The 2027 list of online criminal justice degrees for military students holds 64 programs at 52 schools whose own page states
a tuition rate, discount, waiver or grant for service members, veterans or military families. At the bachelor’s level, Columbia Southern University comes first. Its criminal justice graduates earn a median $70,354 four years after finishing and 51% of its transfer students earn a credential within eight years.
Online Associate’s Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students
16 of the 118 ranked online associate’s programs state a benefit for military students.
Columbia Southern University comes first.
The median program on this list charges $6,707 a year in tuition and required fees for a student from out of state. The school pages describe 7 waivers, 5 tuition rates, 3 grants and 1 discount.
Active-duty members using tuition assistance pay $250 per credit hour, unless they use a Learning Partner discount.
Terms are nine weeks long.
Columbia Southern University's Associate of Science in Criminal Justice is taught 100% online and covers the daily work of law enforcement, corrections and court operations, along with constitutional and criminal law.
The college offers multiple Veterans Appreciation Scholarships of up to $500 to help offset the cost of higher education.
Central Community College's Criminal Justice AAS Degree is offered at its campuses in Columbus, Nebraska, Grand Island, Nebraska and Hastings, Nebraska, at its Kearney, Nebraska center and online, with short-term certificates and a diploma that build toward it.
62 credits
Classes are offered online, in person or hybrid
Classes are offered at the Columbus, Nebraska, Grand Island, Nebraska and Hastings, Nebraska campuses, the Kearney, Nebraska center and online
Active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists and their families pay $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's courses.
Courses run for 8 to 16 weeks.
APU's online associate degree in criminal justice runs in monthly-start courses with no set login times and closes with the Criminal Justice Sophomore Seminar, an approved project or paper.
60 semester hours
The program is online, with courses that start monthly
Active-duty members and Guard or Reserve members on drill status pay $165 a quarter credit hour in undergraduate programs.
Purdue Global runs its criminal justice associate degree 100% online, with transfer credit pathways for several military police and combat arms occupations.
90 quarter credits across 18 courses
Fully online
Admission requires a high school diploma, GED or other equivalency diploma
Qualified veterans, spouses and dependent children in Texas can receive up to 150 hours of tuition exemption under the Hazlewood Act.
Odessa College's Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice is a fully online program aimed at working professionals, from officers to police chiefs and sheriffs, and its degree plan closes with a criminal justice internship.
Fully online AAS aimed at working professionals
60 credit hours, ending with a criminal justice internship
Texas veterans and eligible family members can use the Hazlewood Act's tuition exemption
The First Class Free Scholarship waives tuition and fees for a new student's first 3 credit hours
Admission requires a high school transcript or a GED or TxCHSE score report
Read more
Odessa College's 2026-2027 catalog lays out the AAS in Criminal Justice as 60 credit hours across ten terms: Learning Framework, Introduction to Criminal Justice and Police Systems and Practices first, then Court Systems & Practices, Correctional Systems & Practices, Fundamentals of Criminal Law, Juvenile Justice System or Criminalistics I, Probation and Parole or Criminalistics II, Criminal Investigation, Interview and Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals, Ethics in Criminal Justice and Criminology, alongside Composition I, Contemporary Mathematics, Technical & Business Writing and Federal Government. Six semester credit hours of criminal justice electives come from courses such as Crime in America, Cyber Crimes, Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement, Legal Aspects of Corrections and Human Trafficking, and the plan ends with a 16-week Internship - Criminal Justice course. The college calls the AAS a fully online program and lists Criminal Justice among its fully online career, technical and workforce education programs. Odessa also offers a Criminal Justice (Field of Study) AS of 60 credit hours that combines core curriculum courses with criminal justice courses.
The program page describes the AAS as a 2-year program for students seeking career advancement or entry into the field, with flexibility for working professionals, including law enforcement administrators, police chiefs, sheriffs and officers. Students who have never attended college submit a high school transcript with a graduation date or a GED or TxCHSE score report, and incoming students take the Texas Success Initiative Assessment unless they qualify for an exemption. The First Class Free Scholarship waives standard tuition and fees for the first 3 credit hours a high school graduate or transfer student takes at Odessa College. Veterans can work with the college's Veterans Affairs office on VA forms and enrollment certification, and the Hazlewood Act gives qualified Texas veterans, spouses and dependent children up to 150 hours of tuition exemption.
A Massachusetts National Guard tuition and fee waiver is offered as a state benefit.
