
Why Study Criminal Justice at App State Online
To Dr. Sparks, earning a degree in criminal justice was life-changing, but she knows it’s not always easy to accomplish. “I understand that my students are facing challenges that I know nothing about, and I think it helps me be more understanding, supportive and encouraging, generally,” she said. “I want everyone to have access to higher education.”
For that reason, when App State Online started planning to offer the BSCJ program through the Flight Path Program, Dr. Sparks was quick to jump on board.
“I volunteered to develop and teach every course in my area of expertise. Thus far, that includes Theories of Crime and Justice, Victimology, Writing in Crime and Justice, and Criminal Law,” she said. “I’d love to develop my Homicide course for Flight Path, as well.”
This 100% online program is specifically designed for students who’ve started their bachelor’s studies but have had to pause them. App State Online works closely with students to transfer all applicable credits, so they can start preparing for new careers or advance their current ones.
To find out more about the curriculum and how App State Online faculty such as Dr. Sparks support their online students as they find their callings, request more information today.
Recommended Readings