Best Online Associate Degree in Criminal Justice Programs (2027)

The 60-credit-hour associate degree combines general education requirements with a criminal justice major made up of Introduction to Criminal Justice, Theory & Practices of Law Enforcement, Theory & Practices of Corrections, Introduction to Terrorism, Juvenile Delinquency and Criminology, plus program electives chosen from courses such as Victimology, Judicial Process, Probation and Parole and Criminal Law. Courses are 100% online and available 24/7, and the university offers 11 start dates each year.

Applicants self-certify that they completed high school or its equivalent, and first-time freshmen submit an official high school transcript. The university says the degree is not designed to meet the educational requirements for a specific professional license or certification.

The associate degree (AAS) in criminal justice is 63 credits: 42 credits of technical studies, 18 credits of general studies and 3 credits of electives. The program covers law enforcement, corrections, criminal procedures, juvenile law and constitutional law, along with communication, crime prevention, report writing and forensic science applications. Technical courses include Introduction to Corrections, Criminal Justice System, Criminal Procedures, Juvenile Procedures, Constitutional Principles, Writing Reports and a Criminal Justice Issues Capstone. FVTC lists the program in Appleton, Wisconsin or online, part time or full time.

Admission calls for an academic skills assessment, which can be waived with a high school GPA of 2.75 or higher, a completed associate degree or higher, a qualifying GED score, or ACT or Accuplacer results. The degree does not by itself place a student in the Law Enforcement Recruit Academy: FVTC says its academy is a competitive process, that students must pass the fitness and background requirements set by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, and that associate degree graduates have Physical Readiness Testing fees waived. FVTC also says out-of-state tuition does not apply to its online classes.

The Criminal Justice AAS Degree totals 62 credits. Required courses include introduction to criminal justice, introduction to corrections, courts and the judicial process, criminal law, police and society, juvenile justice, criminology, ethics in criminal justice, criminal investigation and report writing, alongside general education. Classes are offered online, in person or in hybrid formats, and students get hands-on experience in the program's crime house, on field trips and with virtual reality systems.

The degree prepares students for entry-level work in law enforcement, corrections and related criminal justice careers. Students can start with a short-term certificate in corrections, criminal justice or police work, move up to the diploma and then the associate degree, which the college says can be completed within 2 years.

Pierce College's course map for the Associate in Applied Science Criminal Justice totals 90-92 credits and pairs general education with criminal justice courses including Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections in America, Introduction to Policing, Crime and Justice in America: The Issues and Criminal Law, a work-based learning or criminal justice elective, and a culminating project. Pierce says the program can be taken online, in person, during the day at the Fort Steilacoom campus in Lakewood, Washington, at night at the Puyallup, Washington campus, or in a combination, and its criminal justice programs can also be taken through Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Pierce admits students who are 18 or older, whose high school class has graduated, who are high school graduates or have earned a GED, or who qualify through Running Start, and Running Start students can talk with a criminal justice advisor about their options. Pierce says most associate degrees take a full-time student about two years, students with prior credits should work with an advisor to get as much credit as possible for completed work, and the course map requires a 2.0 minimum grade in each course. Pierce cautions that any past criminal history may be detrimental to finding employment in the criminal justice field, and it also offers certificates in Crime Analysis and Investigations, Criminal Justice, Explorer Cadet Pre-Law Enforcement and Forensic Technology.

SNHU's online Associate of Science in Criminal Justice is a 60-credit program split between general education and major courses, with the remaining 12 credits as free electives, taught in 8-week terms. Major courses may include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Policing in the United States and The United States Correctional System, and the program explores ideas, theories and practices related to the American judicial system.

Undergraduate applicants submit an attestation form stating they graduated from high school or received a GED. SNHU accepts up to 45 transfer credits toward this degree, with a minimum of 15 credits taken at SNHU, and says candidates can apply certain law enforcement trainings for up to 12 credits. Associate degree holders can apply the degree toward the remaining 60 credits of SNHU's 120-credit bachelor's program.

The Criminal Justice Transfer Pathway AS is a 60-credit degree delivered fully online, with no set meeting time: students attend lectures and access class materials on their own schedule, and they can start in fall or spring. Its coursework covers criminal justice and corrections; criminal procedures, probation and crime prevention strategies; community corrections; criminal and civil law and investigations; and social behavior, social problems, communication, sociology and psychology. Ridgewater offers related degrees in the same department: the Peace Officer/Public Safety Transfer Pathway AS, a fully online 68-credit degree built for transfer, and the Peace Officer AAS, a 67-credit degree whose coursework is online and which adds an in-person, 12-credit summer skills training held off site. Ridgewater's catalog says the Peace Officer AAS includes the classroom education and hands-on Law Enforcement practicum training required to become a peace officer.