Massasoit Community College's Criminal Justice - Transfer associate degree is built to carry students into a bachelor's program in criminal justice, and it runs in day, evening and online formats.
Honorably discharged veterans of the armed forces, Reserve or National Guard who live in Florida can receive an out-of-state fee waiver.
Hillsborough College's Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies AS prepares students for non-sworn criminal justice work or transfer toward a bachelor's degree, and graduates of a Florida police or corrections academy are eligible for articulated credit toward it.
60 credit hours
The program is primarily located at the Ybor City Campus in Tampa, Florida, and is also listed online
Florida police or corrections academy graduates are eligible for articulated credit
Under the Hazlewood Act, qualified veterans, spouses and dependent children get up to 150 hours of tuition exemption at public Texas institutions.
Amarillo College pairs a transfer-oriented Criminal Justice A.S. with a Criminal Justice Law Enforcement A.A.S., and the college says completing its Law Enforcement Academy supplies the core requirements of the A.A.S.
60 semester hours for each associate degree
The A.S. can be completed fully online or in the classroom
The catalog says the A.A.S. major classes include the TCOLE-approved Basic Peace Officer Academy
Academy classes meet at the First Responders Academy in Amarillo, Texas
Read more
The Criminal Justice (A.S.) totals 60 semester hours: 42 hours of general education and 18 hours of criminal justice courses (Court Systems and Practices, Crime in America, Fundamentals of Criminal Law, Correctional Systems and Practices, Criminal Investigation, and Police Systems and Practices). Amarillo College lists the A.S. among the programs that can be offered fully online, and it is also taught in the classroom. The Criminal Justice Law Enforcement (A.A.S.) also totals 60 semester hours, and its 42-hour major block includes the Basic Peace Officer course sequence; the catalog says these classes include the Basic Peace Officer Academy approved by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) and can only be taken as a unit.
Admission to Amarillo College is open to high school graduates, GED recipients and transfer applicants, and the catalog describes the A.S. as preparation for transfer to a university. The A.A.S. is aimed at a law enforcement career: the college says its Panhandle Regional Law Enforcement Academy has trained people for careers as sheriff's deputies and city police officers since 1968, that completing all of the academy classes lets students sit for the state licensing (TCOLE) exam, and that entry requires specific instruction from the program advisor. Academy classes are held at the First Responders Academy on Plains Boulevard in Amarillo, Texas.
Under the Texas Hazlewood Act, eligible veterans, spouses and children get 150 hours of tuition and fee exemptions.
Tyler Junior College lists its Criminal Justice AA among the degrees it offers 100% online with no hybrid courses, and its criminal justice faculty includes former police officers, federal law enforcement officers, police chiefs, crime scene investigators and homicide detectives.
The AA is offered 100% online, with no hybrid courses
60 semester hours
Texas peace officers may qualify for an exemption from some tuition and laboratory fees
TJC accepts Military Tuition Assistance and the Hazlewood Act
Admission is open-door
Read more
TJC's 2026-2027 catalog sets the Criminal Justice AA at 60 semester hours: Introduction to Criminal Justice as the discipline-specific core course; Court Systems and Practices, Fundamentals of Criminal Law, Correctional Systems and Practices and Police Systems and Practices as foundation courses; directed electives from Crime in America, Juvenile Justice System, Community Resources in Corrections, Criminal Investigation and Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement; and 41 credits of the TJC Core Curriculum. The catalog points students aiming at probation or parole toward Crime in America, Juvenile Justice System or Community Resources in Corrections, and those aiming at law enforcement toward Criminal Investigation or Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement. TJC lists the AA among its degrees offered 100% online with no hybrid courses, and the catalog also places it at the Central Campus in Tyler, Texas and selected dual credit sites. The Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement Investigations, AAS, also 60 semester hours and listed at the Central Campus, is for students who want to work for a law enforcement agency after graduation and includes Criminalistics I, II and III, a violent crime investigations special topics course and Criminal Investigation.
TJC has an open-door admissions policy for students starting college for the first time, returning to finish a degree or transferring from another school. The AA is designed for students who plan to major in criminal justice and later earn a bachelor's degree, and the catalog urges them to build a degree plan with an advisor because universities differ on the criminal justice electives they accept. TJC says the program may provide an exemption from some tuition and laboratory fees for people employed as peace officers by the state of Texas or a political subdivision of Texas. Military students can use Military Tuition Assistance, with many courses offered online, and veterans who are Texas residents can use the Hazlewood Act, which provides qualified veterans, their spouses and children with up to 150 hours of tuition and fee exemptions.
