What Are The Goals Of A Bachelors Program In Criminal Justice
The criminal justice field includes positions in law enforcement, corrections, legal studies, and forensic investigation. A bachelors in criminal justice can lead to roles in these areas and in other positions related to the judicial system.
Colleges and universities across the country offer four-year criminal justice programs on campus. Many schools also deliver online degrees in criminal justice, some of which require no campus visits. Associate degree-holders can often earn their bachelors in criminal justice in two years.
The first bachelors in criminal justice programs were intended to professionalize the police force. Today, the study of criminal justice is an indispensable tool in the fight against crime and injustice in the United States.
The information in this guide can help you decide whether earning a bachelors in criminal justice can help you achieve your professional goals. The following sections include a list of high-quality criminal justice programs, information on accrediting agencies, and statistics about career outlook for graduates.
Top 10 Best Criminal Justice Schools Colleges & Universities
Why Choose a Criminal Justice School?
A degree in criminal justice can help prepare you for any of the following jobs: Crime scene investigator, DEA agent, FBI agent, Fraud investigator, Police officer, Private detective, Probation officer, Secret Service agent, Security guard, State trooper, Bailiff, CIA agent, Correctional officer.
What Is Criminal Justice?
Criminal justice is the delivery of justice to those who have committed crimes. The criminal justice system is a series of government agencies and institutions.
What kind of Criminal Justice Degree should I get?
The way in which you design your university experience reflects your professional aspirations. If you are more attracted to crime analysis and wonder about its causes and how they can be prevented, you may want to see programs that emphasize the importance of research and data analysis.
Is An Online College Right For Me+
Online colleges are typically the same colleges and universities you could attend in-person, but for certain degree programs the college or unviersity has made the degree programs available to be completed online. For over 5 million students, online degree programs allow students to earn their degrees in the most flexible format available. Online degrees are as respected as the on-campus degress you could earn from the same schools. Theres usually no disctinction between the two degrees, and your degree and transcript will not say that the degree was earned online. Online degree programs are offered by a vast majority of colleges and universities, and the number of offering continues to grow. Whehter you are searching for an associate, bachelors, masters, or doctorate, theres a good chance you can earn your degree online from a respectable online college.
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Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justicenew York Ny
A premier criminal justice school, the CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice is home to 13,000 undergraduates,33% of whom are majoring in criminal justice. Other popular majors include criminology and forensic psychology.
John Jay offers many criminal justice majors, with concentrations ranging from crime control and prevention to theory and practice.
Moreover, several criminal justice graduate programs are available. At the master’s level, you can study criminal justice, international crime and justice, and forensic psychology, among several other related programs. At the doctoral level, your options are criminal justice or psychology.
Lastly, John Jay Onlinethe college’s distance-learning branchallows you to earn an MA in either Criminal Justice or International Crime and Justice entirely online.
Is A Research University Right For Me+
Research universities are colleges and universities whose faculty are active in research and publishing. These schools offer a wide array of doctoral programs, especially in the sciences. They tend to be big, with tens of thousands of students.
Do you prefer a larger university setting, such as largest public university in your state? Research universities are typically big, offering degrees in many different disciplines. Is a big high-powered research environment the thing for you. If not, you should think about a liberal arts college. In deciding on an undergraduate institution, ask yourself what sort of environment will best help you to be happy and excel.
- Consider whether you are self motivated enough to be a face in the crowd for some classes and largely unknown on campus at a large university. Of course you can find clubs and friends at a large university, but often liberal arts colleges have a more personal quality to them. If you want the community feel, a research university may not fit you well.
- Are you interested in STEM fields? Research universities have that name for a reason real research is happening there. This can create an exciting atmosphere for students interested in STEM. Attending a research university can give you a better chance of getting into better programs for graduate degrees, although a lot of that depends on your performance.
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Best Bachelors Degree Programs In Criminal Justice
Are you ready to find your fit?
Explore the nations best Bachelors in Criminal Justice Degrees.
Whether you envision yourself chasing criminals out in the streets or behind a desk strategizing crime prevention for the local community, a bachelor in criminal justice degree is necessary. It will provide an array of career opportunities and ensure your exciting yet stable vocational future.
Quality Overall Is Important
The overall quality of a bachelor’s degree school is important to ensure a good education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To account for this we include a college’s overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 30% of our overall quality ranking.
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Cuny John Jay College Of Criminal Justice
John Jay is an above-average public college located in Manhattan, New York in the New York City Area. It is a big institution with an enrollment of 10,276 undergraduate students. Admissions are fairly competitive as the John Jay acceptance rate is 39%.
Popular majors include Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Administration, Psychology, and Criminology. Graduating 47% of students, John Jay alumni go on to earn a starting salary of $31,700. It is also one of the best criminal justice schools in the World.
