Best Criminal Justice Schools in Kansas (2027)

Both degrees require 120 hours. Every major takes the same 24-hour criminal justice core, which covers criminology, criminal law and criminal procedure, then works with an advisor to shape the remaining 21 hours; electives reach into areas such as cybercrime, terrorism and criminal justice administration. The B.A. adds 10 credit hours of a language other than English, which the B.S. does not require. Fort Hays State offers both degrees online and on campus, and the catalog also lists each one with an addiction counseling option.

The catalog plans for students who arrive within a year of high school graduation, who take a freshman seminar, and it advises transfer students on which general education courses to choose. Hands-on work includes internships, field courses and research projects. The criminal justice programs also house a regional training center of the National De-escalation Training Center and the Center for Empowering Victims of Gender-Based Violence.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 credit hours, including at least 39 credit hours of major courses. Beyond the major core, students choose a gateway elective and 18 credit hours of electives, which can form a focused body of knowledge or be spread across the options. The college's world language requirement can be met with 12 credit hours of a language or with Spanish for Law Enforcement, and every student completes an applied learning or research experience, a requirement students can meet by completing Introduction to Research Methods.

Wichita State designs the program for preservice students and for people already working in criminal justice, and says it can be completed in the classroom or online. In the traditional section of that research methods course, students have a hands-on experience serving or benefiting a community agency. Besides the general degree, the catalog lists the BS with a concentration in courts and law and with a concentration in criminal intelligence.

The degree requires 120 credit hours. The general version lets students take criminal justice courses across areas, for example law enforcement and forensic investigation together, while an emphasis concentrates coursework in a single field. Majors need a C or better in all required major courses, and the general degree also requires a complementary minor, certificate or additional major. On its law enforcement page, Washburn says core classes are offered online as well as in person and that some electives are offered over the weekend as workshops.

Washburn says there is no minimum academic requirement for first-time freshmen, and its law enforcement page says that program has no specific admission requirements beyond applying to the university. The department says its law enforcement and security administration programs are each designed for people already employed in criminal justice as well as pre-service students. A Fast Track option lets majors finish the bachelor's and the Master of Criminal Justice in five years, counting up to 12 hours of graduate classes toward both degrees; students join after completing 90 hours with a 3.0 GPA or better in their last two years of college course work.

The major requires 49-50 semester hours, no more than 12 of them lower division, alongside 34-35 credit hours of general education. Required courses include Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to the Justice System, Criminological Theory, Social Research Design, Criminology and a senior seminar in sociological and justice issues. Students then choose 6 hours of society and justice issues courses, 6 hours of criminological theory and philosophy of justice courses, and 9 hours of criminal justice systems and applied criminal justice courses such as Criminal Procedure and Crime Mapping and Geospatial Analysis. Internships can be taken for course credit, and a minor is recommended but not required.

Pittsburg State's degree map lays out a schedule for graduating in four years that starts in the freshman year. The program prepares students to work in local, state and federal criminal justice agencies, including law enforcement, courts and corrections, or to go on to graduate study in criminal justice, criminology or law. The department says students take part in simulated activities and fieldwork and that it partners with local law enforcement agencies, nonprofits and legal organizations.

In the 2026-2027 catalog, the residential plan for the 120-credit-hour degree includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Corrections, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Introduction to Forensic Science, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminology, Police Administration, Criminal Procedure, Crisis Management and a Criminal Justice Capstone, along with statistics, social psychology and a practicum, and residential students take a mix of on-campus and online courses. The catalog's separate online plan lists courses such as Terrorism & Counterterrorism, Comparative Justice, Victimology and Juvenile Justice; online students take one six-week course at a time, four courses per semester, in the Canvas learning platform.

Central Christian College of Kansas admits students on a rolling basis with a final high school transcript or a GED certificate with scores averaging 52 or higher, and undergraduates in its School of Liberal Arts and Sciences need a GPA of 2.5 for full acceptance, with provisional acceptance possible below that. The online program accepts up to 90 transfer credits toward the bachelor's degree, and credit can be awarded for military training, police academy and college experience. Students in the online criminal justice program may be eligible for the college's Military Tuition Assistance Grant. The college is in McPherson, Kansas.

The criminal justice degree is a 60-credit-hour Associate in Arts that the catalog says is designed for students who intend to finish a bachelor's degree at a transfer institution. Barton's degree map lists courses such as Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Corrections, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Law and Juvenile Delinquency/Justice alongside general education. Classes run at the Barton County Campus in Kansas and online, and the college describes its fully online option as a way to balance study with other commitments.

Degree-seeking students submit a high school or home school transcript or a GED certificate. Barton points to citizen ride-alongs with city, county and state officers, internships at police departments, prison facilities, probation and juvenile services, participation in the Kansas Highway Patrol Collegiate Academy, and a virtual reality simulator for use-of-force and traffic stop scenarios.

Butler's Criminal Justice (Associate of Arts) runs 61 to 64 credit hours and can be taken in person or 100% online. The college says the program builds a foundation in law enforcement, courts and corrections, with study in criminology, criminal investigation and criminal and constitutional law, and example courses including Introduction to Criminal Justice, Ethics and Gang Investigation. Training workshops and internships connect students with federal and regional law enforcement groups.

Butler describes the degree as preparation for entry-level detention or law enforcement work and as a base for transfer once the associate degree is finished.

Colby Community College offers criminal justice as an Associate of Applied Science, built on a 52-credit-hour technical certificate, and as an Associate of Arts for students planning to transfer to a four-year degree program. The program pages list classes such as Intro to Criminal Justice, Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, Intro to Law Enforcement/Corrections, Criminal Investigation, Criminal Law and Agency Administration. The college says the applied curriculum stresses both practical application and theory and can be modified to fit a student's goals or an agency's requirements.

Colby recommends the AAS for students who want to enter the field shortly after graduation and not generally for those transferring to a four-year school, who are pointed to the Associate of Arts. After the technical certificate, students may enter the KLETC or an equivalent law enforcement academy and transfer those credits back to earn the AAS. Colby has an open admission policy and says students with a high school diploma or GED are ready to begin.