Best Criminal Justice Schools in Washington (2027)

The major totals 68 credits: a 32-credit core of Administration of Criminal Justice, Criminal Procedure, Introduction to Criminal Law, Research Methods in Criminal Justice, Ethics, Diversity, and Conflict in Criminal Justice, Community and Social Justice, Crime in America and a Senior Seminar in Law and Justice, plus 36 credits of department-approved electives such as Issues in Policing, Community Corrections, Court Structure and Process, Introduction to Forensics and Victimology. Graduation requires 180 total credits. The catalog says the program has a designated online only option and an in-person or hybrid option, and the department says both versions offer the same classes and engagement opportunities.

Students enter the major through a Law and Justice application that the department must approve; the department says students of all standings can apply and mark the in-person or online modality on that application. Transfer students are encouraged to finish a Washington direct transfer agreement degree first, and the transfer guide says the major may be completed in two full-time years after arrival. A grade of C- or higher is required in every course used for the major.

The major is a 65-credit program: 45 credits of core courses across administration of justice, corrections, criminological theory, law adjudication, and research and theoretical methods, plus 20 credits of core electives drawn from several disciplines. Core courses include Criminological Theory, Police and Society, and Criminal Courts and Society. Graduation requires at least 180 quarter credits, and the degree is offered on the Tacoma, Washington campus and online.

The major is entered after some college: applicants must first be admitted to UW Tacoma, and the on-campus program expects at least 45 college-level quarter credits before the program starts, while the online program expects at least 90. The campus program admits students in Autumn Quarter, Winter Quarter and Spring Quarter, and the online program admits in Autumn Quarter only.

The Criminal Justice and Criminology, BA combines core coursework in criminal justice, criminology, criminal law, statistics, research methods, organizational theory and criminal justice ethics with focused coursework in a specialization: Administration of Justice, Criminology and Criminal Justice Theory, Forensic Psychology or Forensic Science. The program page lists the degree's learning format as in-person on the First Hill campus in Seattle, Washington, with a duration of 4 years, and students who enroll in Summer 2027 or later need a minimum of 120 semester credits, 39 of them in the major. The department also offers the Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensics Minor.

Seattle University's first-year admissions page says it offers direct admission to all of its programs, and the department publishes a four-year sample plan for new students and a two-year plan for junior transfer students. Two accelerated paths pair the BA with a JD in six years or with an MA in Criminal Justice & Criminology in five years. Students may earn credit through internships in prisons and jails, law enforcement agencies, law firms and court services, medical examiners offices and crime labs.

The Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice requires a minimum of 120 credits. The sample course guide moves from Intro to Criminal Justice through Criminal Law or Constitutional Law, Criminology, Survey of Corrections & Juvenile Justice and Survey of Crime Control Policies, places an internship in the senior year, and also lists research methods or a capstone. Heritage also offers a Criminal Justice Minor.

Heritage says the program aims to familiarize students in the Yakima Valley with the facts and concepts behind public policy, justice, security and public safety, and it says it seeks partnerships with agencies and professionals at all levels of the criminal justice system to provide specialized study, networking and internship opportunities. Heritage says students who have met high school graduation requirements, or completed GED testing, are eligible to apply. The main campus is in Toppenish, Washington.

Saint Martin's catalog sets the major at 46-47 semester hours, and the university requires a minimum of 120 credit hours for a bachelor's degree. Lower-division requirements include Introduction to Criminal Justice; Courts, the Legal Environment, and Ethics; Introduction to Statistics; The Correctional Environment; Police and Society; and Research Methods. Upper-division requirements include Legal Processing and Evidence, Juvenile Justice and Rehabilitation, Criminology and Juvenile Delinquency, an internship and a senior seminar, plus at least 12 semester hours of criminology and criminal justice electives. The program page lists the type of instruction as in person, at the main campus in Lacey, Washington and at the Saint Martin's-JBLM campus.

Saint Martin's admits first-year and transfer students to the Lacey, Washington campus, while the Saint Martin's-JBLM campus at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington takes active duty, veteran, military-affiliated and civilian students, and the catalog lists Criminology and Criminal Justice among the full Bachelor of Arts degrees offered there. The program page addresses students aiming for careers in law enforcement, corrections, legal studies or victim services, says the major provides a background for graduate or law school, and says it may be paired with a minor in sociology, psychology, political science or social work.

Green River lists the Criminal Justice, AAS-T, an Associate in Applied Science - Transfer, at 90 credits, 6 quarters, 2 years. The department describes criminal justice as a broad discipline encompassing the scientific study of crime, criminals, the criminal justice system, treatment of offenders and theories of crime causation. The Corrections and Law Enforcement certificates are each listed at 30 credits over 2 quarters, and the college lists Intro to Criminal Justice or any other CJ course as exploratory classes, which the Corrections Certificate page says students can take before being accepted to the degree.

Green River College, in Auburn, Washington, says admission to the college is open to anyone who has a high school diploma, a GED, or is at least 18 years old. The department lists its prerequisites as a Green River College application, a placement assessment and attendance at a quarterly Criminal Justice advising session, and new students can enroll at the start of any quarter. The program has an advisory board of police chiefs, commanders, detectives, judges, police officers and forensic professionals.

The Criminal Justice AAS-T totals 90 credit hours. Its requirements list a College Success course, which the catalog says may be waived due to previous college coursework or the specific course of study, then 20 units of general education including English Composition I and Intercultural Communication, and a 50-unit core covering criminal justice, criminal investigation, criminal law, crisis intervention, information and cyber warfare, intelligence gathering, cybercriminals, professional communication skills, forensic sciences and ethical dilemmas in criminal justice. Another 20 units of program electives come from options such as Intro to Corrections, Criminology, Police Patrol Operations, a criminal and trace evidence lab, Victimology, Digital Forensics, cooperative work experience and a criminal justice capstone.

The college says the AAS-T enables graduates to transfer to a designated college or university, where they complete the rest of the university's general education requirements and more advanced courses. Its catalog lists being a high school graduate or having earned a GED among the conditions for regular admission, and students still in high school can enroll through Running Start and other dual credit options. At least 30 units must be earned at Everett Community College, and graduation requires a cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.