Patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) in New Jersey earn a median $92,610 a year, the eighth highest of the 51 states and districts BLS reports and $16,400 above the national median of $76,210. The top-ranked place for a bachelor’s degree among criminal justice schools in New Jersey is William Paterson University of New Jersey, where a resident pays $15,150 a year in tuition and fees and 63% of its transfer students earn a credential within eight years. In total New Jersey has 50 ranked programs: 20 associate’s, 21 bachelor’s and 9 master’s.
Best Criminal Justice Schools in New Jersey for a Bachelor’s Degree
Every bachelor’s program below is scored on cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%), measured against the country’s ranked bachelor’s programs and priced at the in-state 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 16 more follow in a table.
William Paterson University offers its Criminology & Criminal Justice, BA on campus and online through WP Online, which also runs an accelerated professional track for graduates of police and corrections academies.
120 credits, including a 39-credit major
The degree is offered on the campus in Wayne, New Jersey, and online through WP Online
WP Online applicants must be at least two years past high school
The Criminal Justice, BA at Rutgers University-Camden in Camden, New Jersey, draws on sociology, criminology and public policy, and the catalog says its major requirements can be completed only through daytime attendance.
39-credit major, including 12 credits of 300-level electives
Major requirements are completed through daytime attendance
The accelerated BA/MA counts up to three graduate courses toward both degrees
Students declare the major with the registrar's office
Read more
The 39-credit major requires Introduction to Criminal Justice, Police & Policing, Confinement & Corrections, Criminal Courts, Methods and Techniques of Social Research, and Theories of Crime & Delinquency, two of three courses on race and ethnicity or inequality, Ethics & Policy in Criminal Justice, and 12 credits of 300-level criminal justice electives. The program combines sociology, criminology and public policy, with opportunities for internships, research projects and community engagement, and the catalog says the major requirements can be completed only through daytime attendance.
High school graduates who have never attended college apply as first-year applicants through Rutgers undergraduate admissions, and students declare the criminal justice major with the registrar's office. Undergraduates can also join the accelerated BA/MA: starting in the junior year they can take up to three graduate courses (9 credits) that count toward both degrees, then finish the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice with seven more classes (21 credits) after the bachelor's degree, though they must still apply to the graduate program.
Thomas Edison State University's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice is a fully online, 120-credit degree designed for adults, with optional concentrations in Cybersecurity, Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security, Law and Society, and Organizational Leadership.
120 credit hours
TESU lists the format as online
Admission requires a high school diploma, GED or qualifying home school diploma
Optional concentrations: Cybersecurity, Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security, Law and Society, Organizational Leadership
At least 18 credits in the area of study must be upper level
Read more
The B.S. in Criminal Justice requires 120 credit hours: 45 in general education, 42 in the area of study and 33 in electives, with at least 18 upper-level credits in the area of study. The required courses are Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Courts and Criminal Procedures, Introduction to Corrections, Forensic Science, Research Methods in Social Sciences, Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice and Voices and Views in Criminal Justice; students then take four criminal justice electives or one of the concentrations and finish with a liberal arts capstone. TESU lists the format as online and says its curriculum is consistent with the criteria established by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.
TESU designed the program for adults seeking career advancement or a career change. Applicants need a high school diploma, GED or a qualifying secondary home school diploma, and must be 20 or older or at least 16 and able to show self-direction in one of the ways the university lists; TESU accepts transfer credit from accredited institutions as well as non-collegiate providers.
Kean offers criminal justice as both a B.A., which students can take through its fully online Kean Global division, and a technical, applied B.S. listed under its campus in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Each degree requires 120 credits
The B.A. is offered online through Kean Global
B.A. students choose a law, corrections, policing or general track
Declaring the B.A. major requires a minimum GPA of 2.5
Kean lists the B.S. under its Jersey City, New Jersey campus
$528.01 a credit, online rate
Read more
The B.A. core covers criminal justice in America, criminology, diversity and criminal justice, correctional systems, American court systems, police in America, juvenile justice, research methods and substantive criminal law, ending in a senior seminar, and the major lets students concentrate in a law, corrections, policing or general track. The B.S. emphasizes investigation, data and operational skills, with required courses in police, court and correctional administration, criminal law, criminal justice research and management of public safety agencies. Kean lists the B.A. among the programs of Kean Global, its fully online division.
Students need a GPA of at least 2.5 to declare the B.A. major. The B.S. lists its own admission requirements: a cumulative GPA of 2.0, a 2.0 in all criminal justice courses and completion of CJ 111, Introduction to Criminal Justice, after which students declare the major. Students can also earn credit on a Spring Break Travelearn trip abroad that studies global approaches to policing.
