Some schools count a completed police academy toward a degree. This 2027 list picks out the online criminal justice degree for
police officers: every program whose school says it gives that credit. 33 programs qualify across the associate’s and bachelor’s levels, and
American Public University System leads at the associate’s and bachelor’s levels.
A Criminal Justice Degree for Police Officers at the Associate’s Level
Academy credit is stated by 15 of the 118 ranked online associate’s programs, which makes each one a criminal justice degree for police officers.
American Public University System is first, with a score of 66.2 out of 100. The first ten are cards, and places 11 to 15 follow in the table.
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) credentials may earn potential transfer credit.
The online learning environment is asynchronous, so students complete coursework on their own time from anywhere.
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
Students may receive prior learning credit for qualifying coursework from the state police academy.
Arkansas State University-Mountain Home offers a transfer-focused Associate of Science and a career-focused Associate of Applied Science in criminal justice, each available in person or online.
60 semester credit hours over 4 semesters for either associate degree
Classes are offered in person or online
Admission requires an official high school transcript or GED scores
Police officers who complete a basic police academy and pass the state licensing exam may qualify for credit for prior learning.
San Jacinto College's Criminal Justice AAS stacks certificates on the way to the degree, and its transfer Associate of Arts embeds the Texas Direct Criminal Justice Field of Study; both are also offered online.
Each degree is 60 credits
Both degrees are offered at the Central and North campuses and online
The program has no admission requirements beyond applying to the college
AAS students can earn three certificates on the pathway to the degree
The AA fulfills the Texas Criminal Justice Field of Study
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The Associate of Applied Science is 60 credits that a full-time student can complete in four terms, with courses in criminal law, criminal investigation and ethics and a capstone in the legal aspects of law enforcement; students can earn three certificates on the pathway to the degree. The Associate of Arts is 60 credits over two years for full-time students, fulfills the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's Criminal Justice Field of Study and the core curriculum, and is designed for transfer to a bachelor's program. Both degrees are offered at the Central and North campuses and online.
San Jacinto College is an open admission institution, and the Criminal Justice program has no additional admission requirements beyond applying to the college. The AAS is aimed at students starting careers in law enforcement, corrections, probation, parole and emergency management, and it transfers to a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science degree at many universities; the AA is for students who intend to complete a bachelor's degree in criminal justice or a compatible field. For the AAS, the college informs students who may have a criminal background that a criminal history could keep graduates from being licensed by the state of Texas.
Graduates of a POST accredited law enforcement academy or the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Center may receive up to 22.5 credit hours.
Metropolitan Community College offers its Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice with Corrections or Law Enforcement options, plus a Criminal Justice Transfer degree mapped to a guided pathway into UNO's bachelor's program.
The Associate of Applied Science offers Corrections and Law Enforcement options
The Criminal Justice Transfer degree follows a guided pathway to UNO
Academy graduates may receive up to 22.5 credit hours
Graduates of a law enforcement academy may receive college credit hours toward this degree.
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
Completing the Law Enforcement Academy earns 26 credit hours toward the core requirements of the Associate in Applied Science in Criminal Justice Law Enforcement.
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
Credit for CRJ 101, CRJ 140 and CRJ 220 may be awarded for completing the eight-week Class I Basic Law Enforcement Officer Training.
Piedmont Technical College's criminal justice associate degree includes a criminal justice internship near the end of the degree and is listed among the programs the college offers totally online.
63 total hours
The degree is listed among the programs available totally online
Students may begin in the fall, spring or summer term
In the Police Science program for certified Maryland police officers, academy graduates receive 29 credits.
Frederick Community College's Police Science A.A.S. is written for certified Maryland police officers: academy graduates receive 29 credits and finish the degree with 31 additional credits, online or in person.
The Police Science A.A.S. totals 60 credits
Academy graduates receive 29 credits toward the Police Science A.A.S.
At least 15 credits must be taken at FCC
Both degrees list 2 years to complete
FCC operates with open admissions
Read more
The Police Science A.A.S. totals 60 credits. Its departmental courses include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Police Operational Services, Police - Community Relations, Criminalistics, Police Defense Tactics, Police Arsenal and Procedures, the Emergency Vehicle Operations Course (EVOC) and The Correctional Process, and the catalog notes that several of these are articulated from the Maryland Police Corrections Training Commission or offered only at a Maryland Police Training Academy. At least 15 credits must be taken at FCC, and transfer credits may be accepted.
FCC describes the Police Science A.A.S. as a program for certified Maryland police officers. The college also offers the Criminal Justice Area of Concentration within Social Sciences A.A., a transfer degree whose program page lists 60-64 total credits and whose concentration courses are Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Law, Police Operational Services, The Correctional Process, Criminal Evidence & Procedure, Criminology and Problem Solving in the Public Sector, with guest professionals such as police officers, judges, lawyers and correctional staff. FCC operates with open admissions, offering admittance to all students who apply to the college, and its catalog says first-time college students who apply to degree programs are assessed for reading, writing and mathematics before they first register.
