Criminal

Click To List Of Schools Offering Criminal Justice Associate Degrees

An associates degree in criminal justice can help provide a first step into a variety of law enforcement careers in local, state or even federal agencies. The growing complexity of law enforcement, even at the local and county levels, has created demand for more highly trained police professionals. And while the more senior positions today tend to be reserved for officers with a bachelor’s degree, an AS or AA can be a “door opener” that can get you started in your criminal justice career. Later, when you’ve had some time to build up experience and get a clearer picture of what you would like to become more specialized in, you may want to consider adding a bachelor’s degree to your resume.

Some jobs that are generally open to holders of an associate’s degree in criminal justice:

• Crime Scene Investigator
• Corrections Officer
• Homeland Security Officer
• Cyber Crime Specialist
• Corporate Security Specialist
• Paralegal

A full associates degree will include training on the U.S. court system, criminology, digital law enforcement procedures and techniques for solving crimes. Many of the programs in criminal justice include an internship, which will give you hands-on experience in police work while you’re still in school.

Colleges & Universities Offering Associates of Criminal Justice Degrees Online

Purdue University Global
A very large and well-known school with over 40,000 students on 11 campuses and in a large online degree program, and top quality accreditation. Offers a very wide range of online degrees in many areas including criminal justice:
Get info about Purdue’s Associate in Criminal Justice Program

Harrison College
Harrison is a career-focused college founded in 1902 in Marion Indiana. It has schools of health sciences, information technology and business, as well as a criminal justice school offering associates and bachelors degrees. 93% of it’s students gain some financial aid:
Click for free info on Harrison’s A.A.S. Degree in Criminal Justice

Southern Technical College
Southern Technical College has six campuses in Florida and a wide ranging online degree program designed to provide both job skills to facilitate entry into a new career, and development of the student’s intellect. Instructors are chosen for their real world, industry-specific expertise. Topics covered in the criminal justice program include corrections, law enforcement, terrorism, criminology, private security and investigations:
Click for free info on Southern Technical’s A.S. Criminal Justice degree program

1) Is a homeland security degree worth it?

People who want to go into security or law enforcement, with a focus on preventing terrorist acts, can enjoy many benefits from this type of degree online. Homeland security was born as a specialty in the criminal justice system after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Today homeland security experts are involved in guarding transportation venues, borders and other sites that are considered a good target for terrorists. The specialty has quickly grown so big that there is a dizzying array of choices available. With an associates level homeland security degree, you will probably be able to enter this career area a solid step above the typical entry level. Although there are many certificate programs in homeland security, most of them are for law enforcement or security professionals who already have in-depth experience and want to add specialized knowledge or even get a masters degree. If you are truly starting out in this career path, the associate degree in homeland security is your most likely starting-level study program. It should put you in line for a job with more advanced responsibilities and higher pay than an airport security screener, a job that in most cases requires only a high school diploma.

2) What jobs can you get with a homeland security degree?

Entry-level positions in law enforcement (including becoming a police officer), security, protective services in both the private sector and jobs with local, state, or federal government agencies. The Department of Homeland Security includes a wide range of agencies that used to be independent, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Coast Guard, Transportation Security Administration and Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service, the Secret Service. In the private sector, your degree may get you employed in an airport, stadium, amusement park or dozens of other settings. Earnings for new hires in these agencies positions can range widely from about $28,000 for a security guard to $40,000 for a security analyst (there are numerous back-office analytic jobs in this field) and considerably more for a border security guard. In the law enforcement arena, a new town or county police officer can earn $40,000 or more with an associates degree. According to some studies, degree holders in this career path make about $15,000. more per year on average than non-degree holders.

3) What courses do you take to major in this specialty?

The associates degree in homeland security can be either an Associate of Arts (AA) or an Associate of Science (AS). Is in other specialties, the AA degree will tend to have a bit broader focus with more humanities courses, while an Associate of Science program will lean a bit more toward technical learning.

Three of the key areas you’ll learn about in this specialty are computer security, biosecurity and a wide variety of counter-terrorism techniques. Because this is a relatively new type of a degree, the curriculum will vary a good deal from one school to another. Courses you are likely to take for a homeland security degree run across a wide spectrum:

• Writing & Math
• Business Communications
• Fundamentals of Criminal Justice
• Emergency Readiness
• Criminal Psychology
• Management of Disaster Recovery
• Cyber Crime
• The History of Terrorism
• Ethics and Techniques in Gathering Intelligence
• Constitutional Law
• Politics and Terrorism
• gricultural and Biological Terrorism
• Extremism and Violence
• Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction
• Security and First Responders

4) Can you get a college degree in homeland security online?

Definitely. There are numerous 100% online associates programs in homeland security.