Rutgers-New Brunswick's criminal justice major, housed in the Department of Sociology, is built around the three areas of law enforcement, courts and corrections, with thematic courses drawn from other departments.
A minimum of 36 credits in the major
120 credits to graduate
Declaring the major requires Introduction to Criminal Justice with a C or better and a 2.0 cumulative GPA
Criminal Justice majors study in the School of Arts and Sciences
Read more
The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice requires a minimum of 36 credits in the major, split into general coursework (6 courses), thematic coursework (3 courses) and elective coursework (3 courses). General coursework starts with Introduction to Criminal Justice and also covers Criminology, Police, and Prisons and Prisoners, one courts course (Crime and Public Policy, Criminal Procedure, or Law and Politics) and a research methods course. Thematic courses come from departments such as Political Science, History, Sociology and Psychology, grouped under human behavior, deviance and crime; social control institutions; and law and ethics. The three electives are taken within the Program in Criminal Justice at the 300 and 400 level, one of them an in-house 400-level course, and an internship, independent study or honors research thesis can count as an elective.
Students declare the major after completing Introduction to Criminal Justice with a grade of C or better and holding a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0, and only courses completed with a C or better count toward the major. Students need 120 credits to graduate. Transfer students can bring in no more than 60 credits from two-year institutions and no more than 90 from four-year institutions, and the program does not accept Winter session courses or internship credits in transfer. The program office is in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
criminaljustice.rutgers.edu
Bachelor’s Programs Ranked 6-21 in New Jersey
Bachelor’s programs in criminal justice ranked 6 to 21 in New Jersey
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
6
Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
$15,700
71%
230
66.9
7
Rutgers University-Newark Newark, NJ
$16,586
70%
156
66.5
8
Kean Jersey City (formerly New Jersey City University) Jersey City, NJ
Tuition and fees are 2023-24 IPEDS figures; school prices were read between October 7, 2026 and October 14, 2026.
Associate Degree Programs in New Jersey
For a two-year start, criminal justice schools in New Jersey offer 20 ranked associate’s programs. A resident pays a median $7,206 a year in tuition and fees, $2,353 above the national median of $4,853 for ranked associate’s programs. Rowan College at Burlington County ranks first and conferred 65 associate degrees in criminal justice 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 17 more follow in a table.
Rowan College at Burlington County's criminal justice associate degree feeds a 3+1 pathway in which students take a third year at the college and finish a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice Studies at Rowan University.
The program is offered at the Mount Laurel, New Jersey campus and online
Courses run in person, online or hybrid
The degree includes an internship and independent study
Graduates can follow a 3+1 path to a Rowan University law and justice bachelor's degree
Read more
The Associate of Science builds on a liberal arts core with criminal justice courses in law, law enforcement and corrections, plus program and specialized electives, an internship and independent study. The college lists the program at its Mount Laurel, New Jersey campus and online, and says students can choose in-person, online or hybrid courses.
First-year applicants send an official high school transcript along with standardized test scores and immunization records. For transfer to a baccalaureate program, the college's own route is the 3+1 Criminal Justice Pathway with Rowan University.
Ocean County College's criminal justice program is a transfer concentration within its Associate in Science in Behavioral Science and Public Service, built to line up with bachelor's programs in criminal justice and related fields.
The program is a concentration within the A.S. in Behavioral Science and Public Service
The concentration is designed for transfer to a bachelor's program
The plan of study includes Forensic Science, Criminology and Introduction to Corrections
Admission is open to high school graduates and equivalency diploma holders
$216 a credit, in-district rate
Read more
The concentration pairs a social science foundation with criminal justice study of policing, courts and corrections. The plan of study includes The Criminal Justice System, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Forensic Science, Criminology, either Constitutional Law and Rules of Evidence or Criminal Law and Procedure, Introduction to Corrections, and a criminal investigation course, alongside psychology, sociology, statistics and American government.
The college designed the concentration for students who plan to transfer to a four-year institution. As a New Jersey community college, Ocean County College admits high school graduates and holders of state-issued high school equivalency diplomas. The college notes that some criminal justice roles require additional training or academy certification beyond the degree.
Rowan College of South Jersey's Cumberland Campus in Vineland, New Jersey, is the home of its Criminal Justice: Corrections and Criminal Justice: Forensics & Technology associate degrees and of a Justice Studies A.S. that the college offers fully online.
