Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice

Updated: Feb 5, 2024

An online bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is a great choice for students who are interested in learning about the judicial system, law enforcement, court procedures, intelligence, and more.

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

Florida State University
Sam Houston State University
University of Cincinnati
Portland State University
University of Central Florida
University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of South Carolina
University of Alabama
Florida International University
University of Baltimore

Florida State University
University of Cincinnati
University of Alabama
University of South Carolina
University of Louisville
San Diego State University
Florida International University
University of North Texas
University of Central Florida
University of Memphis

Wichita State University 95%
University of Memphis 95%
Portland State University 93%
Chaminade University of Honolulu 93%
Benedictine University 93%
Baker University 92%
Roger Williams University 91%
University of Baltimore 89%
Charleston Southern University 87%
University of Cincinnati 86%

University of Central Florida 29 to 1
San Diego State University 25 to 1
Florida International University 24 to 1
University of North Texas 23 to 1
Florida Atlantic University 22 to 1
Sam Houston State University 20 to 1
Wichita State University 20 to 1
University of Alabama 19 to 1
University of South Carolina 18 to 1
University of Cincinnati 18 to 1

Roger Williams University $40,962
Nova Southeastern University $36,300
Benedictine University $34,290
Baker University $32,320
Charleston Southern University $29,990
Chaminade University of Honolulu $28,544
University of Massachusetts Lowell $15,462
University of Louisville $12,324
University of South Carolina $12,288
University of Alabama $11,100

Chaminade University of Honolulu $25,200
Nova Southeastern University $22,062
Benedictine University $19,181
Roger Williams University $18,565
Portland State University $15,048
University of Massachusetts Lowell $14,956
University of Baltimore $14,382
University of Louisville $13,944
University of South Carolina $13,374
University of Cincinnati $13,224

Benedictine University
University of Memphis
Florida Atlantic University
Baker University
Lander University
Nova Southeastern University
Wichita State University
University of Louisville
Charleston Southern University
Chaminade University of Honolulu

Lander University
Charleston Southern University
Chaminade University of Honolulu
Benedictine University
Roger Williams University
University of Baltimore
Baker University
Eastern Kentucky University
University of Massachusetts Lowell
Nova Southeastern University

Florida State University 25%
San Diego State University 39%
University of Central Florida 41%
Florida International University 64%
Eastern Kentucky University 64%
University of South Carolina 64%
Lander University 67%
Nova Southeastern University 76%
University of North Texas 79%
University of Alabama 80%

University of Baltimore 10 to 1
University of Alaska Fairbanks 11 to 1
Chaminade University of Honolulu 11 to 1
Charleston Southern University 12 to 1
Baker University 13 to 1
Benedictine University 13 to 1
University of Louisville 13 to 1
Roger Williams University 14 to 1
Lander University 16 to 1
Eastern Kentucky University 16 to 1

Florida Atlantic University $2,522
University of Central Florida $4,478
Florida State University $4,640
Florida International University $4,721
San Diego State University $5,742
Sam Houston State University $5,856
Wichita State University $6,848
University of Baltimore $7,296
University of Alaska Fairbanks $7,659
University of North Texas $8,295

Charleston Southern University $5,085
Florida Atlantic University $5,467
Wichita State University $5,544
Sam Houston State University $5,765
University of North Texas $6,350
University of Central Florida $6,916
San Diego State University $7,176
Florida International University $9,119
University of Memphis $9,378
Florida State University $9,684

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees

What courses will I be taking?

Many colleges and universities offer online and on-campus courses related to criminal justice, including studies about corrections, criminal investigations, administrative operations, ethics, and restorative justice.

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in criminal justice?

Students typically take about 120 credits over the course of four to five years.

Some programs may also grant credits toward a degree to those with field experience in law enforcement or the military.

What can I do with a bachelor’s in criminal justice?

Those who graduate with a bachelor’s in criminal justice can typically enter the workforce as law enforcement, community specialists, court administrators, and other related areas. This degree can also be a good starting point for those who intend to pursue a graduate degree in law, homeland security, or intelligence.

Check out our interview with influential criminologist, Dr. Richard Rosenfeld.

Learn more about how to major in criminal justice.

How do we determine the best online criminal justice bachelor's degree programs?