Qualified veterans and children of some disabled or deceased veterans are exempt from specific tuition and fees at public colleges in the state, up to 150 credit hours.
Texas Southmost College offers its Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice in a separate 100% online version that prepares students to transfer into a four-year criminal justice degree, and its Associate of Applied Science lets current law enforcement officers receive 24 credit hours for their state training.
A 100% online Associate of Arts option
60 credit hours for each criminal justice associate degree
Current officers can receive 24 credit hours for state law enforcement training in the AAS
Texas veterans can use the Hazlewood Act exemption for up to 150 credit hours
Online courses run in 16-week fall and spring modules and five-week summer modules
Read more
The Criminal Justice - Associate of Arts (Online) follows the same 60-credit-hour plan as the campus Associate of Arts: core curriculum courses such as Composition I and II, Elementary Statistical Methods, American history, Federal Government and Texas Government, plus Introduction to Criminal Justice, Court Systems and Practices, Fundamentals of Criminal Law, Juvenile Justice System or Crime in America, Correctional Systems and Practices, Police Systems and Practices and General Psychology. TSC's Digital College lists Criminal Justice among its online Associate of Arts programs; online courses run in fall, spring and summer, typically in 16-week modules in fall and spring and five-week modules in summer, and they are taught in Canvas. The Associate of Applied Science, also 60 credit hours, builds in Basic Police Officer I through V alongside courses such as Police Systems and Practices, Crime in America and Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement, and TSC says students must complete a TCOLE approved basic peace officer training academy to finish it.
Students who complete the two-year program can seek employment or continue their education, and TSC describes the Associate of Arts as preparation for transfer to complete a four-year degree in criminal justice. A first-time-in-college student is one who graduated or will graduate from high school and has not attended college since. The Associate of Applied Science is a terminal degree aimed at career advancement for those holding a current state law enforcement certification, and TSC says it allows current officers to receive 24 credit hours for their state law enforcement training. Veterans who were Texas residents when they enlisted can use the Hazlewood Act, which exempts qualified veterans and children of certain disabled or deceased veterans from specific tuition and fee charges up to 150 credit hours, and TSC's Veterans Success Center covers the federal GI Bill chapters.
tsc.smartcatalogiq.com
Online associate’s criminal justice degrees for military students, ranked 11 to 16
Rank and school
Military benefit
Cost per credit
Completion
Graduates
Format
Score
11
Post University Waterbury, CT
Active-duty, Guard and Reserve students pay $250 per credit for online undergraduate courses.
$629
28%
117
Online or on campus
44.6
12
Delgado Community College New Orleans, LA
Some dependents of disabled or deceased veterans can receive a tuition waiver through a Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs program.
$139
29%
36
Online or on campus
44.0
13
Arkansas State University-Beebe Beebe, AR
Veterans, military members and their dependents are charged in-state tuition regardless of their residency.
$190
34%
18
Online or on campus
43.9
14
Bethel University McKenzie, TN
The College of Professional Studies offers a special tuition reduction to military service members and veterans.
$403
11%
19
Online
40.3
15
Georgia Military College Milledgeville, GA
Service members, veterans, and their spouses and dependents are awarded a scholarship of up to $2,000 a year.
$253.50
25%
47
Online
40.1
16
Volunteer State Community College Gallatin, TN
The Helping Heroes Grant is for military veterans of the armed forces, reserves or National Guard who were called into active duty.
$726
31%
17
Online
31.6
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.
Online Bachelor’s Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students
27 of the 187 ranked online bachelor’s programs state a benefit for military students.
Columbia Southern University comes first.
The median program on this list charges $14,421 a year in tuition and required fees for a student from out of state. The school pages describe 21 tuition rates, 3 grants, 2 waivers and 1 discount.
The first 25 are shown.
173.5
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
Active-duty members using tuition assistance pay $250 a credit hour unless they use a Learning Partner discount.
Courses run nine weeks of instruction, with defined start and end dates.
Columbia Southern University's online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration spans law enforcement, courts and corrections and offers optional concentrations from Arson Investigation to Forensic Psychology.
120 credit hours
Courses are 100% online and available 24/7
Optional concentrations include Forensics, Criminology and Arson Investigation
Active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists and their families pay $250 per credit hour for undergraduate and master's courses.
Courses begin monthly and run for 8 to 16 weeks.