Each A.S. requires a minimum of 60 credits
Justice Studies, A.S. is offered fully online
The Corrections and Forensics & Technology degrees are listed at the Cumberland Campus in Vineland, New Jersey
The Criminal Justice A.S. is eligible for the 3+1 Program with Rowan University
RCSJ is an open enrollment institution
Read more
Each A.S. requires a minimum of 60 credits. The Criminal Justice A.S., a transfer degree listed at both RCSJ campuses, combines English, math, psychology and speech with Introduction to Criminal Justice, The Administration of Justice, Criminal Law, Introduction to Criminology, Constitutional Issues in Criminal Justice and Forensic Science I and II. The Corrections A.S., listed at the Cumberland Campus in Vineland, New Jersey, adds Institutional Treatment of the Offender and Introduction to Corrections, while the Forensics & Technology A.S., also listed there, adds Crime on the Internet or Computer Forensics, Crime Analysis & Mapping and Criminal Justice Field Work. Justice Studies pairs The Administration of Justice, Introduction to Criminology, Criminal Law and Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice with Public Administration and Criminal Justice Fieldwork, and RCSJ lists it among the fully online programs based at that campus.
RCSJ is an open enrollment college that accepts all students with a high school diploma or GED, and a placement test sets the level of classes each student starts in. The Criminal Justice A.S. is built for transfer into a baccalaureate program and is eligible for the 3+1 Program, in which students complete three years of coursework at RCSJ and one year at Rowan University to earn a bachelor's degree, while the Corrections, Forensics & Technology and Justice Studies degrees prepare students to enter a criminal justice field or continue at a four-year college or university.
rcsj.edu
Associate Programs Ranked 4-20 in New Jersey
Associate degree programs in criminal justice ranked 4 to 20 in New Jersey
Rank and school
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Completion
Graduates
Score
4
Atlantic Cape Community College Mays Landing, NJ
$6,913
27%
24
48.2
5
Hudson County Community College Jersey City, NJ
$8,740
29%
48
46.3
6
Berkeley College-Woodland Park Woodland Park, NJ
$27,772
57%
27
43.9
7
Mercer County Community College West Windsor, NJ
$6,433
41%
37
43.4
8
Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ
$9,056
30%
56
42.2
9
Middlesex College Edison, NJ
$7,068
34%
47
41.4
10
Bergen Community College Paramus, NJ
$8,613
53%
5
41.4
11
Camden County College Blackwood, NJ
$4,056
27%
42
40.0
12
Rowan College of South Jersey-Gloucester Campus Sewell, NJ
$5,820
24%
58
39.9
13
Warren County Community College Washington, NJ
$5,610
30%
12
38.8
14
County College of Morris Randolph, NJ
$10,530
38%
70
37.9
15
UCNJ Union College of Union County, New Jersey Cranford, NJ
$9,500
37%
50
36.7
16
Sussex County Community College Newton, NJ
$7,272
21%
28
36.4
17
Passaic County Community College Paterson, NJ
$7,590
26%
48
35.7
18
Salem Community College Carneys Point, NJ
$7,140
43%
8
34.7
19
Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ
$7,440
33%
37
33.2
20
Essex County College Newark, NJ
$9,318
17%
56
26.2
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 New Jersey
Graduate study at criminal justice schools in New Jersey comes to 9 ranked master’s programs, scored on cost (22%), graduate earnings (22%), completion (17%), online experience (17%), track record (11%) and program reputation (11%). Rutgers University-Newark ranks first, at $22,329 a year in graduate tuition and fees for a resident. Graduate tuition and fees for a resident have a median of $18,630 a year, $7,197 above the national median of $11,433 for ranked master’s programs, and run from $14,854 to $27,032.
Master’s programs in criminal justice ranked in New Jersey
Kean Jersey City (formerly New Jersey City University) Jersey City, NJ
$14,854
60%
12
44.8
7
Rowan University Glassboro, NJ
$17,645
71%
5
40.6
8
Kean University Union, NJ
$18,630
64%
10
34.5
9
Monmouth University West Long Branch, NJ
$27,032
66%
27
33.1
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 New Jersey
If you’d rather study online, 8 programs at criminal justice schools in New Jersey rank on the national online lists (4 at the associate’s level and 4 at the bachelor’s level), from 8 schools. 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. On the national online bachelor’s list of 187 programs, William Paterson University of New Jersey places tenth, the best placed of the 4 online bachelor’s programs at schools in New Jersey.