Some courses in the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy training curriculum may be eligible for credit toward the associate degree.
Online courses have no regular class schedule to meet.
Trident Technical College runs its criminal justice associate degree with an online option and a 2+2 agreement with The Citadel, alongside a Police Pre-Academy Training Certificate taught face to face.
60 credit hours
The associate degree has an online option
Admission requires high school graduation or a GED plus qualifying placement scores
Relevant work experience or academy training may count toward the degree, which saves time and money.
Southeast Community College teaches its Criminal Justice A.A.S. and A.A. online and on its Beatrice, Nebraska and Lincoln, Nebraska campuses, and it offers A.A.S. specializations in adult and juvenile corrections and in law enforcement and homeland security.
Classes online and on the Beatrice, Nebraska and Lincoln, Nebraska campuses
61 credit hours for the A.A.S., 62 for the A.A.
Academy training or work experience may count through Credit for Prior Learning
A.A.S. specializations in corrections and in law enforcement and homeland security
Students can start in fall or spring
$7,747 for the program
Read more
SCC's 2026-2027 catalog sets the Criminal Justice A.A.S. at 61 hours: 15 hours of general education, a 43-hour criminal justice core (Introduction to Criminal Justice, Introduction to Corrections, Courts & the Judicial Process, Criminal Law, Police and Society, Criminal Procedures, Juvenile Justice, Ethics in Criminal Justice, Criminal Investigation I and II, Report Writing in Criminal Justice, Effective Communications in Criminal Justice, Introduction to Homeland Security and Introduction to Threat Assessment, after the Success@SCC course) and an advisor-approved elective. The Adult & Juvenile Services and Corrections A.A.S. includes Community-Based Corrections: Probation & Parole and chemical dependency courses, and the Law Enforcement & Homeland Security A.A.S. includes Law Enforcement Field Services, Criminology and Introduction to Emergency Management; both are 61 hours and are taught in Lincoln, Nebraska and online. The Criminal Justice A.A. meets a 62 credit requirement for students who will transfer, with seven of nine criminal justice electives. The program lists a length of 4 terms, full-time or part-time schedules and fall or spring starts, and the program's facilities include a jail cell and CSI lab used for mock crime scenes.
Admission requires an Application for Admission and completion of high school or a GED, which students can self-certify on the application, and SCC requires competency in reading and mathematics and evaluates every applicant on basic academic skills for placement into courses. SCC steers students who want to start working right after graduation to the A.A.S. and those planning a bachelor's degree to the A.A. Its Credit for Prior Learning program says relevant work experience or academy training may count toward the degree; criminal justice courses including Introduction to Criminal Justice and Criminal Investigation II are on its list of participating courses, students can earn up to 75% of a credential's credit this way, and veterans can submit a Joint Services Transcript for review of their military training.
catalog.southeast.edu
Online associate’s programs that give credit for a police academy, places 11 to 15
Rank and school
Academy credit
Cost per credit
Completion
Graduates
Format
Score
11
Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA
Graduates of the state's law enforcement academy may receive up to 18 hours of criminal justice credit.
$295
43%
19
Online
43.4
12
Bethel University McKenzie, TN
A faculty review process allows credit to be awarded for fire or law enforcement academy training.
$403
11%
19
Online
40.3
13
Georgia Military College Milledgeville, GA
Officers with the Basic Law Enforcement Certificate for training completed on or after January 1, 2025 are given credit for certain courses.
$253.50
25%
47
Online
40.1
14
South Louisiana Community College Lafayette, LA
Officers can receive up to 15 credit hours of prior learning for completing a Peace Officer Standards and Training Academy.
$176
36%
23
Online or on campus
37.4
15
Eastern Arizona College Thatcher, AZ
Students who complete AJS 117 and AJS 217 and graduate from the Law Enforcement Training Academy or an AZ POST police academy have degree courses fulfilled.
$398
34%
6
Online or on campus
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.
A Criminal Justice Degree for Police Officers at the Bachelor’s Level
Academy credit is stated by 18 of the 187 ranked online bachelor’s programs, which makes each one a criminal justice degree for police officers.
American Public University System is first, with a score of 69.9 out of 100. The first ten are cards, and places 11 to 18 follow in the table.
Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) credentials may earn potential transfer credit.
Online courses have no set login times.
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
Completing the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy earns 28 credit hours.
Franklin's B.S. Criminal Justice Administration is taught 100% online in 6- and 12-week courses, and Franklin lists 28 credit hours toward it for completing the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy.
