The Best Criminal Justice Degrees for Veterans
Veterans can apply their training and skills to pursue various careers in criminal justice. In addition to law enforcement, criminal justice degrees can lead to careers in advocacy, law, and social work. The best criminal justice degrees for veterans offer credit for military service and military tuition breaks.
Plan your new career using this criminal justice degree resource page. Explore the best degrees for veterans, along with potential careers and financial aid opportunities.
Popular Online Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
The Best Criminal Justice Degrees for Veterans
Veterans can pursue criminal justice jobs beyond law enforcement. Criminal justice graduates with military backgrounds can also find employment in accounting, computer science, law, and other fields. You can qualify for various criminal justice jobs with a degree at any level.
The following sections outline popular criminal justice majors and career paths for veterans to pursue.
Did You Know…
In 2020, nearly 137,000 federal law enforcement officers were employed across 90 agencies. More than half of federal law enforcement works in criminal investigation.
College Credit for Military Experience
Colleges often review your military training and experience and provide college credit if it meets their criteria. This process typically requires requesting your transcripts from your military branch and submitting it to your school.
Submit a request via the Joint Services Transcript website if you served in the Army, Navy, Marines, or Coast Guard. Requests for transcripts from the Air Force or Space Force go through the Community College of the Air Force.
Veterans can receive college credit for experiences that include completed coursework in the military, military jobs, and military occupational specialty training.
Financial Aid for Veterans
Veterans have unique options to pay for their college education. Beyond the GI Bill®, veterans can receive tuition discounts and scholarships. The following section covers the various options available to veterans and how to apply.
GI Bill
The Department of Veterans Affairs has administered benefits from the GI Bill since 1944. This program helps veterans and their families pay for a college education. Veterans can apply for tuition benefits through various GI Bill programs. The most commonly used programs include the Post-9/11 GI Bill and the Montgomery GI Bill. Candidates must have been honorably discharged to receive these benefits. Requirements include 90 days of active service, 30 days of active duty with a service-related disability, or receiving a Purple Heart award. The GI Bill supports veterans for up to 48 months.
The amount you can receive through the GI bill depends on the school, degree, and benefits package. For instance, the Post-9/11 GI Bill provides up to $27,120 for private academic institutions. At public colleges, The GI Bill covers your net tuition and fees.
Tuition Discounts and Waivers
If you are a veteran, you may qualify for tuition reduction. Financial help to veterans varies by college. Purdue Global, for instance, provides a tuition discount of 38% to veterans pursuing undergraduate degrees and a 14% deduction to graduate students. States like New York and Texas also offer tuition help to veterans pursuing degrees at state colleges and universities.
Recipients of the Post-9/11 GI Bill, the Montgomery GI Bill Active Duty, and Veteran Readiness and Employment can also qualify for in-state tuition even if they do not meet residency requirements.
Scholarships
While the Post-9/11 GI Bill generally pays for tuition and applicable fees through the doctoral level at public schools, it is not enough in many cases to complete advanced degrees or pay for private schools. Scholarships allow veterans to pursue higher education even after their GI Bill funding has run out. The list below highlights a few examples of scholarships specifically for veterans:
AMVETS Scholarships
- Sponsoring Organization: AMVETS National Service Foundation
- Amount: Up to $12,000
- Application deadline: April 30
Veterans and active duty military personnel can apply for the AMVETS scholarships to help cover undergraduate college expenses left after the GI Bill and grants. Eligibility requirements include U.S. citizenship, honorable discharge, and a minimum 3.0 GPA. Funds only support undergraduate studies or trade programs.
Legacy Scholarship Program
- Sponsoring Organization: Army Women’s Foundation
- Amount: $1,000-$2,500
- Application deadline: Jan. 2025
The Legacy Scholarship Program supports female veterans pursuing certificates, undergraduate degrees, and graduate degrees. Criteria include academic achievement, community involvement, letters of recommendation, and personal essays. To apply, you also need between a 2.5 and 3.0 GPA, depending on the scholarship.
Tillman Scholars
- Sponsoring Organization: Pat Tillman Foundation
- Amount: $10,000
- Application deadline: Feb. 2025
This foundation supports veterans and spouses from all branches of service by offering 60 scholarships every year. Candidates pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees on a full-time basis can apply. Each application must include two 400-word essays, a 250-word biography, photos from military service, and proof of service.
Veterans United Foundation Scholarship
- Sponsoring Organization: Veterans United Foundation
- Amount: Varies
- Application deadline: March 31
The Veterans United Foundation Scholarship provides awards to veterans and their families. To apply, you need to be a surviving spouse, a child of a service member, or a veteran with a service-related disability. This scholarship awards students pursuing associate, bachelor’s, graduate, and doctoral degrees.
