Featured Schools
Earning an online criminal justice degree online helps students reach many of their goals in much less time. Online degree programs make it much easier for students to earn their degrees once they have already started working. Once a student has started working, they can’t just take off of work to go back to school. If they do, they may lose their seniority and any position they may be in when it comes to advancing upward through the ranks.
Online degree programs offer flexibility and convenience students can rely on when they want to finish their education. Students can study while they are on lunch or during breaks while they are at work. They can study after their families go to sleep. Online programs offer learning platforms that make it much easier for students to earn their degree on their own time and by setting their own terms.
Online degree programs teach the same core concepts as classroom programs. Employers have begun to trust online degree programs just as much as degrees that are earned over the internet. In fact, employers often encourage their employees to enroll in online programs to finish their education. In some situations, they will even offer an educational expenses reimbursement program to help students pay for their education.
How we ranked The Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Idaho
To rank Idaho’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. Boise State University
Boise State University (BSU Online) School of Public Service offers an online criminal justice degree at the bachelor’s level that is recognized among the best criminal justice online degree programs by US News & World Report. This 120-credit unit Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice degree online allows for the transfer of previously earned credits if they meet Boise State University’s transfer criteria. This criminal justice degree can be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. Students must complete the lower division classes (Tier 1) to be eligible to apply for their criminal justice degree.
Featured coursework for Boise State University’s Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice degree includes law and justice courts & sentencing, leadership in criminal justice, methods of legal research, the death penalty in America, Criminalistics, and interviewing and counseling in criminal justice, plus several internship experiences, to name a few.
2. The University of Idaho
The University of Idaho (UI Online) Department of Culture, Society & Justice offers one of Idaho’s best online criminal justice degree programs – offering its Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminology, Law, and justice. Students with an interest in a Bachelor of Science degree may choose the university’s BS in Criminology. This degree online in criminal justice can be completed on the Moscow campus or online – with online students paying in-state tuition rates, regardless of where they live. Degree candidates are given the option of earning a certificate in diversity & inclusion when completing the degree.
Available coursework for this online degree in criminal justice includes comparative criminal justice systems, policing in modern society, life-course criminology, and race, crime & justice, to name a few. Graduates of the University of Idaho’s criminal justice bachelor’s degree program find rewarding careers across sectors, including forensics, social work, corrections, or social policy, among others.
3. Lewis and Clark State College
Lewis and Clark State College (LCSC) College of Liberal Arts & Sciences offers two of the best online criminal justice degree programs in Idaho and beyond with its Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts degree in Justice Studies. In addition to a practicum in justice studies and a culminating research project, each of these criminal justice online degree programs requires 120 baccalaureate semester hours across 3.5 to 4 years, dependent on the degree candidate’s scheduling demands.
The featured classes for Lewis and Clark State College, criminal justice program, include ethics and values, juvenile delinquency, criminal law, criminal procedure, corrections in America, and a seminar in justice studies, plus required general education, to name a few. Students enrolled in this criminal justice degree online have the option of completing the degree with a dual program as well.
4. The College of Western Idaho
The College of Western Idaho (CWI) offers an Associate of Arts (AA) degree program in Criminal Justice recognized as one of Idaho’s most innovative and the best online criminal justice degree programs. This associate criminal justice online degree program is offered with three start dates each year in the spring, summer, and fall sessions and on various campuses and through the school’s distance learning platform.
Students enrolled in the criminal justice studies associate degree online from the College of Western Idaho’s complete sixty credit hours across two years, or sooner, depending on a student’s schedule. Sample classes for this criminal justice associate degree include criminology, victimology, introduction to ethics, the fundamentals of social science research, and introduction to policing & corrections, American national Government, plus a capstone or criminal justice internship, among others.
5. The College of Southern Idaho
The College of Southern Idaho (CSI) Department of Social Science offers an Associate of Arts (AA) degree program in Criminal Justice that ranks among the best online criminal justice degree programs in the state of Idaho. Enrolled students can complete the sixty required semester hours in two years, or less. This degree online in criminal justice is an excellent springboard to entry-level positions or when transferring to a four-year program. The College of Southern Idaho offers scholarships to eligible students who need help in paying for their post-secondary education.
In addition to the required general education, the College of Southern Idaho’s online degree in criminal justice requires these classes – introduction to criminal justice, introduction to sociology, policing, American National Government, introduction to psychology, corrections, the law of arrest, search and seizure and criminal evidence law, to name a few.
6. Carrington College
Carrington College (CC) offers an Associate of Science (AS) degree program in Paralegal Studies that is one of the most affordable as well best online criminal justice degree programs available online in Idaho. This paralegal associate-level degree online prepares students for their role in supporting legal professionals in diverse but often complex matters. Carrington College’s paralegal studies program is delivered as an interdisciplinary format pulling from the fields of law, liberal studies, and business, among others.
Carrington College’s paralegal studies online degree program includes coursework that covers a wide variety of topics, including business law, criminal law, family law, and property law, to name a few. Students complete the program by submitting a relevant capstone project demonstrating the student’s learned skills and knowledge. This specialized paralegal degree prepares students for entry-level paralegal work across sectors in many fascinating fields.