APU offers both an online Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with General, Entrepreneurship, Maritime Law Enforcement and Organizational Law Enforcement Leadership concentrations, and an online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice built around a Digital Forensics concentration.
120 semester hours for each degree
Both degrees are offered online, with courses that start monthly
Active-duty students pay $250 per credit or unit in the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration.
Online courses run four weeks.
National University offers its criminal justice administration bachelor's online, in hybrid form and in person at several California locations, and the major ends with a senior project supervised by faculty.
Undergraduate tuition is capped at $250 a credit, matching the DoD Tuition Assistance rate.
Courses run in eight-week terms.
UNH's College of Professional Studies offers its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice online, covering criminology, corrections, probation, parole, constitutional law and advocacy for both working professionals and newcomers to the field.
Veterans of the United States Armed Forces, Guard and Reserve, and their spouses and dependents, may have out-of-state tuition waived under one of three conditions.
FIU offers its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami, Florida and as a fully online degree through FIU Online, which pairs every online undergraduate with a success coach.
120 credits
Classes at the Modesto A. Maidique Campus in Miami, Florida or fully online through FIU Online
Online students can start in fall, spring or summer
Military tuition discounts price undergraduate courses at $250 per credit hour.
Courses run in eight-week terms.
Liberty University offers its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice both 100% online in 8-week courses and as a residential degree in Lynchburg, Virginia, and its catalog shows which specializations run in each format.
120 credit hours
Offered 100% online in 8-week courses or as a residential program in Lynchburg, Virginia
Sessions are usually eight weeks long, though the number of weeks may vary.
UMGC's online criminal justice bachelor's concludes with a capstone course in which students apply interagency cooperation, critical thinking and systems approaches to practical problems in the criminal justice system.
Active Duty, Active Reserve and Active Guard students with Tuition Assistance are eligible for a special military cost per credit hour in online and evening programs.
Online courses run eight weeks.
Grand Canyon University offers a Justice Studies bachelor's degree on campus or online, alongside an online Law Enforcement Advancement degree focused on leadership for law enforcement professionals.
120 credits for each degree
Justice Studies classes on campus or online
Law Enforcement Advancement classes are online, in 7-week courses
Active-duty service members, National Guard members and Reservists using Federal Tuition Assistance pay $250 per credit for undergraduate courses.
Minot State University offers its Criminal Justice (BS) on campus and online, and students can begin the degree online or use the online option to finish a degree already under way.
Active-duty service members are automatically awarded a scholarship for mandatory fees, which Tuition Assistance cannot cover, once the school knows their status.
ENMU's criminal justice bachelor's can be completed entirely on campus in Portales, New Mexico, online, or through a combination of both, and every major completes an internship.
A minimum of 120 hours
Students can study entirely on campus, online, or through a combination of both
Online bachelor’s criminal justice degrees for military students, ranked 11 to 25
Rank and school
Military benefit
Cost per credit
Completion
Graduates
Format
Score
11
University of Management and Technology Arlington, VA
Military, veteran and first responder students pay a lower tuition rate of $250 per credit hour.
$390
61%
12
Online
52.5
12
Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN
Undergraduate per-credit tuition for military servicemembers is reduced 55% to $165 per quarter credit hour.
$556.50
38%
385
Online
50.9
13
University of Arkansas Grantham Little Rock, AR
Eligible military members and veterans in the Heroes program pay $250 per credit hour.
$305
45%
32
Online
50.1
14
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH
A college scholarship for military students gives full-time undergraduate and graduate students $2,500 per semester.
$1,107
73%
188
Online
49.8
15
Trine University-Regional/Non-Traditional Campuses Angola, IN
Active-duty students pay $250 per credit under the undergraduate military tuition assistance rate.
$399
62%
5
Online
46.9
16
Columbia College Columbia, MO
Current military members, spouses, dependents and installation employees pay $250 per credit hour for undergraduate courses.
$430
42%
72
Online or on campus
46.8
17
University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND
Active-duty undergraduates using Federal Tuition Assistance pay a reduced rate of $250 a credit.
$577
48%
69
Online or on campus
46.6
18
University of Central Missouri Warrensburg, MO
Active military students pay $250 per credit for undergraduate courses.
$555
60%
98
Online or on campus
46.4
19
University of Nebraska at Omaha Omaha, NE
Military students using Tuition Assistance pay $250 per credit through a tuition remission.