On-Campus vs. Online Programs
You can use your GI Bill benefits for “independent” and “distance learning” degrees. Online degrees from accredited colleges and universities offer the same education as brick-and-mortar programs.
A distance-learning format can benefit those with personal or professional obligations. Online degree-seekers may be able to complete assignments and discussion posts in a self-paced structure or attend live courses remotely at specific times.
Enrolling in an online degree does not prevent you from using your GI Bill benefits to pay for tuition and fees. However, veterans enrolled in online degrees only get 50% of the national average for their housing allowance.
Resumes: Applying Your Military Skills to Criminal Justice
Veterans have advantages when applying for competitive jobs in the criminal justice arena. While a recent criminal justice graduate with no previous military experience might satisfy the education requirement for the technical part of the job, veterans have the added bonus of real-life experience — at times under dangerous conditions — from their military service. Veterans should highlight these valuable skills and experience on their resumes and during interviews. The following depicts how a veteran can translate military skills to a civilian resume:
Use a modified functional resume format.
This format works better when the applicant has had a lot of experience with one company, such as the military. With this format, a person’s value proposition — what he or she can do for the company — goes right at the top followed by capabilities regarding each task or requirement listed in the job posting. Then list experience, education and awards further down, each in its own section.
Avoid using military jargon.
Most employers do not understand the acronyms and terms used by military personnel. If they cannot assess skills from the language used in the resume, they most likely will pass over the applicant and move onto the next one. Almost all military jargon and terms can be “civilianized”.
Use keywords or buzzwords on the resume.
Many screening software programs look for words in resumes that are specific to the job. resumes without those words are overlooked and not moved to the short list; getting onto the short list can lead to an interview request. To find these keywords, note the frequently used terms in the job listing and intersperse these throughout the resume and cover letter, if required.
Weave in soft skills terminology.
Employers like applicants who can show they have some universally accepted skills like organization, decision-making and team player, for example. Work these and other relevant soft-skills words into the resume in a natural way.
Include quantifiable statements.
Employers not only want to know what applicants did in the military, but how well they did it. Instead of mentioning team leadership, job-seekers could say they were directly responsible for the care, well-being and safety of 10 individuals assigned to them. Or instead of the applicants saying they were in charge of the section’s equipment, they could be more specific with “were responsible for $500,000 worth of equipment with zero losses.”
Match skills, knowledge and abilities.
Read through the job posting and try to match as closely as possible the skills, knowledge and abilities with the requirements of the position. Applicants should demonstrate to employers that they not only meet the requirements of the position but exceed them.
Veteran Support Programs
Colleges offer support services and resources to make your transition from military to civilian life easier. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, roughly 200,000 people make the military-to-civilian transition each year. Explore some available services below.
Transition Assistance Program
TAP supports service members and their families one year before discharge and two years before a military member retires. Veterans participate in a one-day workshop on VA Benefits and Services. Additionally, veterans can attend employment training workshops through TAP.
VetSuccess on Campus
The Department of Veterans Affairs runs VSOC to support veterans and service members attending college at 104 different schools. Resources include counseling services and disability accommodations. Vocational rehabilitation counselors help veterans and service members find career counseling services and access Veteran Affairs benefits.
FAQ About Criminal Justice Careers for Veterans
Does the FBI like military experience?
While the FBI does not require new hires to have a military background, service-related skills can provide an advantage. At the FBI, veterans can pursue careers as language specialists, special agents, and telecommunications specialists. Even with military experience, the FBI requires each special agent to hold a bachelor’s degree.
Can ex-military join SWAT?
Yes — in high-stress situations, SWAT officers must stay calm and think quickly. Military veterans have the physical training and weapons knowledge that makes them good candidates for careers on the SWAT team. Before joining SWAT, police agencies often require 2-3 years of law enforcement training. While a college degree may not be necessary, it could offer certain benefits.
Can you become a cop with the VA if you have PTSD?
No. You most likely cannot become a police officer with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Police officers undergo various screenings to determine their mental and physical fitness for the job. You must pass a drug screening, background check, health screening, and psychological exam. During the psychological exam, you can be disqualified if the screening finds signs of PTSD.
Can military veterans skip the police academy?
No. Military veterans, much like any applicant for law enforcement, must complete police academy training. While many military skills overlap with police officers’ responsibilities, they still need to prove their abilities to serve as officers.
Do police departments like military experience?
Many state police departments provide incentives to military veterans. For instance, New York veterans who served on active duty can get extra credits applied to their written exam scores, along with age extensions. New Mexico offers a waiver of the required 60 college credits to military veterans with two or more years of service.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about educational benefits offered by the VA is available at the official U.S. government website.