Methodology

Pursuing your degree online doesn’t mean you need to settle for an inferior school. Today, most universities and colleges offer online degrees, and many respected schools are seeing significant growth in their numbers of online students.

The people affiliated with a school are ultimately what make it great. This is why influence — i.e., the academic impact of faculty and alumni associated with a school — gets at the heart of what is truly best in education. The combined influence score of a college or university’s top academic influencers is the best indicator of academic excellence. For our online degree rankings, we focus on the academic influence of faculty and alumni in the specific disciplines we’re ranking.

If you are serious about finding the best online colleges, you should be asking where the most influential professors are teaching, and whether their graduates themselves are advancing the school’s reputation for academic excellence. Most ranking sites rely on an opaque combination of reputation surveys and arbitrary performance metrics. Influence, as measured by our InfluenceRanking engine, provides a ranking that is free from bias, insulated from manipulation, and reflective of real-world educational outcomes.

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Students with Criminal Justice Degree

Go to Degree Finder tool

Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Location: The U.S. (Private Schools)
Avg. Cost of Degree*: $10,761
Avg. Expenses*: $17,051
Avg. Starting Salary*: $37,658
Avg. Salary after 4 Years*: $46,048
Avg. Cost Recoup Time**: 12 years
Job Growth: 5.52%
Number of Jobs: 1,443,100
* denotes ‘annually’
** denotes ‘at 15% of annual salary’

Career Salaries

Career	Job Growth	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	5.75%	$133,560
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	3.81%	$101,750
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	2.29%	$91,100
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers	3.92%	$72,280
Transit and Railroad Police	4.17%	$72,250
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	-1.62%	$70,530
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	3.11%	$69,030
Forensic Science Technicians	13.98%	$64,940
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	5.88%	$58,350
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	3.69%	$54,580

Top Industries

Industry	Avg. Salary
Managers, All Other	$133,560
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives	$101,750
Detectives and Criminal Investigators	$91,100
Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers	$72,280
Transit and Railroad Police	$72,250
First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers	$70,530
Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary	$69,030
Forensic Science Technicians	$64,940
Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other	$58,350
First-Line Supervisors of Security Workers	$54,580

Data from The Bureau of Labor Statistics, The Department of Education College Scorecard, The Department of Education NCES, and The Council for Community and Economic Research.

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

If this is your first time taking an online course, the experience may require a time of adjustment. Although you’ll typically learn the same material and take the same exams as your on-campus peers, going online will require greater independence and responsibility than going in person. You’ll be accountable for your own time management, for harnessing the online educational technology that you’ll need to use, and for completing the course requirements, such as listening to lectures, learning lessons, reading texts, and handing in assignments. This means you’ll need to create a suitable workspace for yourself, maintain a realistic schedule, and take the initiative in building relationships with your instructors and classmates. With online college, your goal is to find a balance between independence and engagement.

No. The only part of online education that’s easier than campus-based education is ease of access: all you need is a computer and an internet connection for online education. But even this seeming advantage of online education can be misleading: what’s easier, studying online with your computer and internet connection from your home where you need to cook, clean, pay rent, and maintain a job? Or studying on campus in a dorm where all your living needs are handled by the school, and college staff are there to help you every step of the way?

If you take the commute to campus out of the equation, campus-based education is easier. All the support structures available on campus for students, especially with real people to help you in person, are not there online. The demands on you as an online student will largely be the same as for your campus-based counterpart, but without the same helps.

In general, your online courses will present the same material and test you in the same way as traditional in-person courses. In many cases, you’ll even have the same instructors as your on-campus counterparts. In fact, if you are adjusting to the experience of independent learning with remote educational technology for the first time, online college may be considerably more challenging than campus-based college. For a few insights on how to manage this new online experience, check out our 10 Tips for Adjusting to School Online.

Accreditation is especially important when it comes to online college. This is because the online education landscape is a mix of highly-reputable non-profit institutions on the one end and less-than-reputable for-profit institutions on the other end. Accreditation gives you the power to identify the more reputable actors in online education. Accreditation is a stamp of approval from an independent accrediting agency indicating that a college or university is meeting standards of quality and credibility. School-wide accreditation falls into two major categories: regional and national accreditation. Regional accreditors generally hold jurisdiction only over schools in the states comprising their region, whereas national accreditors hold jurisdiction over schools in all states. Regional accreditation is widely regarded as a more rigorous standard of quality and credibility than national accreditation.