Online criminal justice programs from schools in New Jersey, 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 New Jersey
Your price depends on the school: $6,638 a year at Thomas Edison State University, $51,370 at Seton Hall University, both in tuition and required fees for a bachelor’s degree. The state median is $27,772; the national median for ranked bachelor’s programs is $14,184, so New Jersey sits $13,588 above it.
Ranked criminal justice programs in New Jersey: tuition and graduation rate by level
Level
Ranked programs
Median tuition and fees, a year
Lowest to highest
Median graduation rate
Bachelor’s programs
21
$27,772
$6,638 to $51,370
63%
Associate’s programs
20
$7,206
$4,056 to $27,772
34%
Master’s programs
9
$18,630
$14,854 to $27,032
By type of school, the median bachelor’s program charges $15,616 at public colleges, $38,465 at private nonprofit colleges and $27,772 at for-profit colleges.
In-district pricing applies at 19 of the colleges with ranked programs: their own residents pay less than other residents of New Jersey. The widest gap is at County College of Morris: $6,210 a year in the district against $10,530 elsewhere in the state.
Where you live matters at William Paterson University of New Jersey: it charges $24,464 a year to students from out of state, $9,314 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 New Jersey Requires to Become a Police Officer
Police education in New Jersey is set by the New Jersey Police Training Commission. New Jersey requires a high school diploma or a GED.
“(3) be at least a high school graduate or have earned a General Educational Development (GED) diploma;”
New Jersey Police Training Commission, N.J.S.A. 52:17B-71b, read October 7, 2026: nj.gov
The state minimum doesn’t call for a degree. Individual departments choose their own standards, and BLS reports that 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.
Criminal Justice Jobs and Pay in New Jersey
BLS counts 21,780 patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) in New Jersey: the lowest-paid tenth earn $57,740 or less, and the highest-paid tenth earn $134,260 or more.
Within New Jersey, the median runs from $80,280 for probation officers and correctional treatment specialists (SOC 21-1092) up to $116,300 for detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021). New Jersey pays above the national median for all of them; the widest gap is for correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012), $35,830 above the national median of $58,940.
Median annual pay for four criminal justice jobs in New Jersey 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 New Jersey
What Are the Best Criminal Justice Schools in New Jersey?
William Paterson University of New Jersey ranks first for a bachelor’s degree, ahead of Rutgers University-Camden and Thomas Edison State University; New Jersey has 21 ranked bachelor’s programs in all. For an associate degree, Rowan College at Burlington County leads 20 ranked associate’s programs in New Jersey. For a master’s degree, Rutgers University-Newark leads 9 ranked master’s programs in New Jersey. 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 New Jersey?
The price you’d pay as a resident of New Jersey for a full-time year at its criminal justice schools in New Jersey: $7,206 at the associate’s programs ($4,056 to $27,772), $27,772 at the bachelor’s programs ($6,638 to $51,370) and $18,630 at the master’s programs ($14,854 to $27,032), as median tuition and required fees for 2023-24. The national median for a ranked bachelor’s program is $14,184. Residents of a college’s own district pay less at 19 colleges, by as much as $4,320 a year.
What Does New Jersey Require of New Police Officers?
A degree is not part of the minimum the rule sets. New Jersey requires a high school diploma or a GED. A degree is not a peace officer license, and departments can ask for more than the minimum. Read how every state and district handles police education to see where this rule sits.
What Do Police Officers Earn in New Jersey?
BLS puts the median for patrol officers (SOC 33-3051) in New Jersey at $92,610 a year, $16,400 above the national median of $76,210. There, detectives and criminal investigators (SOC 33-3021) earn $116,300 and correctional officers and jailers (SOC 33-3012) $94,770. These are May 2025 medians.
Can You Earn a Criminal Justice Degree Online From a School in New Jersey?
Yes. 8 programs at 8 schools in New Jersey rank on the national online lists, and the online table above shows the highest-placed programs at each level with the price an online student from another state pays.
Other Criminal Justice Schools in New Jersey
One more school in New Jersey, Strayer University-New Jersey, conferred criminal justice degrees in 2023-24. It’s listed with the levels it confers and its federal figures.
Other schools in New Jersey with criminal justice degrees, by degrees conferred
School
Type
Degrees conferred, 2023-24
In-state tuition and fees, a year
Graduation rate
Strayer University-New Jersey Piscataway, NJ
Private for-profit
Bachelor’s 12
$13,920
0%
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 New Jersey
These state pages come next: the first two share the Northeast with New Jersey, and each tile carries one figure from its state.
Sources for the New Jersey 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.
