Are you interested in learning about online criminal justice programs in Tennessee? Earning a degree online can work particularly well for those seeking criminal justice jobs in Tennessee? Mainly, applicants who might feel they’re on the fence can start by looking at the general benefits that come from earning a degree online. Then they can apply that to the benefits of earning their criminal justice degree.
In this way, they’ll see that an online criminal justice degree represents the best of both worlds. The major benefits of earning a degree online include:
Featured Schools
- Flexibility in scheduling
- More control over how someone earns their degree
- Highly convenient for earning an education
- A typical reduction in costs for the same degree offered on an on-campus program
- Certain educational options that an on-campus program simply can’t offer
For example, many degree online programs include accelerated options or allow for more one-on-one time with professors. The flexibility and options can become an important aspect for people who work, have jobs, raise children, or need to tend to other responsibilities.
In addition, applicants who want to pursue an online criminal justice degree in Tennessee are in good company. After all, millions of people chose an online degree over other options. Practically every college and university—from local to ivy league—has full online course offerings these days.
The ability to choose from amongst more options can work especially well for an online criminal justice degree. Since criminal justice encompasses a plethora of fresh jobs and career types, having more choices can mean choosing an education that can further someone’s personal goals rather than choosing the local school that may only offer one path in criminal justice.
The degree earned from an online criminal justice degree program is the same degree someone would earn from a more traditional campus education. The criminal justice salary potential will remain the same whether the degree came from an online course, a local community college course, or a prestigious university.
If the applicant practices the same due diligence in picking out their online degree program as they would picking an offline course of study, then there is nothing to worry about. For people already in the field or just starting, an online criminal justice degree can help them move forward in their chosen career path, or to make a lateral move.
How we ranked The Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Tennessee
To rank Tennessee’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. The University of Tennessee Chattanooga
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga Online Social, Cultural and Justice Studies offers a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice program that is among the leading Tennessee online criminal justice degree programs. This online degree from the University of Tennessee is designed for students who cannot attend traditional baccalaureate degree programs on-campus. In addition to general education requirements, students enrolled in this criminal justice degree online program must complete 48 hours of classes pulled from the criminal justice curriculum.
This online criminal justice online degree program is also available for transfer students who have completed an associate degree or other college credits. Featured core classes for the University of Tennessee’s criminal justice degree include corrections, race, class, gender & crime, criminal justice research methodology, ethics in criminal justice, and introduction to criminal law, plus a capstone project.
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga
2. Middle Tennessee State University
Middle Tennessee State University College of Behavioral and Health Sciences offers a Bachelor of Science degree program (BS) in Criminal Justice Administration that ranks among the best online criminal justice degree programs, according to TheBestSchools.org. Middle Tennessee State University’s criminal justice degree online program offers academic specializations in homeland security or law enforcement. Middle Tennessee State University’s partnership programs offer degree candidates engaging internship opportunities that provide real-world experience.
In addition, Middle Tennessee State University also offers a Master of Criminal Justice degree – in conjunction with Tennessee State University. Students enrolled in Middle Tennessee State University’s online degree in criminal justice includes classes that cover these topics – criminal theory, prevention & control of crime, corrections, and introduction to emergency and disaster management, plus a practicum, to name a few. Previous graduates have found work at the United States Marshall Service, the Secret Service, the Border Patrol, and a variety of courts and police departments, among others.
Middle Tennessee State University
3. East Tennessee State University
East Tennessee State University College of Arts & Sciences/Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology offers two of the leading online criminal justice degree programs in Tennessee with its Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) in Criminal Justice & Criminology. Featured coursework for this online degree in criminal justice includes statistics for criminal justice and criminology, corrections in America, criminal investigation, forensic science, crime scene investigation, and criminal law.
Students interested in pursuing a graduate criminal justice degree online can consider East Tennessee State University’s Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology, which can be completed in under two years – entirely online, without a thesis requirement. The master’s degree classes feature organizational theory and leadership, criminological theory, quantitative methods in criminology, and research design, to name a few.
East Tennessee State University
4. South College
South College offers a variety of Tennessee’s best online criminal justice degree programs, offering degrees at the associate, bachelor’s, and master’s levels. The AS, BS, and MS in Criminal Justice degrees are all available to be completed online. The associate degree can be completed in about a year, while the Bachelor of Science degree (BS) in Criminal Justice requires four years to complete. The master’s level criminal justice degree online is offered with three academic concentrations – public administration, fraud examination, or computer forensic investigation. In addition, there are several certificates in criminal justice available as well.
Graduates of South College’s online degree programs in criminal justice are prepared for rewarding careers in law enforcement, private investigation, government work, civil process server, homeland security agent, or forensic technician, to name a few. South College has received accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
5. Tennessee Wesleyan College
Tennessee Wesleyan College offers a variety of innovative online criminal justice degree programs in Tennessee. Tennessee Wesleyan College offers a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice -a bachelor’s program designed for working and professional learners. In addition, Tennessee Wesleyan College offers a Professional Leadership in Criminal Justice (PLCJ) completion program that provides degree candidates with two concentrations – behavioral sciences or administration of justice. These level criminal justice degree online programs offer students an upward path towards professional leadership and management. Applicants to the PLCJ program must be at least 23 years old.
Featured classes for Tennessee Wesleyan’s online degree programs in criminal justice include multiculturalism and diversity, ethics in criminal justice, writing for the criminal justice professional, and issues in criminal justice leadership, to name a few. Students interested in study abroad opportunities will find many to choose from offered by Tennessee Wesleyan College.
