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15 Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Schools

Written by College Cliffs Team At CollegeCliffs.com, our team, comprising seasoned educators and counselors, is committed to supporting students on their journey through graduate studies. Our advisors, holding advanced degrees in diverse fields, provide tailored guidance, current program details, and pragmatic tips on navigating application procedures.

Reviewed by Linda Weems I got started researching colleges and universities about 10 years ago while exploring a second career. While my second career ended up being exactly what I’m doing now, and I didn’t end up going to college, I try to put myself in your shoes every step of the way as I build out College Cliffs as a user-friendly resource for prospective students.

Updated: March 8, 2024, Reading time: 27 minutes

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A Criminal Justice degree is a program that focuses on the many parts of the criminal justice system. Students interested in this field will cover several topics, including corrections, law enforcement, the court system, and criminal behavior.

Best Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice - fact

A Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary and challenging field that combines the principles and theories of psychology, sociology, and law. The focus of this program will help professionals navigate the difficulties of the Criminal Justice System.

Listen to a quick audio summary of this article:

College Cliffs is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

The Lowdown

Online criminal justice programs will help students understand how the criminal justice system works day to day and familiarize themselves with the current problems and issues. Since the Criminal Justice Degree is a social science major, students will learn about the scientific methods and roles of empirical research in going over social problems.

Methodology

This list of 15 of the best online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice is a combination of online and hybrid formats offered by universities across the United States. These schools are suitable for adult learners who wish to earn a degree program but can’t find the luxury of time to attend regular brick-and-mortar schools.

This list is randomly ordered so students can easily choose the program specific to their needs. Each Criminal Justice degree program was picked based on the following factors:

Please read our Methodology for a comprehensive look at our ranking process.

The 15 Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice

The University of Massachusetts Amherst

The University of Massachusetts Amherst

Online Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice

For more than 40 years, The University Without Walls System of the University of Massachusetts has been recognized as one of the leaders in distance education in the US. The school offers an online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique?

Students can personalize their curriculum through course concentrations so that it becomes easier for them to pursue individual career pursuits along with their major coursework. This degree program is suitable for both working professionals and newcomers to the field of criminal justice.

Did you know?

Students in this program can bring in or earn up to 105 credits for their prior coursework to accelerate their degree, allowing them to save time and money. They can also create their degree concentration through their perfect mix of 100% online courses, on-campus offerings, and optional blended formats to fit their busy life.

Most of the courses are delivered asynchronously so students can conveniently complete their coursework based on their schedules.

Pierce College

Pierce College

HYBRID Criminal Justice/Crime Analysis and Investigations

Pierce College is an affordable community college that provides online Criminal Justice degrees. The school’s Criminal Justice/Crime Analysis and Investigations Department is bent on mentoring the present and future public servants of the criminal legal system.

What Makes the Program Unique?

The program allows for internships, stackable degrees, employment, and transfer credits to four-year universities. This can be achieved through courses, the school’s networking partners, and community forums.

Did you know?

This is a very thorough program that includes all of the most crucial topics, such as juvenile justice, ethics, victims and victimization, the correctional system, and many more.

Indiana State University

Indiana State University

ONLINE Bachelor of Science – Criminology/Criminal Justice

Indiana State University has an extensive list of online programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice Degree.

What Makes the Program Unique

The program is handled by faculty personnel who hold doctorates not only in criminal justice but also in jurisprudence, psychology, and sociology. These professionals also have experience as correctional officers, probation officers, prosecutors, criminal investigators, correctional therapists and counselors, and criminal justice planners.

Did you know?

Indian State University is one of the few schools that sponsor a chapter of Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the national criminal justice professional fraternity. Also, while this program is open to students in the US and all the provinces of Canada, it is closed to enrollees who are residing in other countries, except for US Military and State Department personnel and their family members.

Lamar University

Lamar University

ONLINE Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Based in Beaumont, Texas, Lamar University offers a web-based Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree. This program is designed to prepare students with a solid understanding of the basic principles related to the criminal justice field in forensics, national security, law enforcement administration, and law.

What Makes the Program Unique

The program provides certified peace officers the chance to transfer credits (up to 9 academic credits) gained during their officer training toward their degree. Texas municipal, state, or county peace officers are also qualified for the Peace Officer Tuition Exemption.

Did you know?

With more than 17,000 students, Lamar University is now one of the fastest-growing colleges and universities in Texas. And since LU is a member of the Texas State University System, the first higher education system of Texas, it has remained one with the lowest average tuition and fees.

Lamar University is Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges-accredited.

Just recently, Lamar University was designated as a Carnegie Doctoral Research University, one of the only 29 public schools in the entire US to ever receive this designation.

