Criminal justice is that part of the legal system concerned with prosecuting criminal violations of the law.
The best online criminal justice schools should possess either regional or national accreditation from an accrediting body that is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
In addition, you can often recognize top online criminal justice schools based on:
In choosing the best online criminal justice school for you, you should consider the following factors:
The following levels of criminal justice degree online programs are available:
The amount of time it takes a student to earn an accredited online criminal justice degree depends on the level of criminal justice degree being pursued and the pace of the student.
Typically, the breakdown is as follows:
An online criminal justice degree program will feature excellent courses and training procedures that will enable students to make a positive impact on the lives of others. Curriculum may include:
Students will gain an understanding of the fundamentals of criminal legal cases and the laws stipulating punishments.
Modern criminal justice is reliant on the ability of law enforcement personnel to instantly retrieve important data about suspects or cases. This course trains students in the use of strategic information technology.
Criminology is the study of the nature and extent of crime, along with potential motivating factors and psychological influences.
This course is a detailed examination of US law and the justice system that upholds those laws.
Students may have opportunity to concentrate in specific areas such as:
With a criminal justice degree, graduates will be able to find employment in most law enforcement, security, governmental, or military organizations. Some positions available may include:
Criminal justice lawyers are legal professionals specializing in prosecuting, defending, or otherwise handling criminal legal matters.
The details of their work will vary depending on their specialization, but all criminal justice lawyers will work to investigate criminal legal matters and will be involved in corresponding proceedings. Whether they are prosecutors or defense attorneys, they will have to conduct extensive legal research and prepare trial briefs and other documents in support of their case.
The average annual earnings of lawyers in any field are around $110,000, but considerable variation exists depending on the type of practice and position. Job growth is expected at an average rate. Becoming a criminal justice lawyer requires considerable education, and there is competition for most positions with established firms, while starting a new practice is a difficult prospect.
Students interested in how to become a criminal justice lawyer must understand that, like all attorneys, criminal justice lawyers must hold a law degree, which represents a graduate-level academic qualification. Completing an online criminal justice degree program may allow students to earn their law degree, or at least work towards it, while acquiring specialized expertise.
| School | Certificate | Associates | Bachelors | Masters | PhD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
University of Phoenix-Online Campus
3157 E. Elwood Street
Phoenix, AZ, 85034 http://www.uopxonline.com
|
X | X | |||
|
Arizona State University
1151 S Forest Ave
Tempe, AZ, 85287 http://www.asu.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Miami Dade College
300 NE 2nd Ave.
Miami, FL, 33132 http://www.mdc.edu/main/
|
X | ||||
|
Houston Community College
3100 Main Street
Houston, TX, 77266 http://www.hccs.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Dudley Beauty College
2031 Rhode Island Ave NE
Washington, DC, 20018 http://www.strayer.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Central Florida
4000 Central Florida Blvd
Orlando, FL, 32816 http://www.ucf.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Michigan State University
100 Library
East Lansing, MI, 48824 http://www.msu.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Ashford University
400 N Bluff Blvd
Clinton, IA, 52733 http://www.ashford.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Northern Virginia Community College
4001 Wakefield Chapel Rd
Annandale, VA, 22003 http://www.nvcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Lone Star College System
5000 Research Forest Drive
The Woodlands, TX, 77381 http://www.lonestar.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Liberty University
1971 University Blvd
Lynchburg, VA, 24502 http://www.liberty.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
1400 NE Campus Parkway
Seattle, WA, 98195 http://www.washington.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
201 Old Main
State College, PA, 16802 http://www.psu.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Tarrant County College District
1500 Houston St
Fort Worth, TX, 76102 http://www.tccd.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Indiana University-Bloomington
107 South Indiana Ave.
Bloomington, IN, 47405 http://www.iub.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