$764
48%
208
Online or on campus
45.7
20
University of West Florida Pensacola, FL
Non-resident active-duty service members stationed outside the state receive a 100% waiver of non-resident tuition and fees.
$641
63%
83
Online or on campus
45.0
21
Waldorf University Forest City, IA
Active-duty students using military tuition assistance pay the DoD cap rate of $250 a credit hour in undergraduate courses.
$345
43%
29
Online or on campus
44.4
22
Grand View University Des Moines, IA
Undergraduates who are active military or the spouse of active military, and not classified as full-time day, get a $100 per credit discount.
$510
69%
15
Online or on campus
43.7
23
Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
Active-duty, National Guard and Reserve students in eligible undergraduate programs are covered up to the $250 a credit hour tuition assistance cap.
$417
52%
76
Online
42.8
24
Post University Waterbury, CT
Active-duty, Guard and Reserve students pay $250 per credit for online undergraduate courses.
$629
28%
87
Online or on campus
42.2
25
Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
Service members, veterans, and their spouses and dependents pay in-state tuition, which could save up to $5,000 a year per student.
$305
46%
43
Online or on campus
39.8
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.
Online Master’s Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students
21 of the 57 ranked online master’s programs state a benefit for military students.
American Public University System comes first.
The median program on this list charges $12,386 a year in tuition and required fees for a student from out of state. The school pages describe 15 tuition rates, 4 discounts and 2 waivers.
Active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists and their families pay $250 per credit at the master's level.
APU's online Master of Arts in Criminal Justice lets students choose a General, Business Administration, or Emergency Management and Disaster Management concentration, and finish with a comprehensive exam or one of two capstone projects.
Active-duty service members and their spouses get reduced tuition.
The M.A. in Criminal Justice Leadership from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, is a 100% online, cohort-based program that ends with a capstone in which students develop and propose a change advocacy model.
Active-duty members using tuition assistance pay $250 per credit hour, unless they use a Learning Partner discount.
Each term provides nine weeks of instruction.
Columbia Southern University's online Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration is a post-baccalaureate program for criminal justice professionals, with coursework in criminology, correctional systems, comparative criminal justice and global terrorism.
Military tuition discounts price graduate courses at $310 per credit hour.
Courses run eight weeks.
Liberty University's Master of Science in Criminal Justice is a 36-credit-hour degree taught 100% online in 8-week courses or in a residential format on the Lynchburg, Virginia campus with an optional supervised thesis.
36 credit hours
Fully online in 8-week courses, or residential on the Lynchburg, Virginia campus
Military graduate students pay $250 per credit hour.
Western Illinois University's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration offers its Master of Arts in Public Safety Administration, formerly known as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration, at the Macomb, Illinois campus and online, with a thesis plan or a non-thesis plan.
The degree is offered at the Macomb, Illinois campus and online
33 semester hours on the thesis plan or 39 on the non-thesis plan
Admission calls for a bachelor's degree and a 3.0 GPA, overall or over the last 60 semester hours
The program was formerly known as Law Enforcement and Justice Administration
Read more
Every student takes a core of Advanced Quantitative Techniques in Public Safety, Management Issues in Public Safety Administration, Research Methodology in Public Safety, Civil and Criminal Liability, and either Theory in Criminal Justice or Fire and Emergency Administration. The thesis plan adds Thesis Research, a thesis and electives and ends with an oral presentation and defense, for 33 semester hours in all; the non-thesis plan adds a comprehensive seminar and electives, no more than 12 hours of them from departments outside LEJA, for 39. Courses cover administrative and organizational behavior, law, research and quantitative skills, and areas such as policing, corrections, emergency management, fire administration, security, restorative justice, ethics and civil liability, and the catalog lists the program as offered in Macomb, Illinois and online.
Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree and need a cumulative GPA of 3.0, or a GPA of 3.0 or higher over the last two years (60 semester hours) of undergraduate work; applicants below 3.0 can be considered for probationary admission when their professional training and work experience suggest their GPA understates their ability. The application calls for a current resume and a personal statement of 1000 to 1500 words, and undergraduate work should include 18 semester hours in criminal justice, law enforcement or closely related areas. The program is built for people already employed in criminal justice, public safety and related fields as well as those planning careers in them, and the school also offers post-baccalaureate certificates in Community Engagement and Public Safety Leadership, Emergency Management, and Police Executive Administration.
Military, veteran and first responder students pay $250 per credit hour.
UMT delivers its Master of Science in Criminal Justice entirely online, lets students outside term-based programs enroll in courses year-round, and charges military members, veterans and first responders a lower tuition rate.
