Best Criminal Justice Schools in New York (2027)

The BS in Criminal Justice (Institutional Theory and Practice) requires 120 credits and covers police, courts and corrections; its core includes Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System, Introduction to Corrections, Constitutional Law, Introduction to Police Studies, Criminology and a capstone seminar. The college also offers a BA in Criminal Justice (Crime Control and Prevention), built on courses such as Major Issues in Criminal Justice, Race, Gender, Ethnicity, Crime and Justice, and Crime Prevention and Control, along with BS majors in Criminal Justice Management and Police Studies and a BA in International Criminal Justice, each also 120 credits. The online version of the BS has the same requirements as the on-campus program, and students in it take no in-person classes.

The campus majors start from freshman admission, which requires a high school diploma or an equivalency diploma. CJBS Online is for transfer students: it asks for an associate degree or at least 55 credits, an overall GPA of at least 2.0, and earlier coursework in areas such as American Government, Sociology 101 and Criminal Justice 101, and the college says it is meant for people who cannot attend in-person classes, such as members of the military. Students who earn 30 credits per academic year can finish the online track in two years.

The 120-credit-hour Criminal Justice (B.S.) combines general education with criminal justice courses that build skills in gathering, analyzing and documenting evidence, criminal investigation, effective communication and administrative leadership. The major's course requirements include Introduction to Criminal Justice I and II, Theory- and Evidence-based Crime Policy, Financial Crime Investigation, Research Methods and Data Analysis in Criminal Justice and Leadership in Criminal Justice, and the catalog's professional development courses are an internship and a senior project, each open to juniors and seniors. Students practice crime scene analysis and evidence gathering through simulation exercises in the Crime Scene Lab, and Utica University lists the degree as an on-campus program.

First-year applicants should complete at least 16 units of secondary school credit and receive a diploma from an accredited secondary school, or submit a high school equivalency diploma with scores showing adequate preparation for university work. Criminal justice students must keep a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5 across major and major-related courses, faculty help each student shape a study plan around a preferred career path, and recent internship sites have included the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Marshals Service and the New York State Police.

The degree takes a total of 120 credits minimum, including the Cardinal Core general education curriculum and 51 credits of major departmental requirements. The lower division core is Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology and Criminal Law, and the upper division core is Punishment and Society, Policing and Society, Courts and Criminal Procedures, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Selected Issues in Criminal Justice (the advanced writing seminar) and Ethics in Criminal Justice. Majors also take at least one course from each category in the Areas of Criminal Justice, with choices such as Serial Killers, Juvenile Delinquency, Crime and Intelligence Analysis, Human Rights and Justice, Victimology, Terrorism and Cybercrime; add 12 credits of criminal justice electives such as Digital Forensics, Criminal Investigation, Forensic Psychology or the Applied Criminal Justice Internship; and take cognate courses in U.S. National Politics, General Psychology and Introduction to Sociology. The major is offered at the main campus in Plattsburgh, New York, and at the campus in Queensbury, New York.

First-year applicants to SUNY Plattsburgh submit an official high school transcript, and the catalog points students to a 4-Year Degree Map for schedule planning. Transfer students need a 2.3 cumulative GPA to be admitted into the major and current students the same GPA to declare it, and the degree requires a minimum overall GPA of 2.3 in the required major courses. The campus in Queensbury, New York, located on the campus of SUNY Adirondack, runs bachelor's degree completion programs designed for students who have earned an associate degree or about 60 college credits, and with dual admission, students from nearby community colleges can transfer there without submitting an admissions application. Internships are available through local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and past students have worked with organizations such as Clinton County Probation, the Clinton County Sheriff and the New York State Police.

The major combines a liberal arts education, in-depth study in a chosen area and supervised fieldwork, with an optional internship. Areas of study include administration of justice, corrections, court and judicial administration, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, probation, parole, community-based rehabilitation, private security and pre-law. On the campus program, students can choose evening or online course options, add a forensic science minor, or double-major in criminal justice and psychology, sociology or political science.

