Florida requires a bachelor’s degree for correctional probation officers. Florida International University comes first among the criminal justice schools in Florida for a bachelor’s degree. It conferred 440 degrees in criminal justice in 2023-24 and charges a resident $6,565 a year in tuition and fees. Florida has 62 ranked programs in all: 22 associate’s, 25 bachelor’s and 15 master’s.
Best Criminal Justice Schools in Florida for a Bachelor’s Degree
Florida has 25 ranked bachelor’s programs, each scored on cost, graduate earnings, completion, online experience, track record and program reputation, with the cost taken at the resident’s rate. Each score is the program’s national score on the price a resident pays, so it matches the program’s score on the national list. The scoring method has the details. The first 5 have cards below, and 20 more follow in a table.
FIU offers its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami, Florida and as a fully online degree through FIU Online, which pairs every online undergraduate with a success coach.
120 credits
Classes at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami, Florida or fully online through FIU Online
Online students can start in fall, spring or summer
FSU teaches its criminology and criminal justice major in person only on the Tallahassee, Florida campus and online to all FSU students, and its Panama City, Florida campus adds a Law Enforcement Operations major.
120 total hours, 36 in criminology
In-person classes only on the Tallahassee, Florida campus, and online for all FSU students
Online students need a Florida public A.A. or completed FSU general education requirements
Florida Atlantic University offers its Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice on the Boca Raton, Florida campus and through FAU Online, covering crime and delinquency, the legal system for juveniles and adults, and how criminal justice agencies make decisions.
Minimum of 120 credits
Offered on the Boca Raton, Florida campus and through FAU Online
Freshmen and transfer students can apply
Seniors can earn up to 12 master's-level credits early
Read more
The degree requires a minimum of 120 credits, including 27-30 credits of 3000/4000-level criminal justice coursework and the statistics prerequisite STA 2023; students may count CCJ 2002 (Law, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System) toward the major. Major courses need a C or better, and as a bachelor of arts degree it also requires college-level proficiency in a foreign language. The program is available on the Boca Raton, Florida campus and through FAU Online.
Students enter under the university's general admission requirements, and the program's application deadlines cover freshmen as well as transfer and international students. Seniors can take up to 12 master's-level credits through the combined degree program with FAU's Master of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice.
UCF offers the B.A. and B.S. in Criminal Justice in a Professional track, which embeds a police or correctional academy internship, and a selective Scholar's Track with graduate coursework, and UCF Online offers the B.A. or B.S. fully online.
120 credit hours
UCF Online offers the B.A. or B.S. fully online
The Professional track includes a required internship
The Scholar's Track includes up to nine graduate-level credits
UCF Online admits first-time college students and transfer students
$179.19 a credit, in-state rate
Read more
Every track shares a core that covers careers in criminal justice, the criminal justice system, crime in America, police and society, prosecution and adjudication, corrections and penology, research methods, data analysis, race and equity in justice, and a capstone in criminal justice ethics. The Professional track requires an internship, embeds a police or correctional academy internship and builds in an undergraduate certificate in criminal justice management and leadership, while the Scholar's Track lets students earn up to nine graduate-level credits. UCF Online offers the B.A. or B.S. fully online.
UCF Online says its fully online bachelor's degrees are designed for students attending college for the first time, transferring from another institution or returning to finish a degree, and it lists separate freshman and transfer application deadlines. Admission to the Scholar's Track requires a 3.2 overall GPA. Students must take at least 36 hours of upper-division criminal justice credit from UCF's Department of Criminal Justice, and core courses require a grade of C or better.
UNF’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice treats police, courts and corrections as connected parts of the criminal justice system, and it builds in a pre-internship and internship that in-service students can ask to waive.
120 total hours, 48 upper level
The major core is 24 credits
A minor is required, except for double majors
In-service students may ask to waive the internship
Read more
The BA requires a minimum of 120 total hours, 48 of them upper level. The 24-credit major core includes Intro to Criminal Justice, Criminological Theory, Juven Delin and Juven Justice, Criminal Law and Procedures I, Law Enforcement System/Process, Court Systems And Processes and Correctional Systems/Process, plus a research methods course. Students add criminal justice electives (in-service students select 3 courses, others 2), a 6-credit sequence of Pre-Intern in Criminal Justice and Internship In Criminal Justice, a required minor, a foreign language or foreign culture requirement for BA students, and free electives.
