Best Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs
Most people pursue a career in criminal justice out of a desire to help. The field is made up of people who want to do more for their communities in some way, but it's also a great field for employment opportunities. As the criminal justice system expands, employment opportunities grow as well. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job prospects in criminal justice related fields are good , ranging from favorable to excellent depending on the location.
Graduates from online criminal justice degree programs place themselves in an excellent position to take advantage of the demand for trained officers. Obtaining a criminal justice degree online or otherwise is increasingly becoming an expected prerequisite for entrance into policing, investigations, corrections, law, social work, and other related fields. Earning a degree from an online criminal justice program has many advantages, including allowing the student to maintain employment and/or family responsibilities while in school.
Featured Online Schools
To help sort through all the quality online criminal justice degree programs, we've put together this ranking of what we consider the best criminal justice degree online options in 2019. Our rankings of the top online criminal justice degrees are based on publicly available data evaluated according to several different criteria, including reputation, accreditation, student satisfaction, ratio of students to instructors, and tuition.
What Are The Best Online Bachelor of Criminology & Criminal Justice Programs?
Best Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs for 2019
Evaluation – Purdue University Global delivers a fully personalized online experience that's tailored to working adults. By opening the doors to adults who need flexibility to fit learning into their busy lives, we make it possible to achieve a high-quality education from a prestigious university system.
Program: The Purdue University system offers a catalog of 180 online degrees, including two bachelor's in criminal justice programs. The 180-credit BS in corrections and 180-credit BS in criminal justice groom learners for careers in law enforcement, corrections, or crime scene technology.
The corrections degree plan includes the study of criminal procedure, juvenile justice, probation and parole, and corrections in the 21st century. The criminal justice degree track includes the study of criminal procedure, criminology, and criminal investigation. Criminal justice students may choose from concentrations in crime scene investigation, forensic psychology, homeland security, and law enforcement.
Purdue Global, which boasts one of the largest catalog of public safety programs, provides learners with access to a wide network of peers and employers through the Criminal Justice Club and employer fairs. The programs have multiple start dates throughout the year. Admission requirements include having a high school diploma or GED.
Regional Accreditation: Purdue Global University is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission (HLC).
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Criminal Justice Career Outlooks
The criminal justice field projects a good employment outlook for criminal justice degree online graduates through 2024. Even though the growth rate is below average, the field is heavily relied upon and there should be no shortage of jobs available moving forward. More and more criminal justice positions are being filled by applicants with credentials from accredited online degree programs than ever before, and of those, candidates with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice typically have the best job opportunities.
| Career Opportunities | Median Salaries | Entry-Level vs. Experienced Salaries | Career Growth (2014-2024) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Police and Detectives | $62,000 | $44,000 – $67,000 | 4% |
| Probation Officers | $50,000 | $37,000 – $60,000 | 4% |
| Private Detectives and Investigators | $48,000 | $44,000 – $73,000 | 5% |
| Correctional Officers | $43,000 | $34,000 – $48,000 | 4% |
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics and PayScale
Salaries in Criminal Justice
Careers for Criminal Justice Graduates
Advanced Degrees and Certification
The criminal justice field covers a wide range of professions and specialties. With more than 135,000 degrees awarded in the various subsections of the field, criminal justice is one of the most popular degree choices in the nation. While most law enforcement positions require the completion of a training program as a minimum requirement, such as a police training program which takes an average of 21 weeks to complete (between four and six months) , a college degree in criminal justice is quickly becoming a necessity. Currently, 57% of all degrees awarded in the criminal justice field are bachelor's degrees. Associate degrees make up 36% and master's degrees make up 7%. A very small number of criminal justice graduates were awarded a Ph.D. (0.1%) .
In terms of financial rewards in the career, the most important thing a criminal justice professional needs is experience. Still, there are considerable financial differences between the most common levels of higher learning, not to mention the fact that candidates with a higher level of education have the best job prospects. The most significant jump in salary between degrees is between an associate degree and a bachelor's degree. A graduate with an associate degree earns an entry-level median salary of $31,000, but a graduate with a bachelor's degree earns $37,000, a 19% increase. Master's degree holders earn an additional 14% on top of that, coming in with a median entry-level salary of $42,000 . The more drastic comparisons between degree completion and earnings come with experience and degrees. While experienced professionals with associate degrees bring in a median salary of $52,000, those with bachelor's degrees see a median salary of $66,000 — a 27% increase. As a comparison, professionals with master's degrees have a median salary of $70,000.
Professional Associations
Joining a professional association related to the criminal justice field makes sense both for students and established professionals. Student members often have access to scholarships, mentors, resources, and cost savings, while professionals have the opportunity to expand their personal and professional networks, gain access to industry publications, and remain constantly informed of new and changing industry policies and standards. Listed below are some of the most prestigious professional associations in the industry:
How We Rank the Best Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs
The criminal justice programs offered online vary in terms of quality, name recognition, and value. To help someone looking for a quality, accredited online criminology or criminal justice degree program, we've put together this ranking of what we consider to be the very best online schools offering criminology or criminal justice degree programs in 2019. Our rankings of the top online schools offering criminology or criminal justice degrees are based on publicly available data evaluated according to several different criteria, including reputation, accreditation, student satisfaction, ratio of students to instructors, and tuition. You can read more about our rankings philosophy and find a list of our other top college and degree rankings on our rankings page .
To determine the best online Bachelor of Criminal Justice degrees, we looked at the most important factors prospective students, mainly common predictors of future success and a school's commitment to online programs. This boils down to admissions rate, student loan default rate, retention rate, graduation rate, and the percent of students enrolled in online classes. All data points are taken from information provided by colleges and universities to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Each factor is weighted evenly in order to give an objective view and determine the 8 best online Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree programs. To calculate our rankings, we looked at a school's ranking when organized by a single factor, and then averaged each category's ranking to find an overall score: Admissions Rate (20%) + Default Rate (20%) + Retention Rate (20%) + Graduation Rate (20%) + Percent of Students Enrolled in Online Classes (20%) = Final score.