College of Southern Nevada
6375 W. Charleston Blvd.
Las Vegas, NV, 89146 http://www.csn.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Walden University
155 Fifth Ave S Suite 100
Minneapolis, MN, 55401 http://www.waldenu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Austin Community College District
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd
Austin, TX, 78752 http://www.austincc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of South Florida-Main Campus
4202 East Fowler Ave
Tampa, FL, 33620 http://www.usf.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Florida State University
211 Westcott Bldg
Tallahassee, FL, 32306 http://www.fsu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Florida International University
11200 S. W. 8 Street
Miami, FL, 33199 http://www.fiu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Valencia Community College
190 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL, 32801 http://valenciacc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Arizona
1401 E University
Tucson, AZ, 85721 http://www.arizona.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Rutgers University-New Brunswick
83 Somerset St
New Brunswick, NJ, 8901 http://www.rutgers.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Broward College
225 E las Olas Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33301 http://www.broward.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Maryland-University College
3501 University Blvd East
Adelphi, MD, 20783 http://www.umuc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Riverside Community College
4800 Magnolia Avenue
Riverside, CA, 92506 http://www.rcc.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Temple University
1801 North Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA, 19122 http://WWW.TEMPLE.EDU
|
X | X | X | ||
|
California State University-Fullerton
800 N State College Blvd
Fullerton, CA, 92831 http://www.fullerton.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Pima Community College
401 North Bonita Avenue
Tucson, AZ, 85709 http://www.pima.edu
|
X | ||||
|
East Los Angeles College
1301 Avenida Cesar Chavez
Monterey Park, CA, 91754 http://www.elac.edu/index.htm
|
X | X | |||
|
California State University-Long Beach
1250 Bellflower Blvd
Long Beach, CA, 90840 http://www.csulb.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of North Texas
Chestnut Ave.
Denton, TX, 76203 http://www.unt.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Salt Lake Community College
4600 S Redwood Rd
Salt Lake City, UT, 84123 http://www.slcc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of Georgia
125 Cedar St.
Athens, GA, 30602 http://www.uga.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Excelsior College
7 Columbia Cir
Albany, NY, 12203 http://www.excelsior.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Grand Canyon University
3300 W Camelback Rd
Phoenix, AZ, 85017 http://www.gcu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
North Carolina State University at Raleigh
2101 Hillsborough Street
Raleigh, NC, 27695 http://www.ncsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
City College of San Francisco
50 Phelan Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94112 http://www.ccsf.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Diego State University
5500 Campanile Dr
San Diego, CA, 92182 http://www.sdsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Virginia Commonwealth University
910 W Franklin St
Richmond, VA, 23284 http://www.vcu.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
George Mason University
4400 University Dr
Fairfax, VA, 22030 http://www.gmu.edu
|
X | X | X | X | |
|
Capella University
225 South 6th Street 9th Floor
Minneapolis, MN, 55402 http://www.capella.edu
|
X | X | X | X | |
|
Boston University
One Silber Way
Boston, MA, 2215 http://www.bu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Wayne State University
656 West Kirby Street
Detroit, MI, 48202 http://www.wayne.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
American Public University System
111 W Congress St
Charles Town, WV, 25414 http://www.apus.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
San Jose State University
1 Washington Sq
San Jose, CA, 95192 http://www.sjsu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Cincinnati-Main Campus
2624 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH, 45221 http://www.uc.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Santa Ana College
1530 W. 17th Street
Santa Ana, CA, 92706 http://www.sac.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Colorado Technical University Online
4435 N Chestnut Suite E
Colorado Springs, CO, 80907 http://www.ctuonline.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Texas State University-San Marcos
601 University Dr
San Marcos, TX, 78666 http://www.txstate.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Francisco State University
1600 Holloway Ave
San Francisco, CA, 94132 http://www.sfsu.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Tidewater Community College
121 College Place
Norfolk, VA, 23510 http://www.tcc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Georgia State University
33 gilmer st
Atlanta, GA, 30303 http://www.gsu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
2200 E Kenwood Blvd
Milwaukee, WI, 53201 http://www.uwm.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Indiana University-Purdue University-Indianapolis
425 University Blvd
Indianapolis, IN, 46202 http://www.iupui.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Portland Community College
12000 SW 49th Avenue
Portland, OR, 97219 http://www.pcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Mt San Antonio College
1100 N Grand Ave
Walnut, CA, 91789 http://www.mtsac.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Cuyahoga Community College District
700 Carnegie Ave
Cleveland, OH, 44115 http://www.tri-c.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Troy University
University Avenue
Troy, AL, 36082 http://www.troy.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
St Petersburg College
14025 58th Street North
Clearwater, FL, 33760 http://www.spcollege.edu
|
X | ||||
|
California State University-Sacramento
6000 J St
Sacramento, CA, 95819 http://www.csus.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Nova Southeastern University
3301 College Ave
Fort Lauderdale, FL, 33314 http://www.nova.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Nevada-Las Vegas
4505 S Maryland Pky
Las Vegas, NV, 89154 http://www.unlv.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
The University of Texas at San Antonio
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, TX, 78249 http://www.utsa.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Florida State College at Jacksonville
501 W State St
Jacksonville, FL, 32202 http://www.fscj.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Utah Valley University
800 W University Parkway
Orem, UT, 84058 http://www.uvu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
The University of Alabama
739 University Blvd
Tuscaloosa, AL, 35487 http://www.ua.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Columbus State Community College
550 E Spring St
Columbus, OH, 43215 http://www.cscc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
University of South Carolina-Columbia
514 Main St
Columbia, SC, 29208 http://www.sc.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
El Paso Community College
919 Hunter Drive
El Paso, TX, 79915 http://www.epcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