100% online, with 6- and 12-week courses
Franklin lists 28 credit hours for the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy
120 semester hours, with up to 90 transfer credits accepted
Students can receive up to 33 semester credit hours for documented training through TCOLE, corrections or criminal justice related military service.
Tarleton State offers a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice aimed at traditional students and a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice Administration that turns documented law enforcement, corrections or military training into academic credit.
Both degrees total 120 credit hours
The B.S. is offered face to face, hybrid and fully online
The BAAS awards up to 33 semester credit hours for documented professional training
Certified law enforcement officers who completed national Peace Officer Standard Training (POST) may qualify for 25 credits toward the bachelor's degree.
Purdue Global's online criminal justice bachelor's offers six optional concentrations, from crime scene investigation to juvenile justice, and students may also skip a concentration altogether.
Students can receive college credit for their POST certification.
Online students can take a class on their own time, with faculty support.
Weber State University’s Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in Ogden, Utah covers law enforcement, corrections, courts and victim and offender issues, is also offered fully online, and has a Crime Scene Investigation concentration that mixes criminal justice, basic science and forensic science courses.
120 total credit hours for the bachelor’s degree
Classes are offered on campus and fully online
A Crime Scene Investigation concentration is available
Students may pursue full academy training in their senior year for up to 12 credits.
The YourPace online track has no weekly deadlines, so students control the speed of completion.
UMPI teaches its criminal justice bachelor's on campus in Presque Isle, Maine, and through YourPace, a fully online competency-based format with 8-week sessions and a flat tuition rate per session.
120 credit hours for the YourPace B.A. and B.L.S.
YourPace runs in 8-week sessions with six start dates a year
Police, fire and EMT academy training and military experience may count as prior learning credit toward the degree.
Classes are asynchronous, so there are no set class times.
TrineOnline's Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice runs in asynchronous online classes, and its Indiana Law Enforcement and Public Service/Professional Training concentrations turn police academy or approved professional training into academic credit.
120 credit hours, including a 15-hour concentration
The program page lists the campus location as online
Classes are asynchronous and start every eight weeks
Admission requires high school graduation or an acceptable GED score
Up to 90 transfer credit hours can count toward the degree
$299 a credit
Read more
Trine University's Fall 2026 catalog sets the degree at 120 credit hours: 36 hours of general education, 69 hours of content requirements and a 15-hour concentration. The content requirements include Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice Report Writing, Juvenile Justice, Introduction to Criminology, Introduction to Criminal Law & Justice, Criminal Procedure & Evidence, Criminalistics & Crime Scene Investigations, State & Local Government, American Constitutional Development and Fundamentals of Psychopathology, then a Criminal Justice Capstone Demonstration and a Criminal Justice Internship, plus 32 hours of free electives chosen with an advisor. The concentrations are Criminal Justice Professional (Institutional Corrections & Law, Criminal Justice Agency Administration, Topics in Criminal Justice, Research Methods in Psychology and The Family), Psychology, Indiana Law Enforcement (credit for the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy Basic Police Training Course) and Public Service/Professional Training. The program page says that last concentration is designed for students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies who seek to apply approved professional training or academies toward academic credit, and the catalog marks it CGPS only. The program page lists the campus location as online; classes are asynchronous with no set class times and start every eight weeks.
TrineOnline admits associate and bachelor's applicants who send official transcripts showing graduation from an accredited high school or an acceptable GED score, along with transcripts from every college they attended before, so a high school graduate can start the degree. Students can apply up to 90 credit hours from prior college courses, experiential learning, college-level examinations or military coursework, and the program page says police, fire and EMT academy training and military experience may count as prior learning credit. The page also describes an option to earn graduate credit toward Trine's Master of Science in Organizational Leadership while working on the bachelor's degree, and it presents the degree as a base for a criminal justice career, law school or a Master of Science in criminal justice.
Students with Council on Law Enforcement Education and Training (CLEET) credentials may be eligible for up to 27 hours toward the bachelor's degree.
NSU offers its Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and online, where it runs as a degree completion program in 8-week classes.
The degree is available in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, Broken Arrow, Oklahoma and online
The online format is a degree completion program with 8-week classes
Students who complete an in-state law enforcement academy receive 15 credit hours of lower-level transfer credit.
UW-Platteville offers its criminal justice major as both a B.S. and a B.A., says both can be completed online or on campus, and lets students add an optional emphasis in corrections, law enforcement, or substance use disorders counseling.
Both the B.S. and the B.A. can be completed online or on campus
Optional emphases: Corrections, Law Enforcement, Substance Use Disorders Counseling
A completed Wisconsin law enforcement academy earns 15 credit hours of transfer credit
Prior experience is reviewed, and credit may be offered for training, including certified police academy and military law enforcement training.
Online classes are asynchronous, so students can keep working and log in when it is convenient.