The online BA can be studied full-time or part-time, its courses are taught by the same faculty who teach on campus, and Academic Planning Coordinators guide online students through their degree requirements. Oswego says online courses carry the same tuition rates as classroom courses, and it publishes a separate per-credit rate for nonresidents enrolled in a registered online program.

The Criminal Justice Major (BS) totals 120 credits and is built from required core courses in criminal justice, electives that students can group into thematic concentrations or choose by interest, and co-requisite courses from sociology, politics and psychology. The required core is Introduction to Criminal Justice, The Police Process, Criminal Courts and Law, The Corrections Process, Research Methods and Criminology, and the department names courses such as Crime Patterns, White Collar Crime, Forensic Law, Terrorism, Crime & Media and Juvenile Justice. Students can also work with the University Police on campus to gain hands-on experience.

The online degree completion program leads to the same Bachelor of Science and admits applicants who have an associate degree or at least 60 transferable credits, a 2.5 GPA or higher, and a C or better in Introduction to Criminal Justice or its equivalent. Brockport says its lower-division core and co-requisite courses are not typically offered online, so completion students bring them from a previous college or take them online through SUNY Online, while at least one section of each upper-division core course runs online every semester.

The 60-credit degree includes 18 credits of general education, 23 elective credits and an 18-credit major core: Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Law Enforcement, Introduction to Corrections, Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure and Evidence and a closing Criminal Justice Capstone (Associate's Degree), which must be the last course taken. Coursework covers criminal justice systems in the United States, police-community relations and the use of technology in the field, and the program is offered asynchronously online, with courses starting every 8 weeks.

Under New York State law, individuals who have not earned a high school diploma or its equivalent may be eligible for admission, but a degree cannot be conferred until preliminary education requirements are met. Excelsior says the program can be completed in two years, with the actual time depending on the number of courses taken each term and any transfer credit, and it accepts up to 53 transfer credits toward the degree.

The 60-credit A.A. combines the required and flexible core with major courses in Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to U.S. Government, Introduction to Sociology, Constitutional Law and Minorities and the Criminal Justice System, followed by one of two concentrations: Law Enforcement Studies (Crime and Punishment, The United States Judiciary, Policing, and Corrections and Sentencing) or Law, Justice and Society (Introduction to Law and Society and Introduction to Criminology, plus two courses chosen from a list). Kingsborough says KCC Online degrees, Criminal Justice among them, can be completed fully online or on campus in any combination of daytime, evening and weekend classes.

Freshman applicants submit official high school transcripts or a GED/TASC diploma with scores, and students must be English and math proficient under the CUNY Proficiency Index or complete any required developmental courses; a consultation with the program advisor is required. Through the CUNY Justice Academy partnership, graduates with the A.A. can transfer seamlessly to John Jay College of Criminal Justice to complete their criminal justice baccalaureate studies.

The Criminal Justice (A.S.) totals 62 credits. Every criminal justice major takes Foundations of the Justice System and Criminal Law and at least one course in each of the program's policing, probation/parole and security administration areas: policing choices include Police Organization and Administration, Criminal Investigation, Police and the Community, and Police Supervision and Public Relations, and security choices include Introduction to Security, Internal Security, Security and the Law, and Introduction to Emergency Management. The sequence also includes Understanding Criminal Behavior or General Psychology I, and Introduction to Sociology or Criminal Procedure.

Nassau says the program prepares students for further study in criminal justice, law, public administration, sociology or government and is best suited for students planning to transfer to a four-year school, though it is often used for entry-level positions in the criminal justice system. Degree candidates must hold a state-endorsed high school diploma or a high school equivalency certificate, every applicant who meets that standard is offered acceptance to an appropriate program, and the college lists joint admissions agreements with four-year schools including Hofstra University, Adelphi University, Molloy University and St. John's University.