Tiffin University

Tiffin University

ONLINE Criminal Justice – Criminal Behavior and Criminalistics Concentrations

Tiffin University is a private university with affordable tuition costs comparable to or even less than most public universities. The school offers a criminal justice program in two concentrations: Criminal Behavior and Criminalistics.

What Makes the Program Unique

The professors at Tiffin University’s criminal justice degree program bring years of law enforcement experience, including intensive work in evidence processing. The school also partners with Terra State Community College for students to complete the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA) and be sworn in as police officers in Ohio.

OPOTA is state-mandated for all police officers and covers legal administration, firearms, traffic, human relations, driving, patrol, subject control, civil disorder, investigations, physical conditioning, and other crucial aspects of law enforcement.

Did you know?

The school’s Health Center is one of the best parts of Tiffin University. The services are all free, and students need not have any insurance to avail of the center’s services. There are also free, over-the-counter medicines and even COVID-19 testing.

Washington State University

Washington State University

Online Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

Washington State University is a top research university bent on improving lives and unlocking many possibilities for students. It offers a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice delivered online.

What Makes the Program Unique

The goal of this degree completion program is to empower students as creative evaluators, critical thinkers, effective communicators, and ethical actors concerning matters of crime and the administration of justice at the international, national, state, or local levels.

The program’s undergraduate outcomes and goals are closely aligned with the school’s Seven Learning Goals of the Baccalaureate, as well as with the standards set forth by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

Did you know?

Washington State University has maintained its outstanding reputation for world-changing research, academic excellence, and world-class faculty and alumni. Out of the more than 4,300 US colleges and universities, Washington State University is named as the 115th university with the “highest research activity.” WSU is home to some of the best professors in their respective fields, including members of the National Academies – the country’s highest honor for scientific researchers.

The University of Louisville

University of Louisville - Online Learning

Online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

The University of Louisville, a public research school in Kentucky, is a part of the Kentucky State University system. It is accredited by the SACSCOC. The school offers more than 200 degree programs, including its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

Unlike many online criminal justice degrees, the University of Louisville offers an accelerated BS-MS online degree for this field. Criminal justice majors who plan to pursue a master’s degree (MS) in Criminal Justice can quicken the process by applying some of the program’s undergraduate credit hours toward a master’s degree.

Students who are qualified for the accelerated BS-MS program enroll in three graduate courses (9 credit hours) as undergraduates that will apply toward the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. However, this accelerated pathway is not available for online-only students.

Did you know?

Students at the University of Louisville are among the most academically renowned in the entire US. The school is also one of the country’s top producers of Fulbright Scholars, one of the most prestigious prizes in the academe. Its average student ACT score is above the state and national averages.

The University of Colorado- Colorado Springs

The University of Colorado- Colorado Springs

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs (UCCS) is a public research university in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is one of the four campuses that make up the University of Colorado System. It is home to more than 12,000 students and offers more than 100 degrees and programs, from undergraduate to post-doctoral levels, including the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

This online criminal justice program allows students to use their major elective course options to form a concentration or “option area” in any of the following areas: Law Enforcement and/or Law and Forensic Studies.

Did you know?

Whether for traditional or online students, UCCS offers its students amazing financial aid, with each qualified student borrowing an average of $16,854. This is particularly helpful, considering almost a third of the total UCCS undergraduates come from families considered low-income.

And while UCCS is continuously growing, it has remained committed to small class sizes– with an average 15:1 student-to-faculty ratio.

Faulkner University

Faulkner University

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Based in Montgomery, Alabama, Faulkner University is a private school affiliated with the Churches of Christ. It has more than 60 on-campus majors and over 23 online majors, including its online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

Aside from studying the basics like criminal justice research, criminal law, and criminal justice ethics, students will also find interesting criminal justice electives that cover topics geared toward their chosen field, such as juvenile justice, fingerprinting, criminal behavior analysis, private security, terrorism, and more.

The school also offers an accelerated bachelor’s degree in criminal justice for those who have already completed two years of college coursework before entering Faulkner University. This is only a one-year program composed of six eight-week modules taken over three semesters. The courses can be taken either online or through its online hybrid program.

Did you know?

Faulkner University is not raising its tuition for traditional students this fall. The school understands how difficult things are economically, and they have seen families struggle financially. To help ease the burden, Faulkner decided not to raise their rates and implemented a freeze on its traditional tuition.

Ohio University

Ohio University

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, is the very first university that was chartered by an Act of Congress. It is also the first to be charted in the state. It offers more than 250 programs delivered on-campus and online, including the online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

This online bachelor criminal justice degree program has a flexible online format, offering asynchronous coursework and flexible advising. This will allow students to complete the program on their schedule. They can either take a full load and complete the degree in four semesters or pace the courses to fit their career and life.

