Featured Schools
Earning a degree online is the best way to advance your career while you are still required to hold a full-time job. Many people cannot afford to attend school in a classroom since they must continue to support their families. If they can enroll in an online criminal justice degree program, they will be able to keep up with their studies while gaining experience at work. Being able to study during their free time, gives students what they need to move on to the next step in their career.
Online criminal justice degree programs provide students with many new opportunities they can rely on to help them advance their careers. Even students who have worked for many years can return to school and learn the latest information for their chosen specialization. This gives them a chance to remain competitive with their peers.
How we ranked The Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Connecticut
To rank Connecticut’s best online criminal justice programs, Criminal Justice Degree Hub editors focus on trustworthy, accredited schools. We rank programs by practical factors such as tuition rate, student satisfaction, and graduate salary. Data comes from IPEDS and Niche.
1. Albertus Magnus College
Albertus Magnus College (AMC Online) has been offering a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice online degree program since 2007. This criminal justice degree online is considered among Connecticut’s most innovative and best online Criminal Justice Degree programs. This bachelor’s degree from Albertus Magnus College offers collaborative interdisciplinary perspectives, plus diverse experiential learning opportunities.
Featured classes for Albertus Magnus College’s baccalaureate degree include an introduction to criminal justice, deviance and criminology, contemporary social problems, statistics, and sociology of law & social control, corrections, constitutional and criminal law, the death penalty in American, and foundations of criminal law, to name a few. Students graduating from Albertus Magnus College’s online Criminal Justice Degree program find rewarding careers as ICE agents, paralegals, law enforcement officers, FBI agents, private security officers, or DEA or Secret Service Agents, to name just a few.
2. Charter Oak State College
Charter Oak State College (COSC) offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Criminal Justice program that has been designed to prepare degree candidates for rewarding careers in the government and private industry. Charter Oak State College’s online Criminal Justice Degree program is recognized among the leading Criminal Justice online degree programs across Connecticut and New England – with academic tracks available in victim advocacy and general criminal justice.
The total bachelor’s degree credits required is 120, with 42 credit units required to be completed from the criminal justice curriculum. Featured classes for Charter Oak State College’s affordable degree online include criminology, ethics in criminal justice, statistics for behavioral science, constitutional law, and research methods for behavioral science, among others. Graduates enter the workforce prepared for careers in the areas of offender rehabilitation, conflict resolution, and policy development, to name a few.
3. The University of New Haven
The University of New Haven (New Haven Online) offers a Master of Science (MS) in Criminal Justice that has been ranked as the leading online Criminal Justice Degree program in the nation by US News & World Report. Graduates of the University of New Haven’s Criminal Justice online degree program have found rewarding careers in the government working for the Department of Justice, Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of investigation, and other local protective agencies. This degree online in criminal justice offers reduced tuition rates for sworn officers as well as firefighters and has been recognized as military-friendly.
The University of New Haven’s criminal justice baccalaureate degree can be completed entirely online in about 24 months, with a total of 36 credit units required. Sample classes for UNH’s criminal justice degree program include the theories of criminal behavior, quantitative applications in criminal justice, and administration of justice and mental health and the law, among others. Potential career opportunities for graduates of the University of New Haven master’s degree include victimology, corrections, computer crime, or criminal justice management, to name a few.
4. The University of Bridgeport
The University of Bridgeport’s (UB Online) Behavioral Science Division offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Criminal Justice program that is ranked among Bridgeport’s leading online Criminal Justice Degree programs. This bachelor’s degree online in criminal justice from the University of Bridgeport is delivered in seven-week modules, with six different start dates offered each year. Degree candidates enrolled in the University of Bridgeport’s Criminal Justice online degree program must complete a minimum of 120 credit units to graduate.
Coursework for the University of Bridgeport’s undergraduate degree in criminal justice includes an introduction to the corrections system, criminal justice theory, and forensic technology, among others. Students graduating from the University of Bridgeport’s criminal justice program enter the workforce in these rewarding careers corrections officer, criminologist, law officer, DEA or FBI agent, a United States Marshall, compliance manager, or probation officer, to name a few.
5. Central Connecticut State University
Central Connecticut State University’s (CCSU Online) Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice offers two of the state’s best online Criminal Justice Degree completion programs. At the baccalaureate level, Central Connecticut State University offers a Bachelor of Arts and, at the graduate level, the Master of Science completion programs. These Criminal Justice online degree programs have been developed in partnership with the Connecticut State Police. The Bachelor of Arts degree from Central Connecticut State University requires 120 credits, of which 39 credit units are pulled from the criminology curriculum.
Classes for Central Connecticut State University’s Criminal Justice degree online program include law enforcement and society, criminology, criminal procedures, and the courts, introduction to the criminal justice system, and corrections. Central Connecticut State University offers credit for coursework completed at the police academy as well as credits earned when completing a detective certificate program.
6. Sacred Heart University
Sacred Heart University (SHU Online) offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Criminal Justice program that ranked among the leading Criminal Justice online degree completion programs in New England. Up to 66 earned credits may be applied to Sacred Heart University’s bachelor’s online Criminal Justice Degree program if earned from a 2-year school, or upwards of 90 credits for those earned at a four-year college/university.
Featured classes for Sacred Heart University’s part-time Criminal Justice degree online program are delivered in seven-week modules, which allows students to finish this baccalaureate degree program in less than 24 months. Classes for this criminal justice program include criminal law, criminal courts and discretion, the American legal system, police community relations, crime and criminal behavior, and probation and parole, plus a senior seminar and criminal justice internship, to name a few.
7. Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University’s School of Engineering (QU Engineering) offers a Master of Science (MS) in Cybersecurity that can be completed 100% online in as few as five semesters. Quinnipiac University’s online Criminal Justice Degree program requires the completion of a minimum of thirty graduate semester units, mostly in 2- and 3-week classes, averaging six credits per semester over five semesters if taking on a full course load.
In addition to a cybersecurity capstone project, Quinnipiac University’s Criminal Justice online degree program includes these featured classes, introduction to cloud security, B2B and B2C access security, secure web applications engineering, securing workloads in AES, resilient systems design and development, and operating resilient systems, to name a few. Graduates of Quinnipiac University’s degree online become skilled in these cybersecurity tools – Frame Cyber, File Integrity Monitor, MySQL Workbench, SAINT Vulnerability Scanner, and Microsoft Threat Modeling Tool, among others.
8. Mitchell Community College
Mitchell Community College (MCC) offers a bachelor’s degree in human services with an academic specialty in criminal justice that is among the leading online Criminal Justice Degree programs in the Constitution State. Students enrolled in Mitchell Community College’s criminal justice online degree track are required to complete an internship. Previous internships have been made available in the state’s judicial branch, the Connecticut Department of Corrections, or Community Solutions, Inc., among others.
In addition to the hand’s-on – real-world applications provided to students through the criminal justice internships, degree candidates must also complete these classes as part of the human services core curriculum for Mitchell Community College’s criminal justice degree online – crisis intervention, the history and systems of psychology, policing in a free society, correctional treatment programs, and brain and behavior, to name a few.
9. Western Connecticut State University
Western Connecticut State University (WCSU) Ancell School of Business offers a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Justice and Law Administration that offers four academic tracks – law enforcement, criminology, legal studies, and corrections. The baccalaureate online Criminal Justice Degree program requires four years to complete and a minimum of 120 semester hours to meet Western Connecticut State University’s program criteria.
Western Connecticut State University’s core curriculum in its Justice & Law Administration online degree includes an introduction to criminal justice, constitution law, commercial law, juvenile delinquency, information technology, and the American Government, to name a few. Students graduating from Western Connecticut State University’s criminal justice degree online find rewarding careers in public service, social service private enterprise or law enforcement, and other justice professionals, to name a few.
10. Post University
Post University offers two of the Constitution State’s best online Criminal Justice Degree programs. At the associate level, there is Post University’s Associate of Science degree (AS), and at the baccalaureate level, the Bachelor of Science program in Criminal Justice. Both of Post University’s criminal justice online degree programs prepare students for work in servicing and protecting the public. Post University’s bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice offers a career-focused degree and accelerated classes that allow students to complete the BS degree in only three years.
The associate criminal justice degree online is offered with five academic concentrations – law enforcement, legal studies, correctional counseling, corrections or emergency management, and homeland security. The BS offers correctional counseling, law enforcement, and emergency management emphases. Post University offers multiple start dates for these criminal justice programs throughout the academic year.
How Is the Criminal Justice Job Market in Connecticut?
The criminal justice job market in Connecticut is always expanding and growing. You can find criminal justice jobs in almost every area in Connecticut and the surrounding states. Graduates are able to choose from a variety of special fields that will allow them to explore much more than simply criminal justice. Students can take what they have learned and apply it to private investigations and research, as well as how to work with evidence and forensics.
The criminal justice job market includes positions in the legal field, as well as in the judicial field. Courts and law firms are always looking for investigative researchers and forensic specialists. The field of forensics is quite extensive and most start with a degree program in criminal justice. The courses included in a criminal justice degree program can be transferred to other types of legal degrees as well. Many of the courses are interchangeable and allow students to broaden their horizons in almost any direction they choose. Classes are designed to provide skills that students can use in many of the criminal justice specializations.
With the criminal justice job market covering such a wide range of occupations, a graduate can choose from many different career paths. While law enforcement seems to be the go-to for many criminal justice graduates, there are many other jobs that will benefit from a criminal justice degree. This includes law clerks, paralegals, forensics scientists, and private investigators. With many of these jobs, especially the private investigator career, you can be self-employed and work in whatever capacity you want.
How Much Can I Make with a Online Criminal Justice Programs in Connecticut?
The wages you earn working in the criminal justice field will depend on your years of experience, level of education, location, and any specializations you may have learned about in school. An entry-level position in law enforcement, the judicial field, or a law firm will have a starting pay of approximately $25,000 to $30,000 a year. This is often without any type of education other than what is gained in high school. Students who go straight to work out of high school rarely have any experience to draw from.
Once they have started working, they may opt to enroll in an online criminal justice degree program to start their education. The skills they learn will be quite beneficial and will allow them to start applying for new opportunities as they continue to work on their degree. Choosing a specialization will allow them to further their career and choose a more focused career path.
Depending on their location, their specialization, and whether or not they have completed their education, a criminal justice specialist can earn anywhere from $60,000 to $100,000 per year. The more focused their career path, the higher their earning potential will be. At this stage, graduates may also be able to apply for upper management positions and be put in charge of entire departments. Their earnings will increase dramatically and they will be able to possibly start teaching if that is something they are interested in.
Related:
JOBS IN LAW ENFORCEMENT OR AS A FEDERAL AGENT
HOW LONG WILL I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR A CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE?