Acceptance rate: 39%
University Of Nebraska Omaha
Omaha, Nebraska
The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, a leader in criminological research and education, offers an array of undergraduate and graduate degree and non-degree options on-campus and online. The Schools blends academic, theoretical knowledge with experiential learning.
The notable faculty conduct research in areas such as criminological theory and juvenile delinquency policy and applied research women, crime, and criminal justice criminal justice issues methods and statistics and international criminology and criminal justice.
Criminal Justice Degree selections:
Accreditation: The Higher Learning Commission provides the University of Nebraska, Omaha with accreditation.
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Is A Liberal Arts College Right For Me+
Often referred to as teaching collegesliberal arts colleges put a premium on undergraduate studies and offers a broad range of subjects for students to study. A college of liberal arts typically provides smaller class sizes, more direct engagement with professors, and, most importantly, the opportunity to sample a wide range of subject areas on the way to a bachelors degree.
- Do you want your professors to know you? Liberal arts colleges strive to cultivate campus cultures that encourage tight bonds between professors and students. Professors at these schools will typically conduct original research. Yet the best of these schools offer their faculty reduced teaching loads so that they can both be productive researchers and still have plenty of time for students .
- Do you want to feel like you know everybody? One of the most enticing features of a liberal arts college is that in very little time, you can feel like you know whos who, which can create strong friendships, but also more pleasurable walks across campus. While your sports teams may never be on ESPN, its more likely that youll know the athletes as your peers. Beyond student and faculty relationships, its not unusual for the school president and other administrators to learn who you are. When faced with problems with your student account or the need to switch classes, this can be comforting during a stressful moment.
Honors In Criminal Justice And Criminology
In College Honors in Criminal Justice and Criminology youll work closely with a faculty mentor to explore your intellectual interests. The honors college provides a rigorous academic experience that will prepare you well for graduate school, law school, or professional employment. Your achievement will be recognized with an Honors College seal on your diploma and a notation on your transcript.
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The University Of Texas At Arlington
- Arlington, Texas
- Graduation Rate: 51%
- Points: 27
The University of Texas at Arlington offers Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Students learn about complex issues related to the nature and extent of crime, policing, courts, and corrections from an accomplished and experienced group of 17 full-time faculty scholars and former practitioners. Our department is one of the most diverse on campus and we take great pride in that. In addition to pursuing the BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice, students may select a minor in 1) Forensic Applications in Science and Technology or 2) Law and Legal Studies. Students may also complete an internship with a local agency, which will give them an advantage in pursuing careers in the criminal justice field. UTA is a vibrant urban campus located in the heart of DFW.
School Overview
- Graduation Rate: 29%
- Points: 24
School Overview
- Graduation Rate: 83%
- Points: 23
School Overview
University Of Texas At Dallas
The University of Texas at Dallas offers a BA in Criminology that is among the Lone Star States most innovative and best undergraduate criminology programs. The University of Texass best undergraduate criminal justice programs offer a fast-track option for students to take masters level coursework during their bachelors degree program. This undergraduate degree in criminal justice from UT Dallas requires degree candidates to complete a minimum of 120-semester units to meet program requirements.
The University of Texas at Dallas was established in the early 1960s as a research center for Texas Instruments. This member school of the state university system is the largest in the greater Dallas area and the most northern campus of the system. More than 29,150 students attend classes each year. The University of Texas at Dallas is recognized by Kiplinger as a best-value school.
Program: BA in Criminology
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Top 15 Best Colleges For Criminal Justice And Corrections Majors
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1150-1340 SAT, 25-31 ACT
Texas Christian Universitys Criminal Justice major requires some foundational courses, as well as advanced courses in each subcomponent of the criminal justice system: policing, law, court practices, and corrections. Students are also required to get hands-on experience through a criminal justice internship.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1280-1440 SAT, 27-32 ACT
Students at the University of Florida have the opportunity to pursue original research via a senior thesis or through a specific Undergraduate Research in Criminology course. Before graduating, students are required to pass an exit exam that covers crime, criminal justice, law and society, and criminological theory.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 1060-1230 SAT, 20-25 ACT
Criminal justice is the second largest major The Citadel. Students can join the Citadel Criminal Justice Society to hear from guest speakers or take field trips related to criminal justice. They also have the opportunity to participate in academic conferences, fundraising events, and community service projects.
Middle 50% SAT/ACT: 880-1040 SAT, 18-23 ACT
University of the Ozarks offers a criminal justice minor, which gives students the chance to take courses in sociology, psychology, and political science. This minor will allow students to become familiar with concepts and research methods throughout criminology in order to prepare them for a career in the justice system.
Location: New Brunswick, New Jersey
What Are The Best Criminal Justice Degrees
While some of these programs specialize in corrections and other cybercrime, they all share one thing in common: they are the best undergraduate degrees in criminal justice.
To determine the best criminal justice programs, we first start with the academic reputation of every school across the country that offers certification. Then we study retention rates because they reflect student satisfaction. Also, we consider the affordability of the program and the salary expected of its graduates.