Fully online
Military members, veterans and first responders pay a lower tuition rate
36 semester credit hours, with an optional Homeland Security concentration
Admission requires a bachelor's degree
Students outside term-based programs can enroll in courses year-round
Read more
The 36 credit-hour degree has an 18 credit-hour core of Criminal Justice System, Criminal Law, Criminal Courts System, Criminology, Criminal Justice Management and Research Methods in Criminal Justice, and 18 credit-hours of either electives or a Homeland Security concentration. Electives include Juvenile Justice, Corrections, Law Enforcement, Criminalistics and Ethics in Criminal Justice; the concentration covers homeland security, hazard mitigation, disaster recovery, terrorism and counterterrorism, international relations and public sector management. UMT says the program serves students who did not major in criminal justice as well as those who did. All programs are delivered online, and students who are not in a term-based program (such as VA, FSA and F-1 students) can enroll whenever they are ready and work through courses at their own pace within an 11-week time frame.
Graduate applicants need a bachelor's degree from an accredited undergraduate program, master's programs may accept up to 50% of their credits in transfer, and prior learning assessment can include military education and training evaluated by ACE or NCCRS. UMT says its criminal justice programs are designed for working professionals. Military members, veterans and first responders pay a lower tuition rate and have certain fees waived. UMT says it is approved to provide education and training to eligible persons in its online programs and that veterans and active-duty military personnel may use their GI Bill benefits. UMT also offers a 15-credit Executive Certificate in Criminal Justice covering the criminal justice system, law enforcement, criminal law, criminalistics and criminal justice management.
umtweb.edu
752.5
Master of Science in Criminal Justice with an Emphasis in Law Enforcement
Active Duty, Active Reserve, National Guard and military spouse students in online programs pay an effective $400 per credit after scholarship.
Online courses run eight weeks.
Grand Canyon University's online Master of Science in Criminal Justice comes with either a law enforcement emphasis, built on crime analysis and strategic planning, or a legal studies emphasis, built on legal research, legal communication and consulting.
38 semester credits for either emphasis
Courses are online and run 8 weeks
Admission requires an undergraduate degree with a 2.8 GPA, or a 2.5 unweighted GPA plus qualifying GMAT or GRE scores
Up to 12 transfer credits may apply
$610 a credit, online rate
Read more
Each emphasis is 38 credits, taught online in 8-week courses. Both share core courses including Criminal Behavior Analysis, Exploration of Law and Public Policy, Ethics and Decision Making, Research Methods and Organizational Behavior and Leadership. The law enforcement emphasis adds Crime Prevention and Public Relations, Crime Analysis and Case Management, Advanced Crime Analysis and Strategic Analysis and Organizational Planning, while the legal studies emphasis adds Exploration of Constitutional Criminal Law, Legal Research, Legal Communication and Strategies for Effective Consulting.
GCU's program pages list an undergraduate degree with a 2.8 GPA or higher, or a 2.5 unweighted GPA plus qualifying test scores (the pages give GMAT and GRE minimums), and GCU's policy handbook grants the Master of Science to students who have completed a bachelor's degree. GCU says the law enforcement emphasis is designed for working professionals already active in law enforcement, while the legal studies emphasis is aimed at professionals in government positions and decision-makers in public policy and justice administration, and may also benefit students preparing for law school. Up to 12 credits, or 1/3 of the program requirements if that is less, may transfer in.
Active-duty military students pay $470 a credit for online graduate courses.
Courses run in 10-week terms.
Southern New Hampshire University's online Master of Science (MS) in Criminal Justice is 30 credits in 10-week terms, with a general track or a concentration in Advanced Counterterrorism and Homeland Security, Cybercrime, or Public Safety Administration.
30 credits, 100% online, in 10-week terms
A general track or one of three concentrations
Admission requires a conferred bachelor's degree; full acceptance requires a 2.75 undergraduate GPA
No application fee, test scores or essay
Active-duty service members and spouses get an online graduate tuition discount
$659 a credit, online rate
Read more
The 30-credit program focuses on ethical leadership, data-driven analysis, threat management and the justice system, and its courses include Evolving Trends in Criminal Justice, Ethical Leadership in Criminal Justice, Criminology and Policy Development, Organizational Performance in Criminal Justice Systems, Contemporary Criminal Justice Judicial Processes, Data-Driven Leadership Strategies in Criminal Justice, and Criminal Justice Capstone: Leadership and Innovation. Many courses use assignments with videos, simulations, national data and role-playing exercises, and the capstone lets students work on research projects with law enforcement or other agencies. The program is offered 100% online in 10-week terms with weekly deadlines, and students follow a general track built through electives or add one of three concentrations.