The University of Texas at Arlington
701 S. Nedderman Dr.
Arlington, TX, 76013 http://WWW.UTA.EDU
|
X | X | |||
|
Oakland Community College
2480 Opdyke Rd
Bloomfield Hills, MI, 48304 http://www.oaklandcc.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Palm Beach State College
4200 Congress Ave
Lake Worth, FL, 33461 http://www.palmbeachstate.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Central New Mexico Community College
525 Buena Vista SE
Albuquerque, NM, 87106 http://www.cnm.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Portland State University
724 SW Harrison
Portland, OR, 97201 http://www.pdx.edu
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Long Beach City College
4901 E. Carson St.
Long Beach, CA, 90808 http://www.lbcc.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
East Carolina University
East 5th Street
Greenville, NC, 27858 http://www.ecu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Florida Atlantic University
777 Glades Rd
Boca Raton, FL, 33431 http://www.fau.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
Northeastern University
360 Huntington Ave
Boston, MA, 2115 http://www.northeastern.edu
|
X | X | X | X | |
|
Palomar College
1140 W. Mission
San Marcos, CA, 92069 http://WWW.PALOMAR.EDU
|
X | X | |||
|
El Camino Community College District
16007 Crenshaw Blvd
Torrance, CA, 90506 http://www.elcamino.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Sacramento City College
3835 Freeport Blvd
Sacramento, CA, 95822 http://www.scc.losrios.edu/
|
X | X | |||
|
College of DuPage
425 Fawell Blvd.
Glen Ellyn, IL, 60137 http://www.cod.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
San Jacinto Community College
8060 Spencer Hwy
Pasadena, TX, 77501 http://www.sjcd.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Hillsborough Community College
39 Columbia Drive
Tampa, FL, 33606 http://www.hccfl.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Illinois at Chicago
601 S Morgan
Chicago, IL, 60607 http://www.uic.edu/index.html/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
American InterContinental University-Online
5550 Prairie Stone Pky-Ste 400
Hoffman Estates, IL, 60192 http://www.aiuonline.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Pasadena City College
1570 E Colorado Blvd.
Pasadena, CA, 91106 http://www.pasadena.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
South Texas College
3201 W Pecan
McAllen, TX, 78502 http://www.southtexascollege.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Montgomery College
40 W. Gude Drive Suite 220
Rockville, MD, 20850 http://cms.montgomerycollege.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Washington State University
French Administration Building
Pullman, WA, 99164 http://www.wsu.edu/
|
X | X | X | ||
|
Mesa Community College
1833 W Southern Ave
Mesa, AZ, 85202 http://www.mc.maricopa.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Akron Main Campus
302 Buchtel Common
Akron, OH, 44325 http://www.uakron.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
University of Oklahoma Norman Campus
660 Parrington Oval
Norman, OK, 73019 http://www.ou.edu
|
X | ||||
|
Santa Rosa Junior College
1501 Mendocino Avenue
Santa Rosa, CA, 95401 http://www.santarosa.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Fresno City College
1101 E. University Ave
Fresno, CA, 93741 http://www.fresnocitycollege.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
De Anza College
21250 Stevens Creek Blvd.
Cupertino, CA, 95014 http://www.deanza.edu/
|
X | ||||
|
Middle Tennessee State University
1301 East Main Street
Murfreesboro, TN, 37132 http://www.mtsu.edu
|
X | X | |||
|
Kent State University Kent Campus
Campus Center Dr
Kent, OH, 44242 http://www.kent.edu
|
X | X |