Colorado Technical University

What college degrees can a convicted felon get?

I work in a jail and I've been asked what type of degrees are still open to convicted felons. I don't know the answer and finding it online hasn't exactly been easy. I would appreciate any help given.

Public Comments

1. If you do the course work you get the degree. It's getting hired that's difficult.
2. It partly depends on convicted of what exactly. Someone with a history of dealing drugs might have trouble clearing a background check in nursing or pharmacy. Someone with a history of beating/harassing children won't make it in a background check for teaching. Most banks won't have a lot of respect for bank robbers so finance/accounting might be out of the question. I'm thinking a majority of jobs in criminal justice would frown on hiring felons and the defense contractors that hire engineers that need a security clearance might have some issue there too. I know a lot of musicians that have had their fair share of legal troubles. I suspect that nobody cares much about the legal history of writers. Unless the degree program requires internship type experiences (nursing clinical, student teaching, finance intern, etc...) the college shouldn't care so much about the student's background and may not even ask. The issue is likely to come up more when it's time for a job search.