Graduate applicants attest that they hold a conferred bachelor's degree from an accredited four-year university, and SNHU requires a minimum undergraduate GPA of 2.75 for full acceptance or 2.00 for provisional acceptance unless a program notes otherwise. There is no application fee, no test score and no essay, students can apply up to 2 days before a term starts, and SNHU offers an online graduate tuition discount for active-duty service members and their spouses. The university says the curriculum was designed by working criminal justice professionals.
Qualifying Texas veterans can have up to 90% of standard tuition and fees waived under the Hazlewood Act.
The program is delivered in seven-week sessions, so students focus on fewer courses at a time.
Sam Houston State University's College of Criminal Justice runs an online, non-thesis Master of Science in Criminal Justice for working professionals, alongside an online leadership and management degree and a thesis-based Master of Arts taught face to face in Huntsville, Texas.
36 credit hours for the M.S. in Criminal Justice
The M.S. in Criminal Justice runs in accelerated 7-week sessions
The M.S. degrees are online; the M.A. is taught face to face in Huntsville, Texas
Applications to the M.S. in Criminal Justice are reviewed on a rolling basis
Read more
The online M.S. in Criminal Justice is a 36-hour degree delivered in accelerated 7-week sessions. Required courses are Critical Analysis of Justice Administration, Perspectives in Criminology, Seminar in Organization and Administration, Applied Research Methods in Criminal Justice, The Ethics of Criminal Justice, Emergent Issues in Criminal Justice Leadership and Program Evaluation in Criminal Justice, plus five graduate CRIJ electives. There is no thesis, but students must pass the capstone course in their final semester with a B or better, and SHSU says courses are sequenced so students can finish in no more than two years, including summer semesters.
Admission calls for an undergraduate degree from an accredited institution in criminal justice or an allied field and a minimum overall undergraduate GPA of 2.5, or 2.8 in the last 60 credit hours; applications are reviewed on a rolling, competitive basis. The Master of Science in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management, also 36 hours and online, is aimed at people in criminal justice management and asks for current employment in a criminal justice agency with at least three years of experience. The on-campus Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology is a 36-hour thesis degree geared to research and doctoral study, and it asks for a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Active-duty members, veterans and eligible dependents in online master's programs pay $399 per credit, which is 90% of the in-state rate.
PennWest Global Online's Criminal Justice and Criminology, MA is offered 100% online with optional concentrations in Behavioral Crime Analysis and Cyber Forensics and Fraud Investigation, and active-duty members, veterans and their eligible dependents pay a discounted rate in online programs.
Offered 100% online
Military students and veterans pay a discounted per-credit rate in online programs, the same in state and out of state
Most Global Online courses are asynchronous, with weekly deadlines
30-39 credits, with two optional concentrations
Admission requires a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.00 or higher, or a resume and essay
$557 a credit, in-state rate
Read more
The master's degree from Pennsylvania Western University's online division runs 30-39 credits and covers advanced criminological theories, investigative techniques and contemporary legal issues, with courses on violent crime analysis, forensic linguistics methods and criminal justice policy. Students can choose one or both concentrations by taking additional credits: Behavioral Crime Analysis applies criminological theory to criminal investigative analysis, equivocal death analysis and geographical crime analysis, and Cyber Forensics and Fraud Investigation teaches students to recognize, preserve, collect, examine and interpret digital evidence and to investigate fraud. The catalog lists the location as online, and PennWest says most Global Online courses are asynchronous, with weekly deadlines and interactive discussions.
Admission requires a bachelor's degree with a GPA of 3.00 or higher; applicants below that provide a resume and a 500-word essay supporting the application. PennWest says the program is designed for recent graduates, professionals and career changers. Active-duty members, veterans and their eligible dependents in online programs pay a discounted master's rate that is the same for Pennsylvania residents and out-of-state students, receive priority scheduling for class registration, and get help transferring military credits and using the GI Bill or Tuition Assistance.
online.pennwest.edu
Online master’s criminal justice degrees for military students, ranked 11 to 21
Rank and school
Military benefit
Cost per credit
Completion
Graduates
Format
Score
11
Wilmington University New Castle, DE
Active-duty service members pay $300 a credit; the rate does not apply to guard, reserves, spouses or dependents.
