Best Criminal Justice Schools in Arkansas (2027)

The degree is 120 credit hours: 36 general education core credits and 84 program core credits. The core covers criminal law and criminal procedure, criminology and criminological theory, police systems and practices, corrections and rehabilitation, juvenile justice, criminalistics and criminal investigations, ethics, and public administration and research methods. Students can add a Computer Forensic Investigation or Homeland Security concentration, each requiring 18 concentration credits. All coursework is online, in eight-week terms with monthly start dates.

Admission requires completion of high school or its equivalent, and students can transfer in up to 75% of the credits for the degree. The university says the program typically takes 38 months with continuous enrollment and satisfactory academic progress. Its catalog notes that students seeking a career in local or state law enforcement will need additional training and testing set by each state's Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.).

The B.A. in Criminology totals 120 hours, including 37 credit hours in criminology and sociology courses: Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice, General Sociology, Sociology of Criminal Law, Criminological Theory, Corrections and Social Control, Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality, Social Data and Analysis and Social Research, plus 12 credit hours of upper-level criminology or sociology courses. The catalog lays the degree out in an Eight-Semester Degree Plan, and the Department of Sociology and Criminology offers undergraduate internship opportunities.

All incoming undergraduates apply through general admission to the BA program, and the department also offers a double major in sociology and criminology. The department’s page on the move from Criminal Justice to Criminology says students in the earlier Criminal Justice major could switch to the criminology B.A. or stay in the old major for a set period to finish. Students who want a smaller credential in the field can take the department’s Minor in Criminal Justice, 18 credit hours that the university offers 100% online to its degree-seeking students, including those in the online BA in Interdisciplinary Studies.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is a 120-hour program that pairs research with practice. Students cover police, corrections, juvenile justice, law and the courts, and take up current research on terrorism, victimology, crime and science, and race and crime, along with administration and criminal behavior. The university says the degree is offered in person and fully online, and courses run in a 16-week format or an accelerated 7-week format.

The program is built for students heading into law enforcement, corrections, juvenile justice, the courts and victim advocacy. Students earning credits toward the school's Associate of Science in Law Enforcement may apply them toward the bachelor's degree, and a minor in criminal justice is also offered.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology is a 120-hour degree in the Behavioral Sciences Department. The plan of study includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Social Problems, Crime and Delinquency and Beginning Spanish I, then upper-level electives in policing, courts and society. At least 40 of the hours must be at the 3000 to 4000 level, and each student adds a minor, an associate degree or a second degree in sociology, cybersecurity, emergency management, political science, psychology, pre-law or law enforcement.

Arkansas Tech admits entering first-time students under its general admission standards, so the degree can be started straight from high school. The catalog pairs the major with accelerated master's options, including the Master of Science in Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Master of Science in Higher Education and Student Affairs, which let students count graduate courses toward criminal justice electives. The department says its criminal justice and criminology majors study crime causation, GIS and cybersecurity.

The 120-credit-hour degree pairs the general education requirement with criminal justice core courses in criminology, criminal law and procedure, law enforcement, corrections, juvenile justice, ethics and research methods, ending in a capstone experience. Students also choose criminal justice electives, and unrestricted hours leave room for minors, certificates or coursework in other fields. The program page lists the format as online or on campus, and the department says the program is offered 100% online.

Qualified freshmen can follow an 8-semester degree plan. Students from partner community colleges in Arkansas and Oklahoma can transfer up to 60 credit hours under 2+2 agreements, and through credit for prior learning, graduates of the police department Basic Training Program in Fort Smith, Arkansas may earn up to 15 credit hours toward the degree, with 3 more after Field Training Officer training. A criminal justice minor is also offered.

The degree plan totals 60 credit hours. It opens with Introduction to Criminal Justice and Introduction to Corrections, then moves through Community Relations, Criminal Investigation and criminal justice electives. The program is offered at the Newport, Arkansas and Jonesboro, Arkansas locations, with starts in fall, spring and summer, and the department says its courses are delivered both online and in the traditional classroom.

ASU-Newport admits first-time students straight out of high school or with a GED. The college describes the degree as a foundation for students planning to transfer to four-year institutions for a bachelor’s in criminal justice or a related field. A 31-credit-hour Technical Certificate in Criminal Justice, listed at 9 months, is also offered.

Each associate degree is 60 credit hours over 4 semesters, offered in person at the college in Mountain Home, Arkansas, or online. The Associate of Science combines general education requirements with a criminal justice core that includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology and Criminal Evidence and Procedure, with directed electives such as Community Relations in Law Enforcement, Community Corrections, Juvenile Delinquency and Criminal Investigation. The Associate of Applied Science is built around a police science core covering Criminology, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Police Organization and Administration, Criminal Law I, Criminal Evidence and Procedure, Community Corrections, Juvenile Delinquency and Criminal Investigation.

First-time college students apply with an official high school transcript or GED scores. The college says the Associate of Science is designed for students preparing to transfer to Arkansas State University's Jonesboro, Arkansas campus for a baccalaureate degree in criminology, while the Associate of Applied Science prepares students to enter the workforce in law enforcement, corrections, public safety, investigations and private security. Students who completed certified law enforcement training may receive credit, and the Certificate of Proficiency in Criminal Justice, which high school students can begin through the ASUMH Secondary Center, applies toward either degree.

The Associate of Science in Criminal Justice (60-62 credit hours, designed to be completed in two years) is built for students planning a bachelor's degree: general education plus Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Evidence/Court Procedures, Criminal Investigation, Using Technology in Criminal Justice and Criminology, and 10 or more credit hours of criminal justice electives. The Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice (60-61 credit hours, designed to be completed in approximately two years) studies criminals, crime as a social phenomenon and the justice system, with courses such as Police Community Relations, Investigative Report Writing, Substantive Criminal Law and a Criminal Justice Internship. The college also offers a 33-credit-hour Technical Certificate in Criminal Justice for working officers and certificates of proficiency in criminal justice, corrections, juvenile justice and criminal investigation.

UA-EACC describes an open admissions philosophy: students enter as graduates of an accredited high school, by passing the GED examination, by transferring from another accredited college or through Early College enrollment. The college says the criminal justice program was developed in cooperation with local and regional law enforcement and correctional agencies, and the Associate of Science requires at least a 2.0 grade point average to graduate. UA-EACC also says students can earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice through a partnership with the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith.