Fastest Criminal Justice Degrees Online
Believe it or not, cities, counties, states, and the country itself aren't served and protected by superheroes but by ordinary folks like you and me who decide to pursue an extraordinary career in criminal justice. Criminal justice can include any number of occupations, from a parole officer to a member of a SWAT team to working for the Department of Homeland Security.
What kind of online degree in Criminal Justice should you get?
There are several paths to a career in criminal justice, but the best way to get your career started is with a bachelor's degree in criminology or criminal justice. Traditionally this is done through an on-campus program at a school that features a department that specializes in the field.
But as online programs have grown and flourished in recent years, online bachelor's degrees in criminal justice as well as bachelor's completion programs have become more common. For a list of the best online colleges and universities in the country, see our ranking, "Best Online Colleges and Universities."
How much money do people make with an online degree in Criminal Justice?
The criminal justice field is diverse, and compensation will depend not only on the part of the country to happen to live in—police officers in Duluth, Minnesota, will not make the same amount as police officers of equal rank in New York—but also the particular field you happen to choose.
Let's say you are interested in police and detective work, however, which is a common occupation for criminal justice majors. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median annual pay for police officers and detectives is just over $60,000, or approximately $30 per hour. The growth outlook is slower at 4 percent, but there are still plenty of jobs available.
What can you do with an online degree in Criminal Justice?
In addition to traditional police and detective work, however, the criminal justice field now includes a wide array of career possibilities. One consideration you'll want to bear in mind is whether you're interested in the private or public sector. Those interested in the private sector will likely want to consider careers in private security.
Those interested in working in the public sector, however, will have many more options. Some careers in the public sector include: probation officer, forensic scientist, correctional officer, fish and game warden, security guard, state trooper, crime scene investigator, F.B.I. agent, C.I.A. agent, immigration and customs enforcement agent, D.E.A. agent, Secret Service agent, and U.S. Marshal.
What are the requirements for an online degree in Criminal Justice?
Unlike graduate programs in criminal justice, students interested in an online bachelor's degree in criminal justice will not need any prerequisites beyond the typical undergraduate admissions criteria. Once in the program, however, requirements will vary from school to school. Some schools will offer criminal justice programs as part of a liberal arts major, while other schools will have a curriculum that is more specific.
Other schools will have opportunities to specialize in a particular area of criminal justice, such as forensics. If you happen to know what area of specialization you are interested in, keep an eye out for these schools so that you can get on the fast track to your career. If you are unsure what area of specialization is best for you, you might do well to consider a program that will expose you to as many of the subdisciplines as possible.
What are the best online degrees in Criminal Justice?
We've compiled a list of the top 50 online bachelor's degree programs in criminal justice with your needs in mind. Here's how we did it. First, it's important to identify and get into the best school you can. So we started things off by taking an objective look at the best schools in the country as measured by reputation and return on investment. We also factored in the cost of attendance because, let's be honest, money doesn't grow on trees!
Our data for this ranking was drawn from a variety of public sources, such as U.S. News & World Report, the National Center for Education Statistics, PayScale.com, and the U.S. Census. The end result, we think, is a list of schools that not only represent the best education you can get and a good return on investment but also one that will fit your budget . . .
. . . as a real-life superhero!
Best Online Criminal Justice Degrees 2022
See our rankings methodology page.
