Best Criminal Justice Schools in New Mexico (2027)

ENMU offers the major as a Bachelor of Science or a Bachelor of Arts, and B.A. candidates also meet a language requirement. The major includes Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law and the Courts, Criminology and an internship, 18 hours of criminal justice electives (at least 12 of them upper-division), 16 hours of sociology including Social Statistics and Social Research Methods, and Report Writing, along with a minor in a different field or a second major; electives bring the degree to a minimum of 120 hours. Courses run in three formats: recorded and live Panopto lectures students can follow on their own time, real-time sessions shared with the on-campus class, and fully online Canvas courses.

ENMU's catalog gives admission requirements and procedures for first-time freshmen, whom it defines as students going to college for the first time since receiving a high school diploma, GED or HiSET, even if they took dual or concurrent hours. The department says students can reasonably expect to complete the degree in four years. The program can be 100% online depending on the minor chosen, and the department offers advising by phone or email for online students.

The degree requires 120 credits, of which 34 hours are criminology coursework: a 28-hour core that includes one race-centered course, plus 6 hours of electives. Core courses include Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems, Sociology of Deviance, Causes of Crime and Delinquency, Introduction to Research Methods and Sociological Data Analysis, and students earn at least 6 credits from a list that includes Sociology of Police and Social Control, Sociology of Corrections and Sociology of Law. The catalog lists the program as not offered online.

Entering freshmen and transfer students apply to UNM through Admissions. Students moving from University College into the College of Arts & Sciences to declare the major need at least 26 credit hours, a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, completed general education requirements in communication, mathematics and statistics, and a second language, and a C or better in Introduction to Sociology plus Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems or Sociology of Deviance. Arts and Sciences students also complete a minor, a second major or one of the college’s special curricula.

The degree totals 120 credits, with 48 credits in courses numbered 300 or above. Required criminal justice courses include Criminal Law; Advanced Research Methods; Crime, Justice and Society; and Issues in Ethics, Law, and Criminal Justice, along with a theory course and 12 credits of upper-division criminal justice electives, and the major carries a two-year second language requirement that MATH 1511G can replace. The online version runs through NMSU Global Campus and is 100% online with optional synchronous sessions; the department says the upper-division courses needed for the degree can be completed online through Canvas.

NMSU Global Campus admits freshmen who graduated from an accredited high school and meet its other admission requirements, and transfer applicants with fewer than 24 completed college credits are reviewed under the freshman requirements. The department offers active-duty law enforcement officers a tuition discount in the online program, and its Masters Accelerated Program lets juniors and seniors with at least 60 credits take up to 12 graduate credits that later count toward a master's degree.

Students choose a Corrections or Policing concentration, and WNMU says both can be completed entirely online, with courses delivered asynchronously. Courses are sequenced so a full-time student can graduate in four years, and the program builds criminal justice courses on a liberal arts foundation. A minor is not required, though the department recommends one in a field such as political science, criminal psychology, sociology or public administration.

The degree prepares students for work in law enforcement, corrections, courts, the military and with civilian security contractors. Applicants provide official high school transcripts or GED scores, which are not required for those with more than 24 college credit hours. The department also runs the Law Enforcement Training Program, a five-month certificate that WNMU says meets New Mexico legislative requirements for police officer training, and offers an 18 credit-hour Criminal Justice Minor.

The Criminal Justice Studies B.A. requires 120 credit hours. Its 18-credit required core covers Introduction to Sociology, Introduction to Criminal Justice, Juvenile Delinquency and Justice, Institutional Corrections, Criminology, and Race and Ethnic Relations, followed by courses in social theory and research methods and 18 credits of electives such as Process and Procedure of Criminal Law, Law Enforcement, Terrorism, and Domestic and Sexual Violence. Students gain field experience through internships with state and local law enforcement agencies, adult and juvenile probation and corrections, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife.

Highlands describes the degree as preparation for work in law, corrections, security, probation and parole, and for graduate study in sociology, criminology or criminal justice, law, social work or public policy. New freshmen are admitted if they have graduated high school or completed a GED program and have a 2.0 or higher GPA. Students who want a shorter credential can take the Minor in Criminal Justice, which totals 21 credit hours.

The Criminal Justice, Associate of Applied Science requires a minimum of 62 credit hours, with courses such as Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Courts and Procedure, Criminal Investigations, Corrections System, and Police and Society, plus 9 credit hours of program-approved electives; the catalog says internships count as an elective and are not a prerequisite for graduation. The college says the program offers traditional classes, online learning, interactive labs and internships with local agencies, and the catalog lists Main Campus and online as primary course locations. CNM also offers a Law Enforcement, Associate of Applied Science (62 credit hours) whose final term is held at the CNM Law Enforcement Academy, which takes only students hired and sponsored by a New Mexico law enforcement agency.

Admission to CNM is open, and the criminal justice program can begin with dual enrollment for high school students through the Pathways programs. For students planning a bachelor's degree, CNM lists transfer pathways to Eastern New Mexico University, New Mexico Highlands University and the University of New Mexico. The Cold Case Collaborative is a closed cohort of 12 students who must be declared criminal justice majors, have completed Criminal Investigations and pass a New Mexico State Police background check; it earns one lab credit toward the degree. Classes are based at the college in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Criminal Justice A. A. pairs law and criminal justice courses with social sciences, humanities, behavioral and natural sciences and general education, and ENMU-Roswell says it prepares graduates to begin careers in law enforcement, corrections, probation and juvenile corrections and that it can apply toward a bachelor's degree at several of New Mexico's four-year state universities; the catalog says all of the college's associate degrees require 60 or more credit hours. The Police Science A. A. S. is a 60-credit-hour degree in two parts: training at a New Mexico Department of Public Safety academy or the U.S. Border Patrol, Federal Air Marshal or Land Management basic training programs, which counts for 30 credit hours, and a 30-hour academic component at ENMU-Roswell.

ENMU-Roswell describes itself as an open enrollment institution and asks for high school transcripts or a satisfactory score on a high school equivalency test. Graduates of a New Mexico Department of Public Safety police academy or one of the listed federal basic training programs receive credit for CJ 2140, CJUS 1120, CJUS 1110, CJUS 2130 and HPE 141 in the A.A., and graduates of the New Mexico Department of Corrections correctional officer academy receive credit for CJUS 1110 and CJUS 2150; the Police Science A.A.S. is for people employed by a New Mexico policing agency, officers state-certified elsewhere and certified military police, who must have met the academies' entrance qualifications.

The Criminal Justice (AA) requires a minimum of 61 credit hours: a 31-credit-hour general education core, 24 credit hours of concentration requirements (Introduction to Criminal Justice, Corrections System, Police and Society, Professional Responsibility in Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Criminal Courts and Procedure, Criminal Investigations and Abnormal Psychology) and 6 credit hours of approved electives drawn from Juvenile Justice, Report Writing, Community-Based Corrections, Field Experience in Criminal Justice, Sociology of Deviance and Sociology of Substance Abuse.

Luna has an open admissions policy, and admission is provisional until the college receives a high school transcript showing graduation or an official HiSET or GED transcript. A Criminal Justice certificate of 36 credit hours, with a corrections or law enforcement concentration, is also offered, and its coursework can be applied toward the associate degree. The college is in Las Vegas, New Mexico.