The department recommends Crime in America as preparation for the major. The internship requires a C or above in the core major courses, and in-service students need departmental approval to waive it. Majors with a 3.67 GPA or better and junior or senior standing can apply to graduate with Honors in Criminal Justice.
unf.edu
Bachelor’s Programs Ranked 6-25 in Florida
Bachelor’s programs in criminal justice ranked 6 to 25 in Florida
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
6
University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
$5,776
63%
83
67.6
7
Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL
$6,118
63%
119
67.3
8
Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
$3,366
44%
32
61.7
9
Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
$2,764
49%
68
59.6
10
Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL
$28,360
34%
201
56.9
11
Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL
$5,785
65%
104
55.9
12
Rasmussen University-Florida Ocala, FL
$15,485
50%
27
52.3
13
Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
$37,080
59%
26
50.5
14
Ana G. Mendez University Orlando, FL
$13,575
8
50.3
15
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
$24,136
51%
75
48.8
16
Florida National University Hialeah, FL
$16,088
63%
12
47.4
17
Lynn University Boca Raton, FL
$42,950
52%
26
47.3
18
Florida Institute of Technology-Online Melbourne, FL
$12,240
25%
7
45.0
19
Warner University Lake Wales, FL
$28,160
63%
7
39.2
20
St. Thomas University Miami Gardens, FL
$34,770
56%
27
37.4
21
Southeastern University Lakeland, FL
$31,732
42%
24
33.0
22
Edward Waters University Jacksonville, FL
$15,098
11%
23
28.1
23
Bethune-Cookman University Daytona Beach, FL
$14,794
38%
23
24.4
24
Webber International University Babson Park, FL
$32,150
39%
15
20.4
25
Florida Memorial University Miami Gardens, FL
$19,110
33%
11
17.0
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Associate Degree Programs in Florida
22 associate’s programs rank at criminal justice schools in Florida for a two-year degree. Tuition and fees run a median $2,916 a year for a resident, $1,937 below the $4,853 median for ranked associate’s programs nationally. The top program is Valencia College, with 67 associate degrees conferred in 2023-24. Completion runs lower at two-year schools because many students transfer or study part time, so associate’s programs are scored only against other associate’s programs. The first 3 have cards, and 19 more follow in a table.
Valencia College's Criminal Justice A.S. prepares students to go directly into a criminal justice career, and its A.S. to B.S. Criminal Justice Track folds the general education courses for an A.A. degree into the A.S. while preparing students to transfer into a Bachelor of Science program.
60 credits
The A.S. to B.S. Criminal Justice Track prepares students to transfer into a Bachelor of Science program
Optional Homeland Security specialization
Admission is open to applicants with a high school or GED diploma
Read more
The 60-credit degree pairs general education with Criminal Justice Administration, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology, Criminal Investigation, Introduction to Corrections, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Evidence & Procedures and a Criminal Justice Report Writing capstone, plus criminal justice electives. The Homeland Security specialization adds Introduction to Homeland Security, Transportation and Border Security, and Intelligence Analysis and Security Management. Valencia's catalog says all specialized program courses are offered online, though they may not be offered every session and some are offered at other locations.
Valencia accepts applicants who have a high school or GED diploma. The college reminds students that a sworn law enforcement or corrections officer in Florida must complete a state-certified training academy and pass the state certification exam regardless of degree work. Valencia also offers a 24-credit Criminal Justice Specialist certificate with corrections, homeland security, law enforcement and peace and justice specializations, and the catalog says all of the courses in its certificates are embedded in the A.S. degree.
valenciacollege.edu
267.4
Associate in Science Degree in Criminal Justice Technology
Indian River State College's Associate in Science Degree in Criminal Justice Technology is a 60-credit degree that the college's catalog names among the programs students can complete entirely online through River Online.
60 credits
The catalog lists the degree among programs students can complete entirely online through River Online
Admission is open to applicants with a standard high school diploma or a high school equivalency diploma
Students choose 24 credits of major electives
Criminal justice courses use Open Educational Resources in place of textbooks
Read more
The degree totals 60 credits. Its required major courses are Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Corrections, Introduction to the Courts, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, Deviant Behavior and English Composition II, and students select 24 credits of major electives from a list that includes Probation and Parole, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Police Procedures, Criminal Investigation, The Juvenile and the Law, Rules of Evidence, Criminal Procedure, Terrorism and U.S. Security, and crime scene courses such as Latent Fingerprint 1. IRSC says the program's criminal justice courses use Open Educational Resources, customized materials that eliminate the need for textbooks, and its catalog lists the degree among the programs students can complete entirely online through River Online.