5) How long does it take to get an Associate Degree In Homeland Security and how much does it cost?

AA or AS degree programs in homeland security or criminal justice are generally either 60 or 90 credit programs, though almost all are designed to be completed with two years of full-time study.

The cost of taking classes online or in a classroom is the same in most schools, though you can obviously save the cost of living on campus (which is far more than tuition at some schools) or even traveling there if you study online. Tuition fees run a wide gamut. Tiffin University charges about $300 per hour or $9,000 per year for an associates online degree homeland security. Kaplan’s tuition is about $320, per credit, but it is a 90 credit program. Community colleges may have less prestige, but they do offer great bargains. Many charge only about $6,000 for an in-state resident or $10,000 for an out-of-state-student on an associates degree program in homeland security.

Bonus question: What’s the difference between a criminal justice degree and a homeland security degree?

It’s a good question. A criminal justice degree may provide more career flexibility, because it gives you a background in a broader array of law enforcement subjects. On the other hand, having the homeland security degree sends a message to an employer that you have a strong interest in this particular specialty. At many schools you can have it both ways, by taking a criminal justice associates degree with an added specialization in homeland security.

Click To List Of Criminal Justice Degree Schools

An associates or bachelor’s degree in criminal justice is a useful tool whether you’re looking to get into police work, some other branch of federal or state law enforcement, or even if your goal is to eventually go to law school and become an attorney.

For most law enforcement positions, the associate of either science or arts in criminal justice has become a bit more important lately, at least at the more local level. That’s because the states, counties and towns who hire officers, troopers and sheriffs are in a budget pinch this year because of the bad economy. They’re making at least a few less hires than they did in previous years, and they’re viewing every position as a criminal justice degree job. Candidates who have no degrees are finding it tougher to get hired.

How Much Does An Associate’s Degree Criminal Justice Cost?

The cost of an associate degree in law enforcement can vary widely, depending on whether you choose to study online or in a traditional school, and whether you go for a private or public college. If your budget is tight, it’s good to take a look at community colleges in your area. Many of them offer law enforcement programs at a very reasonable cost, particularly to local students.

At Colorado Northwest Community College, for example, the 64-credit associate in criminal justice degree will cost a total of about $5,200. if you are in in-state student and $11,000. you’re out-of state (neither cost here includes room and board). The Community College of Baltimore County in Maryland’s tuition structure shows just how much going local can save you. It has a 61-credit associate of applied science in criminal justice program that’s $5,490. for in-county students, $10,614. for out-of-county and almost $16,000. for out-of-state residents (all are 2009 fees for tuition only). The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a well-known name in the New York area. It’s $170. per tuition hour fee seems high, but it helps in-state residents by topping out their fees at a maximum of $2,000. per term. Living at any school obviously boosts your cost. The associates in CJ at small, private Southern Vermont College is a total of about $26,000. if you pay for tuition plus on-campus living.

What Are The Best Online Criminal Justice Programs?

Online study isn’t necessarily cheaper, but it may allow you to step up to a better known school. Indiana Wesleyan University, on old institution that’s certainly a familiar name in the Midwest, has a 100% online associate degree in criminal justice that takes 62 credits and costs a total of just under $17,000. Liberty University, a Christian school in Virginia, is a bit less – about $15,000. total for the AA Criminal Justice. Keep in mind that at some of these schools, fees per course are higher if you do not take all your courses at that particular school.

Cost Of A Bachelor’s In Criminal Justice

Portland State University on the west coast offers big savings thru its online bachelor in criminal justice program. The 92-credit program is just over $23,000 total. Kaplan University, which has been ranked #1 in several studies of online programs, offers a distance learning bachelor of science degree in criminal justice with specialties including corrections, homeland security, forensic psychology and law enforcement. The total cost of the program is currently $63,500. As with the associates degree, if you’re willing to trade the prestige of a nationally known school for a community college, you can save. Florida Gulf Coast University offers a Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice that is under $16,000. total if you are a Florida resident.

How Long Does It Take To Get A Criminal Justice Degree Online?

Criminal justice is a popular specialty and more and more colleges are offering degrees focused on it. You can often customize your degree to “wrap around” your work schedule or family responsibilities. Taking fewer credits than normal in a semester will make it take a bit longer to complete your degree, but it can be the best option if you simply cannot drop all your obligations to study full time.
Most bachelor’s degrees take four years if you have not taken any college courses previously. They require completion of 120 – 125 credits. The typical associates in criminal justice takes about two years of full time study, and requires approximately 60 credits completed.

What’s The Best Degree For Law Enforcement?

Police departments around the country almost all ask job recruits to have some type of degree or certification today. But there are alot of different degrees that can lead into a law enforcement career.