7. The College of Eastern Idaho
The College of Eastern Idaho (CEI Online) offers an Associate of Arts (AA) degree program in Legal Studies & Paralegal Training is ranked among the most affordable of the best associate level online criminal justice degree programs across Idaho. The College of Eastern Idaho’s paralegal training and legal studies program can be completed in two years when studying as a full-time student. In addition, students are offered an impressive student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1.
Students graduating from the College of Eastern Idaho’s paralegal degree online are allowed to use the ALP credential – the Accredited legal Professional credential as a paralegal. The College of Eastern Idaho graduates have gone on to find rewarding careers working in law firms, the court system, insurance companies, public legal agencies, or the hospitality business, to name a few.
8. Idaho State University
Idaho State University (ISU) College of Arts & Letters offers a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology with an academic concentration in criminology that ranks among the leading Idaho online criminal justice degree programs. Students interested in enrolling in Idaho State University’s criminology online degree should understand that it requires 120 academic semester hours to meet ISU’s graduate criteria. This includes 37 credits of general education and 37-38 credits in the criminology major.
Featured classes included with ISU’s criminology degree online include the following – civil rights & liberties, introduction to criminal law, politics & the administration of justice, criminology, families in the social context, juvenile delinquency, and contemporary social theory, plus an internship in criminal justice, to name a few. Graduates of Idaho State University’s criminology degree program enter the workforce with the skills to work with families, organizations, communities, individuals, or groups in the areas of assessment, treatment, and intervention.
9. Great Basin College
Great Basin College (GBC) offers an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree program in Criminal Justice that ranks among the leading innovative online criminal justice degree programs in the Idaho post-secondary educational marketplace and beyond. Graduates of Great Basin College are prepared for entry-level positions or to further their education by enrolling in a Bachelor of Applied Science in Management & Supervision or a Bachelor of Arts in Social Science degree offered by a four-year institution of higher education. The total credit units required to graduate is 60, of which about 1/3 is general education classes including English, Math, Science, Humanities, Technology, and Social Science.
Coursework for this criminal justice associate degree online program explores the many facets of criminal behavior, trial, punishment, and rehabilitation. Specific classes for Great Basin College’s online degree include the introduction to evidence, criminal law, criminal procedure, probation and parole, and community relations, to name a few.
10. The University of Phoenix Idaho
The University of Phoenix (UP Idaho) offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice Administration (BSCJA), which is one of the leading online criminal justice degree programs in the online marketplace. The University of Phoenix’s criminal justice baccalaureate degree online program offers multiple start dates each year and coursework that is delivered in five- and six-week modules. This degree in criminal justice is also among the state’s most affordable. The required 120 semester hours are completed in approximately four years – entirely online.
Featured classes for the University of Phoenix’s online degree in criminal justice include ethics in criminal justice, diversity in criminal justice, theories of criminology & victimology, grant writing and funding, criminal justice policy analysis and contemporary issues in criminal justice administration, criminal justice problem solving, plus a related capstone, to name a few.
How Is the Criminal Justice Job Market in Idaho?
A recent graduate can find many different criminal justice jobs in Idaho. Students can start their degree program and continue working at their regular job. Some are already working in law enforcement, in judicial court offices, legal firms, and courthouses. A criminal justice student can benefit from an online degree program. They can continue working or sign up for an internship in a private investigation. Many students are encouraged by their employees to find a way to further their education.
While law enforcement and private investigations are two of the most popular criminal justice fields. A criminal justice major will find it very rewarding to explore their degree options while they are still on the job. When enrolling in an online criminal justice degree program, students can pay for their education with grants and scholarships. Many employers who want their employees to return to the company or maintain their current job, will often help however they can with an employee reimbursement program.
Legal offices and courts are always looking for clerks, researchers, skip tracers, and other jobs that a criminal justice student can take advantage of. Many will be able to gain valuable experience and even work through their probation period while they are still in school. After graduation, the student is able to take on more duties and dramatically increase their earning potential over a short period of time. By working and earning at the same time, students can work their way up to a management position much sooner than later.
How Much Can I Make with a Criminal Justice Degree in Idaho?
Depending on what type of specialization you choose, graduating with a criminal justice degree may allow you to earn upwards of $100,000 in Idaho within just a few years. When first starting out, you will more than likely make between $20,000 and $24,000. This is straight out of high school. The more experience you gain will also help to bump those numbers up. Returning to school to complete their educations, students are able to offer their employers more resources. They are able to work more efficiently and be more productive while on the job.
With a Bachelor’s degree and a few years of experience, someone who has enrolled in an online criminal justice program can expect to earn between $35,000 and $45,000. By continuing to work, the student is able to become a better problem solver. They become effective leaders and are able to take charge of situations where they can be quite successful. There are so many different specializations that criminal justice students can choose from.
It’s also important to remember that the closer you are to a larger city, the higher your wages will be. Working in a community that is smaller may result in lower wages. Part of the reason for this is that they may not have the financial resources as larger, metropolitan areas. If you want to earn more money, taking on a specialization will allow you to take on more responsibility. More responsibility means more productivity. A person with multiple skillsets will make more money than someone who is only able to take one position and the duties it requires.
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HOW LONG WILL I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL FOR A CRIMINAL JUSTICE DEGREE?
