Top 20 Online Criminal Justice Schools

The top online criminal justice schools offer competitive tuition, flexible coursework, and concentrations and minors that can lead to niche careers in law enforcement-related roles. A bachelor’s in criminal justice can also serve as a precursor to law school.

Explore details on the top criminal justice schools, including tuition prices, common specialties, and career opportunities after graduation.

Many criminal justice programs ground students in a liberal arts foundation, enabling graduates to pursue public and private sector careers in all levels of government.

The curriculum emphasizes the complexities of the American criminal justice system, covering law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. Using criminological theories, criminal justice majors explore crime and deviant behavior from a sociological perspective.

Learners can pursue a bachelor of science (BS) or a bachelor of arts (BA) degree. Differences between the degrees are slight, whether you study online or on campus. For instance, a liberal arts-focused BA degree may require a foreign language requirement, while a science-emphasized BS may not.

Minors such as informatics, linguistics, and journalism allow criminal justice majors to expand their expertise. Programs may also offer criminal justice internships at local and state government agencies and nonprofits.

Criminal justice majors can potentially enjoy greater career relevance when they pursue concentrations within the field. Much like a minor, specializations allow students to explore subjects that fall within or intersect with criminal justice. Common concentrations include:

As of 2022, 4.9 million college students nationwide exclusively took online courses, and 5.1 million enrolled in at least one online course. The advantages of online learning make it a popular option to pursue a college degree. Online degrees offer the same quality and education as on-campus programs with added benefits, such as:

Colleges set admission requirements for first-year, transfer, and international students. Schools typically request applicants’ high school or college transcripts. International students must take an English proficiency exam. A transfer student needs about 60 college credits from another institution to apply. First-year applicants may need to submit ACT or SAT scores if they do not meet GPA requirements.

Regardless of your status, a nonrefundable application fee usually accompanies your online application.

Graduates with online criminal justice degrees can pursue work in many different settings, such as police departments, law offices, and correctional facilities. Popular criminal justice jobs include police officer, probation officer, and corrections officer.

A bachelor’s degree also fulfills qualifications for certain emergency management specialist positions, and many federal agencies prefer to hire candidates who hold a degree in criminal justice. The list below includes a few career paths for criminal justice degree-holders.

Upon completing a criminal justice degree, individuals can choose to begin their professional journey or pursue advanced studies. Law school can be a valuable next step after a criminal justice undergraduate education. Law students with a Juris Doctor degree can specialize in various areas, such as intellectual property, corporate, health, criminal, or tax law.

Pursuing a master’s in social work could open the door to a career as a forensic social worker. Similarly, pursuing a master’s in cybercrime could lead to a career in digital forensics or cybersecurity. Alternatively, achieving a Ph.D. in criminal justice can satisfy your need for advanced research and teaching.