Best Online Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degrees

Investigate crimes, advocate for victims, improve correctional systems, or prepare for law school with an online criminal justice degree. An interdisciplinary academic field, criminal justice incorporates coursework in psychology, sociology, science, law, and technology. You might also participate in an internship with a law enforcement agency or correctional facility.

After graduation, you could pursue a career as a police officer, FBI agent, paralegal, forensic technician, or victim advocate. Alternatively, you could use your degree to help complete the requirements for admission to law school or a school of social work.

A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice can prepare you for an exciting career in policing, corrections, investigations, or another public safety vertical. This major may include courses in cybercrime, victimology, and terrorism. You might also participate in an internship focused on your interests, such as juvenile justice or crime prevention.

Schools offer a criminal justice major in different types of bachelor’s degrees:

Accreditation is a formal process in which independent accrediting agencies vet and verify a school’s academic quality against a set of standards. You must attend an accredited school in order to qualify for federal financial aid.

Some academic programs may be programmatically accredited as well.

Though neither the ED nor the Council for Higher Education Accreditation recognizes any specialized criminal justice accreditors, degree programs in this field may pursue endorsement by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS). That said, only a handful of criminal justice programs are currently endorsed by the ACJS.

*Includes law enforcement, security, firefighting, and related protective services programs

A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice can cost over $120,000 for the entire four-year program. However, this national average may not represent the price tag for your school since public universities often charge lower rates than private schools, and colleges with nationally recognized brands are often more expensive than smaller institutions.

You can reduce your total cost by maximizing your financial aid, finding an in-state college with a generous transfer policy, taking part-time courses, and living at home. To apply for federal financial aid, such as the Pell Grant, complete theFree Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The FAFSA is also the first step to securing many private scholarship funds. If you study online, you can earn money by working while getting your degree.

The BLS projects 2% growth in protective services jobs between 2023 and 2033, with an average of 419,300 annual openings to replace turnover in these roles.

With a bachelor’s in criminal justice, you could qualify for roles in policing, corrections, private security, and social services. The table below provides details on some of the most popular career paths in the criminal justice field.

An online criminal justice degree can equip you for graduate education in many legal and human service fields. Some of the most popular advanced degree programs include:

A four-year degree program in criminal justice can be worth it if you aspire to make a long-term career out of law enforcement. Although many local police departments hire officers with high-school diplomas, leadership roles and federal jobs, like FBI agents, typically require a bachelor’s degree or better. Higher education can also position you for pay raises in nearly any criminal justice career.

While you may find certain coursework or assignments challenging, a criminal justice degree is often considered a more accessible degree.

These programs cover various components of criminal law and the criminal justice system, which some students might find difficult to understand. The practical and physical elements might prove demanding as well.

With the proper commitment and determination, however, you can succeed in a criminal justice degree program.

Most students need at least four years to pursue an online criminal justice degree from start to finish. However, you can shorten your time to graduation by taking courses year-round, transferring credits from previous college experiences, or getting credit for nontraditional prior learning. Degree completion programs in criminal justice can also help streamline your education.

Yes, you can become a paralegal with a criminal justice degree. In fact, if you aspire to go to law school, a criminal justice major and experience as a paralegal could be an ideal pathway for you. However, employers may require you to hold an ABA-approved associate degree or certificate in paralegal studies.

Criminology and criminal justice are not the same field. Criminology is a social science discipline focused on the social issues that drive crime and its effects, while criminal justice is concerned with investigating crimes and navigating the legal system. Aspiring forensic analysts and police officers might choose a criminal justice major, but hopeful researchers and victim advocates could select criminology.