Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: Similar Median Pay, Different Work

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

Consider Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary if you want to teach courses in criminal justice, corrections, and law enforcement administration. Consider Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary if you would rather teach courses pertaining to recreation, leisure, and fitness studies, including exercise physiology and facilities management. Both list doctoral or professional degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary and Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $76,590
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Prepare and deliver lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as criminal law, defensive policing, and investigation techniques.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,100

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (15,700 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

National median pay (2025): $77,270
Route into the job: Doctoral or professional degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Initiate, facilitate, and moderate classroom discussions.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 1,000

Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (15,200 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

How the national numbers differ

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary is at 2.2% projected growth, compared with 1.5% projected growth for Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary.

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary is at 1,100 annual openings, compared with 1,000 annual openings for Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary.

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Compare actual offers, expected paid hours, schedule, and benefits before treating either career as the higher-paying option.

36.9/ 100

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

37.9/ 100

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

Dimension	Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary
Median pay (2025)	$76,590	$77,270
Pay percentile	67.2 percentile	67.9 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	1.5%	2.2%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	1,100	1,000
2025 employment	15,700	15,200
How you qualify	Doctoral or professional degree	Doctoral or professional degree
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 5
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary brief Read Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary brief

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

How the national numbers differ

Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on projected growth

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary has the edge on annual openings

National pay benchmarks are very similar.

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary vs Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary

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