Attending a college or university that is not regionally accredited could limit your opportunities. For students seeking an online education, we strongly recommend that they opt for regionally accredited schools. Regional accreditation ensures eligibility for federal loans and grants, ensures your college credits can be transferred between schools, and ensures that your degree credits can be accepted if you wish to earn an advanced degree. For more on this important topic, check out our What is Accreditation and Why Does It Matter? College & University Accreditation Guide.

As long as your online college degree is regionally accredited (see the previous point), you should have little difficulty transferring most of your credits or credentials to another regionally accredited undergraduate school. Every school carries its own standards and procedures for granting a transfer of credits. In many cases, you will encounter some bureaucratic haggling in which some of your credits will be transferred and others may be refused. However, provided that you have attended an online school with recognized regional accreditation, you should be in good shape in transferring your credits earned online.

In most cases, as long you graduate from a well-regarded, regionally-accredited online college, prospective employers won’t look sideways at your degree. In fact, unless you attend an exclusively online college or university, there will likely be no specific indicator on your degree, transcript, or resumé differentiating your school from its brick-and-mortar counterpart. This means that your employer will likely only differentiate between an online and in-person degree if you mention this distinction.

Some employers may express the concern that because you did your degree online, you may need to transition from an online education experience to in-person workplace experience. But in an age of Covid, that concern seems much diminished. The fact is that much employment these days is remote. And collaboration increasingly happens online over Zoom. Many employers will therefore view your online degree as evidence of valuable 21st century professional skills such as independence, self-motivation, time management, and tech savvy.

If you are a student who thrives on the dynamic energy of in-person discussion, who requires the physical surroundings of a classroom to feel engaged, or who considers the social aspects of education to be of equal importance to the actual content of your courses, online education will be less than ideal for you (though depending on your circumstances, it may also be the only viable option).

While there is much in traditional campus-based education that can be substituted or simulated through the online medium, some students may find that there is nothing that can replace the conversation, collaboration, and motivation that occur in an actual in-person classroom setting. As you transition to online education, one of the biggest challenges you will likely face in getting the most out of your online classes is overcoming this difference between “real reality” and “virtual reality.” Fortunately, we’ve got some great Tips for Online Education Beginners.

The advantages of online classes are many. Above all, online courses give you the freedom and flexibility to attend class from anywhere that works for you, whether you’re at home, in a coffee shop, or in a quiet conference room at work. In many cases, you’ll also enjoy the convenience of asynchronous learning opportunities-educational experiences that you can complete at your own pace and on your own schedule. This may include pre-taped lectures, ongoing chat-board discussions, and 24/7 access to digital materials. And of course, just as there are some learners who prefer the energy of a live classroom, there are those who learn best when working in their own personal space, free from distractions. If this sounds like you, you might find the solitude of online learning to be a major advantage.

Whether you’re just getting started on your college search, you’re looking for survival tips on your way to a bachelor’s degree, or you’re preparing for the transition into grad school, we’ve got guides, how to’s and tons of other valuable resources to keep you moving forward in your educational journey.

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Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice

Top 10 Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice

Featured Programs

Frequently Asked Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees

What courses will I be taking?

How long does it take to get a bachelor’s in criminal justice?

What can I do with a bachelor’s in criminal justice?

25 Best Online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Florida State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Sam Houston State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Cincinnati

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Portland State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Central Florida

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Alaska Fairbanks

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of South Carolina

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Alabama

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Florida International University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Baltimore

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of North Texas

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Massachusetts Lowell

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at San Diego State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Roger Williams University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Eastern Kentucky University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Chaminade University of Honolulu

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Charleston Southern University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Louisville

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Wichita State University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Nova Southeastern University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Lander University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Baker University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Florida Atlantic University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at University of Memphis

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Criminal Justice degree at Benedictine University

Online Degrees

Career Outlook for Students with Criminal Justice Degree

Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration

Degree Level: Bachelor's

Career Salaries

Top Industries

Online Degree Frequently Asked Questions

What can I expect from an online college course?+

Is online college easier than campus-based college?+

Why does accreditation matter in online college?+

Will I be able to transfer my online college degree?+

Will employers respect my online degree?+

What are the disadvantages of online classes?+

What are the advantages of online classes?+

Resources for Online College-Bound Students