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Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice

Criminal justice is an exciting, growing field that can offer you a true opportunity to serve your community. Earning a bachelor's degree in criminal justice can help start your career or qualify for great jobs in the field.
 
Most bachelor's degree programs take four years to complete if you study full-time. Tuition varies widely from school to school, but expect to spend at least $300 to $400 per credit at most schools.

Types of Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degrees

The three main types of criminal justice bachelor's degrees offered are:
  • Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice: A Bachelor of Arts degree is based in humanities studies and offers a balanced liberal arts education in criminal justice.
  • Bachelor of Applied Science in Criminal Justice: A Bachelor of Applied Science emphasizes technical knowledge and skills used on the job.
  • Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice: The most technical of the three degrees is a Bachelor of Science degree. This program combines courses in liberal arts, science, technology and professional skills.
All of these programs are excellent preparation for the criminal justice field.

Specializations

Some schools offer specialized tracks in criminal justice bachelor's degree programs for students with specific interests. These include study tracks such as:
  • corrections
  • law enforcement
  • legal processes
  • loss prevention/assets protection.

Studying Criminal Justice

A good bachelor's program in criminal justice will help you prepare for work in the criminal justice system, government agencies at all levels or private sector security careers. Coursework to earn your bachelor's in criminal justice may include:

In addition to gaining a broad understanding of criminal justice, you will also learn psychology, sociology and political science skills in your criminal justice bachelor's program. Other important skills you will develop include:

  • critical analysis
  • development of test methods
  • hands-on experience through internships in courts, policing and probation.

Online versus On-Campus Programs

Bachelor's degree programs in criminal justice are available both online and at traditional universities. Each path of study has its own advantages. For online bachelors degree programs, advantages include:
  • being able to stay home with young children while studying
  • being able to study anywhere, at any computer
  • choosing your own study hours
  • earning an income at your current job while pursuing your degree
  • lower costs.

Advantages of traditional on-campus study include:

  • hands-on experience
  • individual attention from instructors
  • live exchange of ideas with students in your field
  • set schedule of coursework, which can be ideal for those who need a structure learning environment
  • social interaction on campus.

Job Outlook

Jobs in the criminal justice field are expected to increase over the coming years. A bachelor's degree in criminal justice will help to prepare you for both entry-level and middle management positions. Some careers opportunities for those with a criminal justice bachelor's degree include:
  • corrections officer
  • criminal investigator
  • detective
  • FBI agent
  • fraud investigator
  • legal assistant
  • loss prevention manager
  • parole or probation officer
  • police officer
  • warden.
Starting salaries for law enforcement positions with a criminal justice bachelor's degree range from about $36,000 for small town police work to $100,000 for metropolitan or federal level leadership positions.
Do you have a program in mind?

Research different schools that offer any of the below programs with the links below.

Associate's Programs
Bachelor's Programs
Master's Programs
Doctoral
 
 
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