Best Criminal Justice Schools in Colorado (2027)

The 120-credit degree combines a 30-credit criminal justice core, 31 credits of general education and electives. The core is ten 3-credit courses in a suggested order, among them Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology, Law Enforcement and American Policing, Laws of Evidence, Criminal Law, and Ethics for the Criminal Justice Professional, and it ends with a capstone, Application of Criminal Justice Knowledge and Skills. Students can use elective credits for an optional 15-credit specialization; CSU Global recommends, but does not require, Criminology or Criminal Forensics. Courses run eight weeks and are fully online and asynchronous.

CSU Global admits high school graduates and GED holders as first-time freshmen when they have two or more years of work experience, fewer than 24 college-level semester credit hours and either a high school GPA of 2.80 or higher or a GED that meets its minimum score; transfer applicants need at least 24 semester credit hours, a 2.30 cumulative GPA and at least two years of work, internship or volunteer experience. Up to 90 credits can transfer into the bachelor's degree, up to 64 of them from community colleges, including credit for military service and career experience. Start dates come every month, and CSU Global says in-state and out-of-state students pay the same tuition.

The 120-credit-hour degree's required core covers criminology and criminal justice, criminological theory, research methods, statistics, corrections, law enforcement, courts and judicial process, and a sociology course, followed by criminal justice electives; an internship is required as one of the electives unless it is officially waived. Students can follow a general track or add the Law Enforcement concentration, 12 credit hours of law enforcement courses, or the Victims and Victim Services concentration, which requires Victimology and Trauma in the Criminal Justice System. CU Denver offers the program in person, online, or a mix of both, and says both concentrations and the general track are offered fully online.

Admission requirements differ for first-time, transfer and international students, and the online program starts in the fall, spring and summer. CU Denver gives the full-time time to degree as four years and offers discounted tuition to students from Western states.

The B.A. requires 120 credits, and the catalog's 40-credit required major takes in both the required courses and the major electives. Required courses are Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Crime Theories, Policing Systems, Judicial Process, Correctional Systems, Victim Studies, Theories of Crime, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Justice Professionalism and Ethics, Race, Ethnicity, Gender, and Social Class in Criminal Justice, Applied Statistics in Criminal Justice and Criminal Justice Library Research. For the electives, students take two courses from a list that includes Crime Prevention, Cybercrime, Crime Mapping, Juvenile Justice and Homeland Security, or six credits of internship. UNC lists the format as in person in Greeley, Colorado.

UNC says all students who meet its admission requirements are eligible for the major, and its first-year admission page covers current high school students, high school graduates who have not enrolled in college since and applicants with a high school equivalency such as the GED. Current UNC students can switch into the major from undeclared or another major if they are not on academic probation. The catalog lays out a four-year plan, majors need a grade of C or better in every course that counts toward the major, and the department holds the CRJ Mock Oral Board and Job Expo every year. UNC also offers an 18-credit minor in the field.

The 120-credit B.S. begins with Introduction to Criminal Justice System as a pre-major course, followed by 45 credit hours of criminal justice and criminology coursework: a core of Introduction to Corrections, Research Methods and Basic Statistics, American Judicial System, American Policing, Criminological Theories, Criminal Justice and the Social Structure and a Capstone Seminar, then area electives in police, courts and law, corrections and administration of justice, plus further CJC electives. Majors also complete General Studies courses and a minor of at least 18 semester hours. The department places interns with probation and parole departments, public defender and district attorney offices, police departments and sheriff offices, and the university sits on the Auraria Campus near downtown Denver, Colorado.

MSU Denver lays out milestones for the major from a student's first year through the final year, and the department says the program also welcomes students returning to school, noting that many are already employed in criminal justice work. The curriculum is structured for transfer from two-year police science and criminal justice programs, backed by articulation agreements with Colorado community colleges. MSU Denver says its core curriculum is consistent with Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) national standards for a criminal justice baccalaureate degree.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is 120 credit hours and takes an interdisciplinary approach drawing on law, sociology, psychology and political science. Courses named for the online program include Ethics in Criminal Justice, Crime Theory and Causes, and Courts and Judicial Process. Students complete 9 elective credit hours in criminal justice and can use them toward an optional specialization in Forensic Studies, Law, Law Enforcement, Cybercrime and Cybersecurity, or Victimization. UCCS says the degree can be completed online, on campus or a combination of both, and that the online version has no requirement to visit campus.

UCCS takes first-year applicants on a rolling basis and describes an online completion program for students who have already earned an associate degree in criminal justice, who can finish the bachelor's completely online. Dual degrees pair criminal justice with psychology or sociology. UCCS says students from 14 states can receive in-state Colorado tuition rates for this BA.

The Criminal Justice Transfer Major, AA follows a Colorado statewide articulation agreement and totals 60 credit hours, with 27 credit hours of required courses beyond general education, including Intro to Criminal Justice, Policing Systems and Correctional Process. The Criminal Justice AAS also totals 60 credit hours, with 27 credit hours of major courses: Intro to Criminal Justice, Policing Systems, Judicial Function, Correctional Process, Principles of Criminal Law, Criminal Investigation I, Victimology, Criminology and CRJ Research Methods. The Law Enforcement AAS totals 62 credit hours, 38 of them academy courses completed through the college's Law Enforcement Academy. Students can take field trips to courthouses and police stations and do field research in several criminal justice courses.

Arapahoe Community College has open-door admission for anyone at least 17 years old who is a high school graduate, GED completer, home-schooled student or high school non-graduate. The Law Enforcement AAS requires completion of the college's Law Enforcement Academy, a current Colorado POST certificate, or permission of the program coordinator, and the college says it prepares students for departments that require a two-year college degree.

The Criminal Justice AA Degree With Designation is 60 credit hours: 33 credits of general education and 27 credits of additional required courses, including Intro to Criminal Justice, Policing Systems and Correctional Process, plus a choice of criminal justice electives such as Crime Scene Investigation, Criminal Investigation I, Victimology and Criminal Profiling. Red Rocks says the program runs at the Lakewood, Colorado campus and online. The Law Enforcement AAS Degree is also 60 credit hours and requires Basic Police Academy I and II, Basic Law, Arrest Control Techniques, Law Enforcement Driving and Firearms, along with 15 credits of general education and 6 credits of advisor-approved electives.

The AA is a designated degree under the Statewide Transfer Articulation Agreement, a statewide transfer program Colorado built with its four-year schools. Red Rocks says its Law Enforcement Academy satisfies the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board certification requirements; academy applicants must show they will turn 21 by the time they take the POST exam and must not have any history POST treats as disqualifying.

The degree requires 60 credit hours: 30 in general education, 18 in criminal justice major coursework and 12 in electives. CCU lists the program focus as criminal justice, ethics, criminal courts, corrections, criminology and juvenile justice. Courses are taken one at a time, typically in five-week blocks, and the online format lets students complete assignments and coursework from any location with internet access.

Admission asks for proof of high school graduation or completion, such as a diploma, a transcript or a GED, and applicants to the College of Adult and Graduate Studies must be at least 18. Students can enter at the beginning of any adult studies course; prior college, military and experiential credit can count toward the degree, up to 45 transferred credit hours, and the 18 major credit hours, general education and electives can transfer into CCU's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice. CCU also offers a 12-credit-hour online Criminal Justice Certificate, and 9 of its credits can transfer into the associate degree.