Ridgewater's basic admission requirement is a high school diploma or GED, and grade point average, class rank and ACT or SAT scores are not considered; applicants do not need to be Minnesota residents. The Criminal Justice Transfer Pathway AS is designed for students who will move on to a partner Minnesota State university to earn a related bachelor's degree, though graduates can also go directly into the workforce. Veterans, current military members, National Guard and Reserve members and their families can use federal VA education benefits, the Minnesota GI Bill or military tuition assistance, with a School Certifying Official handling enrollment certification, and a student who withdraws for military service is readmitted without penalty if the request comes within three years of release.

Rasmussen's catalog lists the Law Enforcement Associate of Applied Science at 90 quarter credits, 32 in general education and 58 in the core, and Rasmussen says it can be finished in as few as 18 months, or in as few as six months for students who already hold an associate degree and need only the skills requirements. It is a hybrid program of online and residential courses, with the skills portion taught at the HERO Training Center. Core courses include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Policing in America, Traffic Enforcement, Firearms I and II, Use of Force I and II, Crime Scene Response, Minnesota Traffic Code, Minnesota Criminal Code, Patrol Practicals: Handling Calls in Progress and Capstone for Law Enforcement. Rasmussen also offers a fully online Criminal Justice Associate of Applied Science of 91 quarter credits, 42 in general education and 49 in the core, which it says can be completed in as few as 18 months.

Every Rasmussen entrant needs at least a high school diploma or the equivalent. Admission to the law enforcement program also requires a placement exam score that avoids developmental coursework (or a C- or higher in college-level English or math), an information session, driving and criminal history records, a written autobiography, a health physical, a psychological evaluation and background checks, including one by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. The program is open only to Minnesota residents or applicants who attest that they intend to seek work as Minnesota peace officers. Rasmussen says it meets standards set by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Board, though graduates may need additional coursework, training and skills and fitness standards before they are eligible for the licensing exam; the online Criminal Justice degree does not meet those standards.

The Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice is 60 semester hours: 30 in general education, 21 in the major, a 3-hour final program requirement and 6 hours of electives. Major courses are Introduction to Law Enforcement, Evidence and Procedures, Criminal Justice Administration, Juvenile Delinquency, Intercultural Communication, Emergency and Disaster Incident Command and Introduction to the Courts, and the program ends with the Criminal Justice Sophomore Seminar, where students complete an approved project or paper. The program is online: courses start monthly, run 8 to 16 weeks and have no set login times.

First-time students need a high school diploma or equivalent. Transfer students submit transcripts, and up to 45 credits may transfer, pending evaluation. APU says an associate degree can typically be completed in two years with full-time study, and points graduates to its two criminal justice bachelor's degrees.

The A.A. takes 60 credit hours online, counted in semester hours, and its 21-hour criminal justice core covers Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Research and Writing, Criminal Justice Report Writing, Corrections, Judicial Process, Criminology and Criminal Law alongside general education courses; the residential version's catalog plan runs 61-64 hours. Online courses run 8 weeks, with 8 start dates a year and no set login times, and Liberty's catalog lists the major in both residential and online delivery formats. Graduation requires a 2.0 overall GPA and at least a C in every course in the major.

Liberty reviews undergraduate applications case by case with no set minimums, and first-time college students submit official high school transcripts. Transfer credit can cover up to 75% of the degree. Liberty's residential page says students receive the training in just 2 years, and the program frames criminal justice within Christian principles and a biblical worldview, so it fits students who want that perspective in their studies.

The degree requires at least 60 credit hours: general education in language arts, social and behavioral sciences, math and the humanities, plus occupational courses that include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections, Principles of Law Enforcement, Ethics and Cultural Perspectives, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law and Juvenile Justice, a practicum or internship, and occupational electives.

Applicants must be at least 16 years old, submit a high school or GED transcript along with any college transcripts, and meet assessment requirements, and new students can start in fall, spring or summer. The college says the degree does not ensure certification of officer status in Georgia, which students must seek from the Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.) Council.