Did you know?

Ohio University is rated “Very High Research Activity Institution” by the Carnegie Foundation, and researchers have more than 250 patents worldwide.

The school is also internationally recognized for its scholarship and research areas, as well as world-class fine arts programs. It is also home to dozens of facilities, institutes, and centers that advance world-class research and creative and scholarly work.

Florida International University

Florida International University

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Florida International University, with its main campus in Miami-Dade County, is the third-largest university in Florida, and the fifth-biggest public university in the US. A SACSCOC-accredited school, FIU offers nearly 190 bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs, including the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

Like many criminal justice degree programs, the bachelor’s degree from FIU will require students to take core criminal justice classes like Terrorism and Homeland Security, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, and Criminological Theory, to name a few.

Did you know?

Florida State University is a designated top-tier research institution emphasizing research as a significant component of the school’s mission. It is also consistently ranked in Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine’s “100 Best Values in Public Colleges.” Students pay less tuition up-front and have less debt after graduation than the national average.

Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University

online Bachelor of Science/Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, is one of the most prominent universities in the entire state, with an enrollment of nearly 25,000 for the 2021 academic year. The school offers 120 undergraduate programs and 130 graduate programs at the master’s, education specialist, and doctoral levels, along with a wealth of professional and certificate development programs.

ODU offers an online Bachelor’s degree (BS or BA) in Criminal Justice, designed to expose students to a variety of legal, social, and technological principles in the field of criminal justice.

What Makes the Program Unique

One of the best features of ODU’s online bachelor’s in criminal justice program is that most of its classes do not have a set scheduled meeting time. This allows students to easily fit their courses according to their schedules.

The school also partnered with the Virginia Community College System and chose educational institutions to make transfer credits recognized easily. Called the Guaranteed Admission Agreement, this is intended to smoothen the transfer process between Old Dominion University and the Virginia Community College System.

Did you know?

Old Dominion University is one of Virginia’s most affordable public doctoral universities that offers valuable and high-quality education. It is also consistently ranked the “Best Online Bachelor’s Program” and “Best National University” by the US News and World Report.

Arizona State University

Arizona State University

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Arizona State University, located in the metropolitan area of Phoenix, offers more than 800 degree programs– all taught and handled by student-focused and highly skilled professors.

ASU’s Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice is housed under Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions.

What Makes the Program Unique

At Arizona State University, the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When eligible, students can earn their master’s degree in criminal justice online in as little as one year following completion of the undergraduate degree. Through this opportunity, online bachelor students will save time and money and simultaneously earn advanced knowledge in criminal justice.

Did you know?

The US News and World Report recognizes Arizona State University as the nation’s most innovative school. Faculty members and students get to work with NASA to create, advance, and lead innovations in space exploration. It’s also normal to see Pulitzer Prize winners and Nobel laureates teaching master learners at ASU.

Sam Houston State University

Sam Houston State University - Online

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, is the third oldest public college in the state. It offers graduate, professional, and baccalaureate degrees in more than 170 fields of study through its eight schools and colleges.

SHSU offers one of the best online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice programs in the nation: the Bachelor of Science and Arts in Criminal Justice.

What Makes the Program Unique?

SHSU allows students to earn a degree by accumulating course credit hours. Students can earn these hours by completing online or in-person courses and transferring credits from another school.

And even if it’s an online criminal justice degree, the word “online” will not be shown on the transcript even if it was earned totally online. The online criminal justice degree will remain the same, regardless of how students earned their credit hours.

Did you know?

Sam Houston State University has competitive tuition rates combined with exceptional faculty, outstanding academic programs, and personal attention. This makes the school a great name in Texas and one of the best educational values in the state.

Bellevue University

Bellevue University Logo

Online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Bellevue University in Bellevue, Nebraska, is a private, non-profit, accredited university that has innovated online learning for over 25 years. Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, the school is committed to delivering the best quality digital experience possible.

Through its flexible online learning format, students can enroll in online programs and communicate efficiently, collaborate with their faculty and peers, and submit their assignments with ease.

This online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice is designed to be non-traditional and innovative. It exposes students to real society, preparing them for violence, social issues, and crime in an in-context format.

What Makes the Program Unique

The online criminal justice degree takes 127 total credits to complete: 37 credit hours for integrative general education, 36 credit hours for major requirements, and 54 credit hours for electives.

Through the school’s broad elective selections, students can choose any course related to their major and broaden their perspective in other areas of interest.

Did you know?