After our extensive research, we found those programs that are the best in the country to train leaders in law enforcement and criminology. Our figures and information come from the websites of universities and colleges, PayScale, the US News & World Report, and the National Center for Education Statistics.
Here are the best criminal justice schools in the World:
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
- Liberty University
- University of Florida
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University Of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippis School of Criminal Justice, Forensic Science & Security offers a Bachelor of Arts degree program in Criminal Justice that is one of Mississippis best undergraduate criminology programs. USMs best undergraduate criminal justice programs are available on the Hattiesburg or Gulf Park Campuses. The Hattiesburg campus offers a juvenile justice academic track for the BA in criminal justice program. Internships are potentially available in law enforcement agencies, the FBI, or the state prosecutors offices, among others.
The University of Southern Mississippi chartered in 1910 as a teachers training school, called the Mississippi Normal College, now operates as a public research academic facility. The University of Southern Mississippi operates campuses as a sea and space-grant school that serve nearly 15,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students each year. In addition to its two main campuses, the University of Southern Mississippi maintains five other academic facilities include a research lab and space center.
Program: BA in Criminal Justice
What Kind Of Criminal Justice Degree Should You Get
How you design your undergraduate experience should reflect your career aspirations. For example, if you hope to work directly in law enforcement then check out a program that emphasizes the practical applications of criminal justice.
But, if youre more drawn to the analytics of crime, wondering what causes it and how it can be prevented, then you may want to look at programs which stress the importance of research and data analysis.
However you intend to specialize, you can be assured that all of the programs here will provide a sturdy foundation in criminal justice. And some of these programs can even be completed fully online. Weve been sure to highlight those.
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Notable Alumni From Ohio Universities
- Franklin County Ohio Sheriff Zach Scott Franklin University
- Hamilton County Ohio Sheriff Simon L. Leis, Jr. Xavier University
- Columbus, Ohio, Police Chief Kimberly Jacobs Ohio State University
- Cincinnati, Ohio, Police Chief James E. Craig University of Phoenix, West Coast University
- Dayton, Ohio, Police Chief Richard Biehl University of Cincinnati
- Allegheny County, PA Sheriff William P Mullen University of Dayton
Police Quote: You have to be willing to relocate. You have to move to the opportunities. There are more opportunities in the bigger organizations. They need to put their best personal foot forward by working hard and being diligent. You have to learn how to get along with people even when it isnt easy. You have to move with the group but find some way to stand out. And you just have to be a solid writer and communicator.
Dr. Scott Thornsley, Professor & Chair of the Criminal Justice Administration at Mansfield University
The 9 Best Criminal Justice Schools In
There are many criminal justice schools in the US, both in-person and online. But which ones are the best? We’ve looked through several rankings lists of the best criminal justice schools to come up with our own list below of nine top criminal justice schools.
These criminal justice schools were judged primarily on the following factors:
- Rankings of traditional and online programs by websites such as Niche and US News
- Overall program/school reputation and prestige
- Whether or not the school has a dedicated department or school to criminal justice studies
- Diversity of majors and courses offered in criminal justice and related fields
- Breadth of faculty’s areas of expertise
Note that the nine criminal justice schools below are not listed in any particular order. Also, these schools include grad programs as well as online programs in criminal justice and related fields.
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Is Criminal Justice A Good Major+
Criminal justice is a popular major because it can provide pathways into countless fields and career opportunities. If youre looking for a well-paying and secure job, a criminal justice degree is a great place to start. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2019, the average median pay for police officers and detectives was $65,170. For Detectives and Criminal Investigators, that figure was $81,920 in 2018. And if you parlay your criminal justice major into a postgraduate law degree, note that lawyers, in 2019, earned a well-above-average median pay of $122,960.
University Of Cincinnaticincinnati Oh
At UC’s School of Criminal Justice, you can major/minor in criminal justice or paralegal studies. The former is an interdisciplinary program that prepares students to work as court administrators, parole officers, criminal investigators, risk managers, etc. It is also available entirely online, so if you can’t make it to campus, you’re in luck!
In addition to these two undergraduate majors, certificates are available in the more specialized areas of forensic populations, cybersecurity, and correctional rehabilitation.
UC also offers a master’s and a doctoral program in criminal justice. UC is currently ranked #11 by US News for best online graduate criminal justice programs.
UC Irvine’s Department of Criminology, Law, and Society offers prestigious undergraduate and graduate criminal justice programs that consistently top US News ranking lists .
The interdisciplinary department is the only criminology department among the UC schools, and it combines the study of criminology with law and society. The faculty here specializes in an array of subject areas, including psychology and law, race and justice, and gangs and crime.
Lastly, UCI offers a doctoral program in criminology, law, and society, as well as two online master’s programs: a Master of Advanced Study in Criminology, Law, and Society and a Master of Legal and Forensic Psychology.
Sam Houston State University
The school has tons of undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including the following:
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