Social Science Degrees

Psychology and sociology can be helpful for careers where police or corrections personnel need help dealing with the psychology of individuals. Social workers are often employed to work on rehabilitative services for incarcerated persons or on helping the families of offenders. Psychiatrists are often used to help deal with mental health issues in criminals, and sometimes with mental stress problems in the police themselves.

Criminology

Criminology is also a social science degree, but its more squarely focused on law enforcement. It can be an interesting specialty if you want to work in acapacity where you need to understand and be able to explain why and how criminals behave the way they do. A master’s in criminology is often seen as a good springboard to more senior management positions in police departments or other law enforcement agencies.

Criminal Justice

This is the most widely popuilar degree for those who want an learn how to work in positions on or close to the front lines of law enforcement. The degree, which may be called “policing” or “investigating,” is appropriate if you are interested in moving into a leadership position. Sometimes, it can be valuable in a legal career.

Becuase law enforcement is so complex today, it requires people with a wider variety of knowlewdge than ever before. Beyond the degrees above, it’s possible to get into law enforcement with a computer science degree, financial or accounting expertise or skill in foreign languages.

Finding out the cost of an associates degree in criminal justice is a bit like finding a needle in a haystack if you’re searching online. A lot of marketing experts, it seems, have told colleges and universities that it’s not a good idea to show prices for fear of scaring away prospective students. Many of the best known schools that promote themselves online require you to submit a request form or call them to get real information on tuition for either online or classroom based degree programs.

Criminal justice is an area where there’s a particularly wide range of costs for a degree. That’s because the associate’s degree in this specialty is offered everywhere from tiny community colleges in rural areas to major state and private schools.

Respected Name Online
Indiana Wesleyan University, for example, is an old and respected school that has made a major move into online teaching. It offers a distance learning associates degree in criminal justice at a total cost of about $16,000 (more if you live outside the U.S.). Liberty University, a much newer school with a baptist affiliate, offers the same type degree for $15,700.

But you can spend much more on tuition or much less. Central Pennsylvania College, a regionally known school with just over 1,100 students, offers a campus-based AA in criminal justice on an accelerated 18-month schedule for a total of $19,940. That cost includes all room, board and additional expenses. Keep in mind that many small regional colleges have alot of expertise at helping you get Pell grants and other government help with financing. Many report that over 80% of their students are currently getting financial aid to help pay for their degree programs.

Private Option
The cost goes up if you with to live at a school, particularly if it’s private. American Intercontinental University’s Associate of Science in criminal justice costs $30,000. Attending AIU online, however, can save you a bundle. It’s business administration in criminal justice associate’s degree costs about $22,000 via distance learning.

Deciding what specialty you want to work in, whether you intend to use your associates degree credits toward a bachelor’s degree later on and what kind of enforcement agency you want to work for will all determine how much you’ll want to invest. The least expensive option in most cases is to go to a community college in your locality. Associates degrees for local students at such schools often cost well under $10,000. If you want to work in a large police department or even federal agency where there’s lots of competition for every job, a higher-priced, better known school may be more in your interest.

Associate of Arts Degree
An associate of arts is a more traditional criminal justice degree that gives you a broader training not just in law enforcement, but in other liberal arts areas that will “fill out” your educational resume and make you a good candidate for a bachelors or even masters degree later on. It costs more than the applied science degree and it takes a minimum of two years if you attend school full time, but an associate of arts in criminal justice offers a bigger payoff down the road.

A full associates degree trains you in current techniques for solving crimes, how to navigate the American court system, criminology and all the online communication techniques now used in law enforcement. You will learn how to detect crime, interview suspects and victims, prepare good quality records and even how to deal with the public. Many of these programs include internships that will give you hands on experience in the police or legal arenas. The aim is to get you ready for a rewarding career where you can serve the public.
– Click to a list of schools offering associate’s degrees in criminal justice online
– List of online homeland security degree schools

Happily, there tend to be fewer degrees to choose from at the associate of arts level. Top criminal justice specialties offered include:

• Corrections
• Juvenile Justice
• Forensic Psychology
• Law Enforcement
• Cyber Crime
• Crime Scene Investigation

You will generally need a good grade point average at a high school or community college to get accepted into an AA degree in criminal justice, but you will also be required to take either the SAT or ACT test, and usually write an admission essay and provide letters of recommendation. Once you get in, your courses will include anything from college math to abnormal psychology, tactical firearms skills, emergency responder techniques in law enforcement to sobriety testing.

Job Opps
The Associate of Arts degree in criminal justice will make it possible for you to get a higher level job as a police officer, bailiff, narcotics officer, secret service agent or customs agent. Private companies may hire you as a loss prevention expert or private security agent. Importantly, your degree will give you a background in understanding relationships between citizens, the police and the court system.