Bellevue University provides a quick and easy transfer experience, robust scholarship packages, and financial aid. All its students also enjoy the services of a dedicated support team – the enrollment counselor, the financial counselor, and the student coach.

This will make them feel comfortable and confident in the decisions they will make through graduation.

The Types of Criminal Justice Degrees

The Types of Criminal Justice Degrees

The different types of criminal justice degrees include associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, and master’s degrees. Students can choose any of these concentrations to tailor their education to their professional and personal interests.

The degree and concentration of their choices will influence their future career options.

Associate Degree in Criminal Justice

The associate degree in criminal justice will open doors to various entry-level jobs in this field, including crime scene investigators, police officers, and paralegals. This degree can be completed in just two years, and the courses will take students toward a bachelor’s degree.

With an associate’s in criminal justice, students will earn a variety of general education courses like criminal law, community relations, and law enforcement.

Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice

Aside from introductory courses, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice also explores specific courses, including criminal investigation, juvenile delinquency, and ethical behavior in criminal justice.

Those who are interested in the criminal justice field can choose from any of these specializations: forensics, corrections, or juvenile crime. It usually takes four years to complete a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Master’s Degree in Criminal Justice

A master’s degree in criminal justice usually takes two to three years to complete. In the field of criminal justice, the master’s degree program can help students land a specific job and increase their chances for career advancement. In criminal justice, there are two types of master’s degrees:

Criminal Justice Classes Overview

Criminal Justice Classes Overview

Students who are enrolled in criminal justice programs get to receive all-encompassing instruction on the judicial process. They will study and learn about the court system at the Federal and State levels, the differences between criminal and civil cases, and the appeals process.

Below are some of the standard classes in criminal justice that students might take as they begin their journey to earn a degree in the program.

Ethical and Legal Issues: From controversial current issues to ethical theory, students will write and read topics like economic justice, abortion, equality, the environment, sexual morality, and many more.

Criminal Law: Criminal law classes usually have themes of reasoning and criminal history behind statutory and common law standards and State and Federal penal codes.

Criminal Procedure: Criminal procedure courses will provide students with a thorough look into how the US Constitution influences legal proceedings, law enforcement, due process, and the procedures of protecting rights within the criminal justice system.

Criminology: This course will apply theories out of psychology, biology, and sociology, so students will understand why people commit crimes. It also takes factors and crimes about crime control and prevention.

Introduction to Corrections: This studies the foundations of corrections and the theories of punishment. It encourages critical thinking about the prison experience, the alternatives to incarceration, and the future of the US correctional system.

Criminal Justice and Law – Introduction: This class reviews various career opportunities in the field, different types of crimes and their corresponding penalties, elements of a crime, and an overview of Federal and State criminal law.

Introduction to Psychology: Students will learn more about the fundamental themes of human behavior. This includes child development, abnormal psychology, learning, cognition, personality, perception, and social psychology.

The Most Popular Jobs in Criminal Justice

Criminal justice jobs are constantly increasing, and there are different ways to get a criminal justice degree. Here are the most popular assignments in Criminal Justice that will always remain on-demand.

Information Security

Information Security is a very fast-growing field, knowing more and more companies are beginning to operate online. Those who major in information security will not only learn how to efficiently handle security breaches. They will also learn to stop security breaches before they happen.

Criminology

Not only is criminology fascinating, but it is also one of the fastest-growing fields in criminal justice. This major will attract people with keen critical-thinking skills and those who can handle stressful situations. Criminology entails understanding the minds of people who commit crimes.

With the use of deductive reasoning skills, criminologists can find patterns that will help explain how and why crimes are committed.

Paralegal

Working as a paralegal is a perfect way to get into the criminal justice field, especially for those planning to attend law school and obtain their graduate degree. Paralegals study the ins and outs of the law– helping lawyers and researching cases to make the best defense possible for their clients.

Social Work

This field is perfect for those who have a deep sense of empathy and social justice for others. In the field of criminal justice, social workers are the ones who help people go through tough times within the criminal justice system.

The Most Popular Jobs in Criminal Justice

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the job outlook for professionals in the Criminal Justice field?

The overall employment of criminal justice professionals like detectives and police officers is projected to grow by 3 percent between 2022 and 2032.

Is an online Criminal Justice degree well-respected?

In general, online degrees have become acceptable, especially among the younger generations. After all, these generations are born and raised to be digitally savvy.

However, those who plan to work in the paralegal field might encounter a challenging position, considering elite law firms are hesitant to hire online degree holders for paralegal positions. However, a school’s reputation is a major factor.

The bottom line is regardless of whether you graduated from a traditional brick-and-mortar university or an online college, the school’s reputation and accreditation matter.

Summary

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