Updated December 31, 2020
Getting your criminal justice degree online obviously helps keep your costs in line by allowing you to avoid paying for room and board to live in a dormitory. At many schools, particularly in big cities where real estate costs are high, dorm room fees actually dwarf the cost of tuition. (Click to a list of affordable criminal justice online degrees)
As a student, it’s not a great policy to shop for degree programs based only on cost. But it doesn’t hurt to take a good look around to find out where the highest value programs exist, in order to keep your school debt down over the long run.
State schools and community colleges often have criminal justice degree programs that are downright cheap for local students. But many charge much higher rates if you don’t live in a particular state or county. Additionally, many community schools specialize in associates degrees, and have limited offerings or no programs at all at the bachelor’s degree level.
Can You Get A Criminal Justice Degree Online?
Absolutely yes. As with most other types of majors, you’ll need about 120 credits for a bachelor’s degree and 60 for an associates degree. The cost of a college degree can be a bit frightening, but there are some very positive factors to keep in mind. The start with, statistics from research firm The College Board show that students who get a BS or BA degree wind up earning about sixty per cent more over their careers than high school only grads. Additionally, there are ways to soften or even lower your tuition fees by quite a bit. Many online schools make a big effort to help you transfer in credits for courses you have completed at other schools, and in the area of criminal justice, many schools will give you credit for any real world work you may have done in the specialty. It’s not unusual for these types of breaks to bring down the cost of a degree by as much as fifty per cent
Why Do You Need A Criminal Justice Degree?
The big trend in almost all professions including nursing, business and law enforcement has been to hire more and more bachelor degree holders. While this was once only true at large companies or institutions, it’s now filtered down to a point where even local police departments in relatively small cities towns will try to hire officers who hold a BA or BS, or at the very least an associates degree. Not having the degree doesn’t necessarily shut you out of these jobs, but it can make you less competitive as a job candidate.
What Do You Need To Apply For a Criminal Justice AS or BS?
In addition to your transcript of grades from high school, you may need SAT or ACT scores and, as with an application to almost any type of school, you may be required to write an essay laying out your career goals and then have an interview with an admissions counselor. Once you’re in school, you may be required to do an internship or some type of experiential learning outside of class, in addition to your academic work.
Affordable Criminal Justice Degree Schools (Sponsored Schools):
Purdue University Global
Purdue is a very large and well-known name in online education. It’s advisers help applicants create accelerated options and other approaches that hold down the overall cost of a degree. Special “Excel-Track” programs are based on reasonable per-semester rather than per credit rates.
– B.S. Criminal Justice
– B.S. Criminal Justice – Forensic Psychiatry
– B.S. Criminal Justice – Juvenile Justice
– B.S. Criminal Justice – Crime Scene Investigation
– B.S. Criminal Justice – Homeland Security
Get info on Purdue University Global
King University
King is a private university established in 1867 that now has just under 3,000 total students. The BS program in criminal justice is moderately priced, with the potential program cost if you transfer in the maximum of 76 credits from another program is under $16,000. for a Bachelor Degree. Several accelerated programs are available.
– B.S. Criminal Justice
