Best Criminal Justice Schools in Georgia (2027)

The 120-hour Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice covers the country's legal and correctional systems, the philosophy of punishment and deterrence of crime, and ethical codes of behavior, along with interpersonal communication, multicultural issues, leadership and management, and technology. Kennesaw State lists the program format as face-to-face and online, with Kennesaw, Georgia as the primary campus, and says students can take it entirely online, in class, or in a combination. Students can intern or study abroad for semester credit.

High school seniors, and graduates within the last five years who have not enrolled at another college, apply for freshman admission, and students can start in the fall, spring or summer term. Kennesaw State calls it a four-year program. The program page lists Double Owl Pathways, which let undergraduates work toward an undergraduate and a graduate degree, into the Criminal Justice MS, Cybersecurity MS, Public Administration MPA and Social Work MSW. A 15-credit-hour criminal justice minor is offered face-to-face and online.

The Bachelor of Science with a major in criminal justice builds a foundation in police, courts and corrections before students choose major electives that let them specialize, with courses that may include in-depth investigations in policing, courts, corrections or forensics. Sophomores take criminology, rules of evidence and criminal investigation, juniors move into courses on criminal behavior, and seniors complete a required internship at a criminal justice agency. A forensics concentration aimed at crime scene investigation work is also offered. UNG lists the standard major on its Dahlonega, Georgia campus and online.

First-time students are graduating high school seniors or applicants who finished high school or earned a GED or equivalent within the past five years. UNG says its Public Safety Academy provides Georgia P.O.S.T. basic law enforcement certification to students who declare the criminal justice major, and it lists a separate version of the B.S. with P.O.S.T. certification in which juniors train in firearms, pursuit driving, crime scene investigation and evidence collection. UNG lists the P.O.S.T. and forensics versions on the Dahlonega, Georgia campus only. The department also offers a criminal justice minor.

The degree takes a minimum of 120 credit hours: 42 hours of core curriculum, 18 hours of criminal justice core courses, 12 hours of foundations of analysis courses, legal issues courses, criminal justice issues courses, capstone and internship courses, and 21 or 24 hours of electives. The Crime and Justice concentration blends a traditional criminal justice curriculum with an emphasis on digital criminology, while the Legal Studies concentration gives more exposure to law, often for students preparing for law school. Every major completes an approved internship at a criminal justice agency in the senior year, through two field placement courses. Classes run on the Atlanta, Georgia campus and online, and all required classes can be completed online.

High school seniors and students who finished high school within the last two years apply through Georgia State's Common Application, and students already in college apply as transfers. Georgia State says a full-time student may complete the program in four years. The department also offers a 15-credit-hour criminal justice minor on campus and online, and a digital criminology minor online.

The degree totals 120 credit hours: the VSU core curriculum of 60 semester hours, which includes a criminal justice field of study with Introduction to Criminal Justice, Writing for Criminal Justice Professions, and Introduction to Sociology or Introduction to Social Problems, followed by 60 semester hours of major courses and electives. Valdosta State lists course topics that include cybercrime, forensic criminology, criminal law, comparative justice systems, sex crimes, terrorism, white collar crime, organized crime and criminal analysis, and says students can use electives toward a minor in a related discipline and can work on faculty research projects, complete internships and study abroad. The degree can be taken on campus or fully online; in the E-Degree online major, courses run in two eight-week terms over 16 weeks, so a student can complete four courses per term.

VSU's undergraduate application is open to freshmen (applicants who have never attended college, or high school graduates with fewer than 30 semester hours of college credit) and to transfer students. The online major is one of eight undergraduate programs in VState Online, VSU's fully online college, which lists five start dates a year and charges an all-inclusive per-credit-hour rate that covers tuition and all course materials. The department's program map lays out a four-year schedule and points students who want the Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration to a 4+1 accelerated program that completes both degrees in five years.

The degree requires at least 60 credit hours: a 15-credit-hour general education core and a 45-credit-hour occupational curriculum. The occupational courses are Introduction to Computer Literacy, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections, Principles of Law Enforcement, Ethics and Cultural Perspectives for Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Law for Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice, then either Criminal Justice Practicum or Criminal Justice Internship/Externship, plus 15 credit hours of occupational related electives chosen with an advisor. GNTC's catalog lists the degree among its programs available 100% online and names the Gordon County, Walker County and Whitfield Murray campuses for it.

GNTC admits students who are at least 16 and hold a high school diploma, a GED or an approved high school equivalency, and new students can enter at the beginning of any semester; applicants below the minimum placement scores receive remedial instruction through GNTC's Learning Support program. GNTC's catalog notes that 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. The college also offers a Criminal Justice Technology diploma and Criminal Justice Specialist and Introduction to Criminal Justice certificates.

The Associate of Science in Criminal Justice requires a minimum of 60 hours, with 42 hours of general education core courses and occupational courses in Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections, Criminal Law for Criminal Justice and Criminology plus program-specific electives. The Criminal Justice Technology Associate Degree is 60 hours with 15 hours of general education and 45 hours of occupational courses, including Principles of Law Enforcement, Ethics and Cultural Perspectives for Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law for Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, Juvenile Justice and a practicum or internship, and 15 hours of electives such as Probation and Parole, Methods of Criminal Investigation, Community-Oriented Policing and Victimology. The catalog lists both degrees at Macon, Georgia; Milledgeville, Georgia; and Warner Robins, Georgia, and online.

The college's program page says a high school diploma or GED is required and that students in the Criminal Justice Technology degree must be 16 or older. CGTC says Associate of Science graduates would be eligible to articulate to select 4-year institutions without loss of credit for a 2+2 transfer to a B.S. in Criminal Justice, while the Criminal Justice Technology entry notes that completion 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.