Best Criminal Justice Schools in Tennessee (2027)

The Criminal Justice, B.S. follows the justice system from the investigation of crimes through court proceedings and correctional supervision, with coursework in law enforcement, criminal investigations, courts, corrections, criminological theory and public policy. MTSU lists the major as available on ground and online, and says its courses are offered both online and in-seat. The Law Enforcement, B.S. pairs the philosophy of criminal justice with the application of public safety and law enforcement, and covers ethics, individual rights, constitutional law and modern criminal investigation techniques.

MTSU says the criminal justice degree is meant for students interested in crime, law, public safety and the justice system, including aspiring law enforcement professionals, students interested in corrections and rehabilitation, and those considering the legal system or public service. First-time freshmen enter through MTSU undergraduate admission, which offers guaranteed admission and admission by review. The department is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice requires a minimum of 120 credit hours, including a major of 36 semester hours in criminology and criminal justice: required courses plus 21 additional hours in the field, at least 15 of them at the upper-division level. Coursework covers policing strategies, corrections, capital punishment, violence prevention, gangs, addiction and international crime. Students can complete the degree entirely online through UofM Global, blend online courses with college credit earned elsewhere, or complete it at the University of Memphis Lambuth campus.

UofM Global's undergraduate application is open to first-time freshmen, transfer students and readmitted students, so the degree can be started straight from high school. Majors who have completed at least 55 hours of coursework, including at least 9 hours in criminology and criminal justice, and hold a 3.25 or higher departmental and overall grade point average can apply to the department's honors program, and the department also offers a minor in criminology and criminal justice.

The degree requires a minimum of 120 degree hours, including at least 33 upper-division credit hours. Students take foundations coursework on the criminal justice system, crime theory, criminal law and research methodology, then choose advanced courses from crime and deviance, courts and law, and institutions and processes, with an optional Homeland Security concentration. Online classes run in an 8-week format and on-campus classes in the traditional 16-week format.

First-time freshmen apply through the university's standard freshman admission process, and the department says it assists military personnel and veterans in reaching their educational goals. Every criminal justice major takes a departmental exit exam in the last semester before graduation.

Degree requirements include 30 hours of core courses and 18 hours of criminal justice electives, and UTC requires 120 credit hours in total to graduate. Classes cover criminology, policing, courts and corrections, and criminal justice students explore courses on Drugs and Crime, Serial Murder, Media and Crime and Victimology. The online option mirrors the face-to-face program through on-demand classes, its course requirements are identical, and its courses are asynchronous but not self-paced.

First-time freshmen apply through UTC undergraduate admission: freshmen under 21 must graduate with a regular high school diploma or complete a GED, and Tennessee high school students who meet its GPA and test-score criteria are guaranteed admission. UTC says the online option suits students who are employed or are distance learners; students who hold an Associate of Science or Associate of Arts degree from a Tennessee public school have their general education requirements met when they transfer, and every student must complete the last 24 hours of credit at UTC. The university is in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Both degrees draw on law and the social and behavioral sciences, covering foundations of criminal law, criminal statistics and theories of criminology, and the social and behavioral patterns of offenders. Students can apply that work in a field experience internship with a local, state or federal criminal justice agency, a 120-hour placement worth 3 semester hours offered in the fall, spring and summer and open to majors with senior status (at least 90 degree credit hours) and a 3.0 average in criminal justice coursework.

Freshman applicants under 21 must meet one of these standards: a minimum 2.3 grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or a minimum ACT composite of 17 or a 920 SAT score, though test scores are not required for admission. Applicants 18 or older who are not high school graduates may be considered for admission by completing the HiSET, GED or HSE.

Each degree is listed at 60 credit hours. The criminal justice degrees include courses in corrections, law enforcement, criminal justice and sociology and can be completed in two years outside of any needed learning support classes; the TTP Associate of Arts also requires a foreign language, and both TTP degrees are designed so credits transfer to any public university in Tennessee. The Law Enforcement (A.A.S.) gives graduates of the Regional Law Enforcement Training Academy a way to continue their education, counting Academy credits toward a degree that includes general education and courses in criminal justice and investigation.

Walters State says the A.A.S. is for individuals who want to enter or advance in criminal justice, and it lists the A.S. and both TTP degrees as university parallel pathways for students who plan to transfer to a four-year college or university to obtain a bachelor's degree, while the Law Enforcement degree is not designed for students wishing to transfer. Students apply to and are accepted by Walters State Community College, and the program pages list the Morristown, Tennessee campus.

The A.A. and A.S. pathways study crime, criminal behavior and the criminal justice system in a social and legal context, with Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to the Legal Process, Introduction to Law Enforcement and Introduction to Corrections alongside general education (the A.A. also calls for intermediate modern language electives); as part of the Tennessee Transfer Pathway they are designed for transfer to a Tennessee public university toward a bachelor's degree in criminology, criminal justice, sociology or a related field. The A.A.S. pathway adds Criminal Investigation, Criminal Law, Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation, Communication in Criminal Justice, Cultural Awareness for Criminal Justice, Issues and Ethics in Criminal Justice, Criminology and a criminal justice practicum or internship, and the college says students who take its Homeland Security course can earn FEMA certifications.

Pellissippi says everyone is welcome to take classes; new students apply and send a high school or homeschool transcript or GED/HiSET scores, along with transcripts from any prior institutions. The A.A. and A.S. are listed at the Magnolia Avenue Campus and online, and the college's online education page lists both criminal justice transfer pathways among the programs that may be completed fully online; the A.A.S. is listed at the Magnolia Avenue and Strawberry Plains campuses.

The Criminal Justice, A.A.S. totals 60 to 61 credits, with 36 credits of major core courses in criminal law, investigation, corrections, terrorism, policing and report writing plus 9 credits of criminal justice electives, and every graduate takes the Criminal Justice Exit Exam. Students who complete the first-year courses, including all preferred courses, qualify to receive the Criminal Justice Technical Certificate and the Correctional Officer Technical Certificate, and they file a graduation application to receive them. The University Parallel A.S. and A.A. pathways in Criminal Justice total 60 credits each, with 19 credits in the criminal justice area of emphasis, and the A.A. adds a one-year sequence in a single foreign language. Vol State lists all of these degrees among the programs it offers online.

Applicants to a degree program must graduate high school with a regular diploma or present acceptable GED or HiSET scores. The A.A.S. is meant for students who want an associate degree and a job after graduation with no plan to transfer to a four-year school, while the transfer pathways are for students planning to complete a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at a Tennessee public university or a participating private college.