BGSU's criminal justice bachelor's requires a 400-hour internship with an approved criminal justice organization, and the university also runs an online degree-completion version for students with an associate degree.
Students choose the general pathway or a forensic investigations specialization
The degree requires 400 internship hours with an approved criminal justice organization
The online degree-completion version runs in 7-week, asynchronous courses
Online bachelor’s programs that give credit for a police academy, places 11 to 18
Rank and school
Academy credit
Cost per credit
Completion
Graduates
Format
Score
11
Youngstown State University Youngstown, OH
Police academy graduates may be eligible for up to 14 to 16 hours of PLA credit, based on an evaluation of prior work and transcripts.
$417
52%
76
Online
42.8
12
Southeast Missouri State University Cape Girardeau, MO
Graduates of a state-certified law enforcement academy who pass the licensing exam earn credit for CJ495 Law Enforcement Professional Practice.
$305
46%
43
Online or on campus
39.8
13
Ball State University Muncie, IN
Students may qualify for credit for military service or for police and other criminal justice training, education and service.
$1,118
59%
85
Online
37.9
14
University of Toledo Toledo, OH
Students who complete the accelerated police academy option earn 16 hours of upper-level credit.
$796
47%
64
Online
36.7
15
McNeese State University Lake Charles, LA
The Police Officer Standards Training course lets students become certified police officers while earning 12 credit hours toward the bachelor's degree.
$418
50%
28
Online or on campus
35.5
16
New England Institute of Technology East Greenwich, RI
Credits can be granted for Police Academy and BCI school, ACE/DANTES credits, CPR, CLEP, college transfer credit and work experience.
$1,050
71%
11
Online or on campus
34.5
17
University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Fort Smith, AR
Graduates of the city's police department basic training program may earn up to 15 credit hours, plus 3 more after field training officer training.
$474
44%
27
Online or on campus
27.9
18
University of Maine at Augusta Augusta, ME
The program gives academic credit for selected military and police training.
$683
38%
14
Online or on campus
26.2
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 Academy Credit Means for a Police Officer
Academy credit is a school’s decision about training you have already done. 33 programs say on their own pages that a completed police academy or peace
officer training earns college credit, and each card carries the school’s statement.
15 of them also say their classes have no set meeting times, which lets a student study around a shift. 10 state a tuition rate, discount, waiver or grant for service members, veterans or military families.
The schools are in 20 states, and the cost per credit on every card is the rate for an online student from another state, because an online student usually lives somewhere else.
Every statement counted here is the school’s own, read on October 8, 2026.
Where a Degree Fits on the Way to a Badge
A degree does not license an officer. Each state’s officer standards board sets its own training and education rules, and the academy is run by an agency or a regional center. The degree rules guide for police officers sets out each state’s education rule for
certification, and the police officer career guide covers the steps to the job and what it pays.
How the Police Officers 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.
A criminal justice degree for police officers is on this list when its school’s page gives college credit for a completed police academy or peace officer training. American Public University System is first here and eighth on the full online associate’s ranking. American Public University System is first here and sixth on the full online bachelor’s ranking. The methodology page gives the weights behind every score.
Questions About a Criminal Justice Degree for Police Officers
Can You Get College Credit for a Police Academy?
33 online programs at the associate’s and bachelor’s levels say so on their school’s own page. The credit is each school’s own policy, so what it covers differs from one to the next. American Public University System: Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) credentials may earn potential transfer credit.
Which Criminal Justice Degree for Police Officers Comes First on This List?
American Public University System leads the associate’s level with a score of 66.2 out of 100. American Public University System leads the bachelor’s level with a score of 69.9 out of 100. 33 programs qualify in all, and the list keeps the online ranking’s order, so the first criminal justice degree for police officers here is the highest-scored program whose page gives academy credit.
Do You Need a Degree to Become a Police Officer?
It depends on the state. A criminal justice degree for police officers is not a license, and each state’s officer standards board sets its own education rule. The state-by-state guide gives each board’s rule, and the police officer career guide covers the steps and the pay.
Can You Study Around a Shift Schedule?
15 of the 33 programs also have a school page saying classes are asynchronous, with no set meeting times, and 24 are fully online.
What Does a Criminal Justice Degree for Police Officers Cost?
The median criminal justice degree for police officers on this list costs $398 a credit for an online student from another state, and its median out-of-state tuition and required fees for a full-time year come to $9,577. Metropolitan Community College Area has the lowest cost per credit, $102, at the associate’s level. The online associate’s programs on the list cost a median of $283 a credit. The online bachelor’s programs on the list cost a median of $541 a credit.
Sources for the Police Officers List
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.
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.
Academy and peace officer training credit, and the class schedule: each school’s own program, catalog and admissions pages, named on its card and read on October 8, 2026.
How the list is drawn from the online rankings, and how the scores work: the methodology page.