Admission to IRSC's associate degree programs is open to applicants with a standard high school diploma, a high school equivalency diploma, a home-school affidavit, or at least 30 semester hours of college credit with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA. The college says students in its criminal justice programs can get hands-on experience at its Institute for Cold Case Investigation, working with local law enforcement on open, unsolved investigations. Students who plan to transfer to a state university can instead follow the Criminal Justice track of IRSC's Associate in Arts, which recommends criminal justice electives within the college's single A.A. degree rather than forming a separate major.
Hillsborough College's Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies AS prepares students for non-sworn criminal justice work or transfer toward a bachelor's degree, and graduates of a Florida police or corrections academy are eligible for articulated credit toward it.
60 credit hours
The program is primarily located at the Ybor City Campus in Tampa, Florida, and is also listed online
Florida police or corrections academy graduates are eligible for articulated credit
Career specializations may include fingerprint training, private security and investigations, victim advocacy, and crime analysis
Read more
The 60-credit-hour degree combines general education with criminal justice courses including Introduction to Criminology, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Juvenile Delinquency, Criminal Law, Criminal Investigation and Criminal Evidence and Procedure, plus 12 credit hours chosen from a long list of criminal justice electives such as Introduction to Crime Scene Technology, Introduction to Crime Analysis and Intelligence and Introduction to Homeland Security. The program is based at the Ybor City Campus in Tampa, Florida, the college lists the degree both at the Ybor City Campus and online, and courses marked with a dagger in the curriculum are offered online in addition to the traditional delivery method.
Hillsborough College describes the degree as preparation for entry-level, non-sworn positions such as juvenile justice, private security, corrections, probation and parole, and says it will transfer into similar upper-division programs at certain Florida universities and colleges when the receiving school approves in advance. Sworn law enforcement, corrections and probation officers in Florida must complete a state-mandated training academy, such as those at the college's Criminal Justice Institute, and students who have completed a Florida police or corrections academy are eligible for articulated credit toward the AS.
hcfl.edu
Associate Programs Ranked 4-22 in Florida
Associate degree programs in criminal justice ranked 4 to 22 in Florida
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
4
Florida State College at Jacksonville Jacksonville, FL
$2,657
45%
19
63.8
5
St Petersburg College St. Petersburg, FL
$2,682
43%
12
62.6
6
Polk State College Winter Haven, FL
$3,366
44%
32
61.7
7
Miami Dade College Miami, FL
$2,838
43%
12
60.3
8
Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL
$2,830
39%
53
60.2
9
Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL
$3,050
44%
5
59.9
10
Daytona State College Daytona Beach, FL
$3,106
47%
13
56.4
11
Santa Fe College Gainesville, FL
$2,563
52%
8
56.1
12
Tallahassee State College Tallahassee, FL
$2,026
46%
10
55.7
13
North Florida College Madison, FL
$2,994
51%
5
54.3
14
Eastern Florida State College Melbourne, FL
$2,791
48%
11
53.5
15
State College of Florida-Manatee-Sarasota Bradenton, FL
$3,074
42%
15
53.3
16
Lake-Sumter State College Leesburg, FL
$3,292
37%
6
50.9
17
College of Central Florida Ocala, FL
$2,710
60%
9
50.3
18
Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL
$28,360
34%
17
46.8
19
Florida SouthWestern State College Fort Myers, FL
$3,401
33%
16
46.2
20
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
$24,136
51%
53
45.2
21
Pasco-Hernando State College New Port Richey, FL
$3,155
34%
8
38.9
22
Florida National University Hialeah, FL
$16,088
63%
9
32.8
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Criminal Justice Master’s Programs in Florida
Master’s programs are scored on cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). Among criminal justice schools in Florida, Florida State University comes first of the 15, at $11,553 a year in graduate tuition and fees for residents. Graduate tuition and fees for a resident have a median of $11,334 a year and run from $3,600 to $34,590.