$524
58%
42
Online or on campus
44.9
12
Franklin University Columbus, OH
Spouses and dependents of active duty service members are eligible for tuition discounts.
$670
56%
19
Online
42.7
13
Purdue University Global West Lafayette, IN
Service members pay $320 per quarter credit hour for master's programs and graduate certificates.
$630
38%
43
Online
39.9
14
Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs Colorado Springs, CO
Active-duty, Reserve and National Guard personnel and their eligible spouses get a reduced military tuition rate.
$588
25%
82
Online
37.6
15
Columbia College Columbia, MO
Current military members, spouses, dependents and installation employees pay $350 per credit hour for graduate courses.
$452
42%
19
Online
37.4
16
University of Phoenix-Arizona Phoenix, AZ
Active-duty service members and eligible spouses or dependents may be eligible for a lower military tuition rate.
$916
32%
167
Online
36.7
17
Ashford University San Diego, CA
Under the Liberty Grant, master's tuition on the military tuition schedule is $350 per credit.
$740
20%
65
Online
33.3
18
Albany State University Albany, GA
Students serving on active duty, in the reserve or in the National Guard may qualify for a waiver that reduces their cost of attendance.
$762
43%
23
Online or on campus
32.5
19
Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY
Active-duty military members and their spouses get reduced tuition.
$780
53%
28
Online
30.6
20
Webster University Saint Louis, MO
Active-duty service members, reservists and National Guard members are eligible for reduced tuition fees, including for online courses.
$730
44%
22
Online
26.2
21
Bethel University McKenzie, TN
Eligible service members and veterans pay $480 per credit hour for the MSCJ under a special tuition reduction.
$558
11%
23
Online
26.0
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 Counts as a Military Benefit
A program is among the criminal justice degrees for military students here when its school’s page states a tuition rate, a discount, a waiver or a grant
for service members, veterans or military families. Across the levels shown, 64 programs at 52 schools do. By form, the school pages describe
41 tuition rates, 11 waivers, 6 discounts and 6 grants, and 37 of them give a dollar figure.
Each statement is the school’s own, read on October 8, 2026. A card carries it in a line of its own, above the program’s highlight, so a reader can set
one school’s offer beside another’s.
Military benefits stated by the school, by degree level
Benefit stated
Associate’s programs
Bachelor’s programs
Master’s programs
Tuition Rate
5
21
15
Discount
1
1
4
Waiver
7
2
2
Grant
3
3
0
Names a dollar amount
4
20
13
All programs on the list
16
27
21
Military Benefits and Flexible Classes
Some of these criminal justice degrees for military students state both a benefit and classes with no set meeting times. 21 of the 64 programs on this list are also on
the working adults list: 3 at the associate’s level, 12 at the bachelor’s level and 6 at the master’s level.
Their cards appear on both pages with the fact each page is about.
How This List Is Made
A list by student background, program feature or specialization is not a ranking of its own. It is the national online ranking at its level, kept to the programs whose school's own page states what the list is about, in the same order and with the same scores, so a program's position counts only the programs on that list. The price an online student from another state pays is the one scored, as on every online list.
For these criminal justice degrees for military students, a program is kept when its school’s page states a tuition rate, discount, waiver or grant for service members, veterans or military families. The benefit decides whether a program is on the list, and the national online ranking decides where it
sits. How the scores work.
Questions About Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students
Which Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students Come First?
Columbia Southern University at the associate’s level, Columbia Southern University at the bachelor’s level and American Public University System at the master’s level come first. Each list keeps the order of the national online ranking. The bachelor’s section starts with the cards and goes on to the table.
What Kinds of Military Benefits Do These Programs State?
Across the lists, the school pages describe 41 tuition rates, 11 waivers, 6 discounts and 6 grants. 37 programs give a dollar figure, and each card carries the benefit in a line of its own.
Does a Military Benefit Change Where a Program Sits on the List?
No. For criminal justice degrees for military students, the benefit decides whether a program is on the list, and the order comes from the national online ranking, which scores every program on cost, graduate earnings, completion, online experience, track record and program reputation. The methodology page sets out the weights.
Which Degree Level Has the Most Programs With a Military Benefit?
The bachelor’s level has the most, with 27 programs, followed by the master’s level with 21 and the associate’s level with 16.
Can I Find a Military Benefit and Classes With No Set Meeting Times?
Sources for Criminal Justice Degrees for Military Students
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.
