The Top Online Criminal Justice Schools

Criminal justice is a popular online degree program, with numerous institutions offering criminal justice coursework. Students graduating with a degree in criminal justice can pursue careers in the police force, corrections, Homeland Security, and law. This exciting degree program often has varied specializations available, including crime prevention, ethics, interrogation, emergency management and legal studies. Some of the most popular online criminal justice schools include:

University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix offers multiple criminal justice degree programs, and most programs can be completed entirely online. This institution is accredited, and provides a rigorous academic degree program. The University of Phoenix offers federal financial aid and significant military discounts.

Some of the criminal justice degrees offered by the University of Phoenix include:
• Associates of Arts, Criminal Justice: The AA degree is a 2-year program, which provides general coursework with a strong criminal justice specialization.
• Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice Administration: This is a 4-year program that provides an excellent base of learning for students and focuses on leadership skills in the area of criminal justice, the court system and corrections.
• Master of Science in Administration of Justice and Security: The MS program provides specific coursework in the areas of public policy, critical incident management and cybercrime.

Walden University
An online institution, Walden University is accredited and offers a variety of criminal justice degree programs. Walden University prides itself on accepting students at all levels and working with previous school experiences for transfer credits. In addition, Walden University offers a discount to military families. Some of their criminal justice degree programs include:
• Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice: The curriculum for the BS degree offers coursework in social responsibility, basic law and ethics. Generally, the BS degree is completed in 4 years; however, Walden does accept transfer credits so some students complete the program in 3 years.
• Master of Science, Forensic Psychology: The MS in forensic psychology allows those working in the criminal justice field to dig deeper into the motivation behind criminal behavior. This 2-year program offers valuable coursework in mental health, forensic assessment and evaluation of psychological approaches.
• PhD, Criminal Justice: As part of the health services program, the PhD in criminal justice gives students breadth of skills in all areas of mental health, effective criminal justice approaches, juvenile delinquency and economic disparity among racial and ethnic groups.

Kaplan University
An online, accredited institution, Kaplan University prides itself on working with all types of students, including working parents, career-changers and those new to the college experience. Kaplan University offers over 10 degrees in the field of criminal justice, from certificate programs to doctoral degrees. Some of the criminal justice programs offered by Kaplan include:
• Associate of Arts and Sciences, Criminal Justice: This 1-2 year program offers basic skills in the area of criminal justice, preparing students for entry level law enforcement or security careers.
• Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice: A 3-4 year program, the BS degree gives students a strong base of skills in all areas of criminal justice, with which they can pursue a career as a police officer, corrections officer, or in many other areas of the field.
• Master of Science, Criminal Justice: The MS degree program, normally 2-3 years, gives students a focused approach to criminal justice in an area of particular interest to them.