Master’s programs in criminal justice ranked in Florida
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
1
Florida State University Tallahassee, FL
$11,553
75%
129
68.5
2
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL
$8,872
69%
78
63.2
3
University of South Florida Tampa, FL
$10,428
71%
25
60.5
4
Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL
$6,693
66%
13
58.7
5
Florida International University Miami, FL
$11,334
74%
24
56.7
6
University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
$9,062
63%
7
55.2
7
University of North Florida Jacksonville, FL
$10,364
64%
26
52.6
8
Ana G. Mendez University Orlando, FL
$10,455
22
51.0
9
Webber International University Babson Park, FL
$3,600
39%
5
47.7
10
Saint Leo University Saint Leo, FL
$15,840
34%
97
46.9
11
Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL
$24,140
59%
25
37.2
12
St. Thomas University Miami Gardens, FL
$16,040
56%
14
35.7
13
Keiser University-Ft Lauderdale Fort Lauderdale, FL
$34,590
51%
29
34.9
14
Lynn University Boca Raton, FL
$13,700
52%
5
33.3
15
Bethune-Cookman University Daytona Beach, FL
$14,100
38%
7
33.3
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Online Criminal Justice Programs in Florida
Online programs at criminal justice schools in Florida reach the national online lists 11 times, from 9 schools (2 at the associate’s level, 6 at the bachelor’s level and 3 at the master’s level). Those lists score what an online student from another state pays for a credit, so the prices below are not the in-state prices above. Florida International University ranks 16th of the 187 ranked online bachelor’s programs, the best placed of the 6 online bachelor’s programs at schools in Florida.
Online criminal justice programs from schools in Florida, by place on the national online lists
Cost per credit is the rate the school’s page publishes, read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026, or else its 2023-24 IPEDS per-credit charge.
What Criminal Justice Degrees Cost in Florida
Your price depends on the school: $2,764 a year at Indian River State College, $42,950 at Lynn University, both in tuition and required fees for a bachelor’s degree. The median is $14,794, $610 above the national median of $14,184 for ranked bachelor’s programs.
Ranked criminal justice programs in Florida: tuition and graduation rate by level
Level
Ranked programs
Median tuition and fees, a year
Lowest to highest
Median graduation rate
Bachelor’s programs
25
$14,794
$2,764 to $42,950
49%
Associate’s programs
22
$2,916
$2,026 to $28,360
42%
Master’s programs
15
$11,334
$3,600 to $34,590
By type of school, the median bachelor’s program charges $5,875 at public colleges, $28,160 at private nonprofit colleges and $15,787 at for-profit colleges.
Where you live matters at Florida International University: it charges $18,964 a year to students from out of state, $12,399 more than a resident pays.
Prices are 2023-24 tuition and required fees for a full-time year, as each school reported them to IPEDS, before books, housing or financial aid.
What Florida Requires to Become a Police Officer
Police education in Florida is set by the FDLE Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission. Florida requires a high school diploma or the equivalent as the commission defines it.
“(3) Be a high school graduate or its “equivalent” as the commission has defined the term by rule.”
FDLE Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, Section 943.13(3), Florida Statutes, read October 7, 2026: leg.state.fl.us
You don’t need a degree to meet that minimum. Departments can ask for more than the state does, and BLS says the education police departments require ranges from a high school diploma to a college degree. A degree is not a peace officer license: certification comes from completing a police academy and meeting the standards that apply to the agency.
Probation Officer Education Rule in Florida
Florida requires a bachelor’s degree for correctional probation officers.
“Have earned a high school graduate or equivalent (GED). (A bachelor’s degree is required for correctional probation officers.)”
FDLE Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission, Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission employment requirements, read October 7, 2026:
fdle.state.fl.us
Criminal Justice Jobs and Pay in Florida
The median patrol officer (SOC 33-3051) in Florida makes $74,470 a year; nationally the median is $76,210, so the state sits $1,740 below it. That is the 26th highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports, and 43,630 people hold the job. The lowest-paid tenth earn $51,330 or less, and the highest-paid tenth earn $98,190 or more.
Of the four jobs, detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn the most in Florida, at a median $77,060, and correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) the least, at $49,710. Florida pays below the national median for all of them; the widest gap is for detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021), $16,730 below the national median of $93,790.
Median annual pay for four criminal justice jobs in Florida and nationally, May 2025
Pay figures are BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics medians for May 2025, each for the SOC occupation named beside it.
Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees in Florida
What Are the Best Criminal Justice Schools in Florida?
For a bachelor’s degree, Florida International University comes first, followed by Florida State University and Florida Atlantic University, among 25 ranked bachelor’s programs in Florida. For an associate degree, Valencia College leads 22 ranked associate’s programs in Florida. For a master’s degree, Florida State University leads 15 ranked master’s programs in Florida. Each list is the national ranking at its level kept to the state’s programs, scored on cost, graduate earnings, completion, online experience, track record and program reputation, with the cost at the in-state rate.
How Much Does a Criminal Justice Degree Cost in Florida?
At criminal justice schools in Florida, a resident pays a median $2,916 at the associate’s programs ($2,026 to $28,360), $14,794 at the bachelor’s programs ($2,764 to $42,950) and $11,334 at the master’s programs ($3,600 to $34,590) for a full-time year of tuition and required fees in 2023-24. The national median for a ranked bachelor’s program is $14,184.
What Does Florida Require of New Police Officers?
A degree is not part of the minimum the rule sets. Florida requires a high school diploma or the equivalent as the commission defines it. A degree is not a peace officer license, and departments can ask for more than the minimum. The guide to degrees and police work sets this rule beside all 47 state and district rules.
What Do Police Officers Earn in Florida?
BLS puts the median for patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) in Florida at $74,470 a year, $1,740 below the national median of $76,210. There, detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn $77,060 and correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) $49,710. These are May 2025 medians.
Do You Need a Degree to Be a Probation Officer in Florida?
Florida requires a bachelor’s degree for correctional probation officers. It’s set out in Florida Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission employment requirements.
Other Criminal Justice Schools in Florida
Beyond the ranked programs above, 11 more criminal justice schools in Florida conferred criminal justice degrees in 2023-24. They’re listed here with the levels they confer and their federal figures, the school with the most degrees first. The most common level here is the associate’s, conferred by 8. A program needs at least five graduates at its level in 2023-24 to be ranked, so a small program appears with its figures and no score. Graduation rates appear for the schools with undergraduate criminal justice degrees, because the federal rate describes undergraduates.
Other schools in Florida with criminal justice degrees, by degrees conferred
School
Type
Degrees conferred, 2023-24
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Graduation rate
Strayer University-Florida Tampa, FL
Private for-profit
Associate’s 1 · Bachelor’s 22
$13,920
0%
Pensacola State College Pensacola, FL
Public
Associate’s 4
$2,348
42%
Seminole State College of Florida Sanford, FL
Public
Associate’s 4
$3,227
42%
Trinity Baptist College Jacksonville, FL
Private nonprofit
Bachelor’s 4
$14,300
44%
South Florida State College Avon Park, FL
Public
Associate’s 3
$3,165
51%
Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL
Public
Associate’s 2
$3,100
57%
Gulf Coast State College Panama City, FL
Public
Associate’s 2
$2,370
45%
South University-Tampa Tampa, FL
Private for-profit
Master’s 2
$16,452
The College of the Florida Keys Key West, FL
Public
Associate’s 2
$3,276
41%
Saint Johns River State College Palatka, FL
Public
Associate’s 1
$2,830
46%
South University-West Palm Beach Royal Palm Beach, FL
Private for-profit
Master’s 1
$16,452
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
More State Pages to Compare With Florida
Nearby pages, starting with two from the South, Florida’s Census region, each with a figure from its own state.
Sources for the Florida Figures
Awards, charges, completion and online enrollment: the Department of Education's IPEDS data:
IPEDS completions and distance education, 2023-24; IPEDS tuition and fees and per-credit charges, 2023-24; IPEDS
graduation rates; and IPEDS Outcome Measures and fall 2024 enrollment, from the 2024 provisional release.
Programs are counted under the criminal justice codes in the federal CIP 43.01 series.
Graduate earnings: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard,
field-of-study data for Criminal Justice and Corrections (CIP 43.01). Earnings are College Scorecard's median for the school's criminal justice and corrections graduates (federal field 43.01) at the level who received federal aid, four years after finishing, or one year after where that is the only figure Scorecard publishes. Scorecard reports a median only where enough graduates can be counted, and it covers every program the school reports in that field.
Program names, credit counts, formats, entry requirements and published prices: each school's own program pages, read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