6. King University
King University offers a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice completion program that can be completed entirely online. The total credits required for King University’s online criminal justice degree programs are 124, of which 48 are required for the criminal justice degree online. Featured classes for King University’s online degree programs in criminal justice include criminal law, juvenile justice, American policing, ethics & justice, criminal justice policy, and alternatives to justice – restorative justice, to name a few.
King University’s best online criminal justice degree programs offer personalized academics with the flexibility and convenience required for working and professional learners. Students graduating from King University’s criminal justice degree program find rewarding careers as a federal law enforcement agent, a family/child advocate, a parole office, or a state/local law enforcement officer, to name a few.
7. Lee University
Lee University College of Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts degree program in Criminal justice with an academic specialty in corrections that can be completed entirely online. Lee University’s online criminal justice degree programs require students to finish 120 undergraduate credit units to meet the university’s graduation criteria. Featured core classes for the criminal justice degree online include criminal law, social problems, race and ethnic relations in the United States, ethics in criminal justice, and criminal justice and the Christian Faith, to name a few.
Students completing the corrections emphasis track of Lee University’s online degree programs in criminal justice must also take classes in probation and parole, physiological psychology, and law and society. Graduates of this criminal justice baccalaureate degree are prepared for careers in law enforcement, correction, crime scene investigation, or the court system, among others.
8. Trevecca Nazarene University
Trevecca Nazarene University offers a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice completion program Criminal Justice that can be completed 100% online. Trevecca Nazarene University’s online criminal justice degree programs require 36 credits to be completed, with the balance of the 126 required credits eligible to be transferred, if eligible. Most students enrolled in Trevecca Nazarene University’s criminal justice baccalaureate degree online finish the completion degree in about 1.5 years.
Featured coursework for Trevecca Nazarene University’s online degree completion programs in criminal justice includes values and ethics in criminal justice, criminal investigations and contemporary issues, fundamentals of emergency management, theories of crime and deviance, and Biblical perspectives and the Christian Life, to name a few. This program from Trevecca Nazarene University is designed for working professionals and offers the convenience and flexibility required to gain the necessary critical thinking and analytical skills.
9. Nashville State Community College
Nashville State Community College offers an Associate of Applied Science degree program Criminal Justice that ranks among Nashville’s best online criminal justice degree programs. Coursework for this online degree program in criminal justice from Nashville State Community College includes criminal law, criminology, drug identification and effects, criminal evidence and procedure, and investigative report writing, to name a few. The total credits required to complete this AAS criminal justice degree online are 61 to 62, depending on the student’s exact study path.
Graduates of Nashville State Community College’s online degree program in criminal justice are prepared for an entry-level position in corrections, parole or probation, juvenile delinquency, law enforcement, or other counseling related fields. Those students or working professionals interested in transferring to a four-year school can take advantage of Nashville Community College’s participation in Tennessee Transfer Pathways.
Nashville State Community College
10. Strayer University Tennessee
Strayer University Tennessee offers a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree program that can be completed entirely online. Strayer University’s online criminal justice degree programs include concentrations in probation and parole, computer forensics, homeland security, and emergency management, crime and criminal behavior, or criminal justice administration. Coursework for Strayer University’s undergraduate degree in criminal justice is delivered in 11-week modules for convenience to working learners.
Featured classes for Strayer University’s online degree program in criminal justice include communication at work, criminal investigation, introduction to information systems, and criminal justice report writing, plus a criminal justice capstone, to name a few. Graduates of Strayer University Tennessee’s criminal justice bachelor’s degree program are prepared for careers in law enforcement, correction, crime scene investigation, or the court system, among others. This criminal justice degree online from Strayer is offered with multiple start dates throughout the academic year.
How is the Criminal Justice Job Market in Tennessee?
The criminal justice job market in Tennessee is robust. The criminal justice jobs in Tennessee consist of law enforcement work, the courts, and the corrections system. And those three larger institutions comprise many, many others under their respective umbrellas. However, the criminal justice job market in Tennessee includes a lot more than that.
Some areas in Tennessee even have what some metrics count as one of the hottest job markets in the country, namely Davidson County and the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN Metropolitan Area. The TN Department of Labor & Workforce Development shows hundreds of thousands of jobs available.
Over 2,500 of those jobs fall into the category of protective services, which is the state’s major category for criminal justice jobs. Earning a degree online now can help someone move into these occupations or verticals related to them. Applicants should understand that an online criminal justice degree isn’t necessary to enter the criminal justice field.
However, for those who want to earn a criminal justice salary beyond the most basic, an online criminal justice degree will become necessary. Once again, one of the major benefits of earning a degree online is that it’s often possible to work while learning. That experience gained in the process will add even more strength to the degree once it’s earned.
How Much Can I Make with a Criminal Justice Degree in Tennessee?
The criminal justice salary potential in Tennessee will depend on quite a few factors, some of which an applicant may have no control over. For example, criminal justice salary can vary because of location, job title, level of education, level of experience, the employer, the demand, and so on.
Understanding that criminal justice jobs also exist under several guises can also help someone to take a broader look when they’re considering salary possibilities. For example, a criminal justice specialist in Nashville earns $45.5k on average. A criminal justice teacher can make an average of $57k.
Still, a criminal justice data analyst averages $65.7k. By some measures, the overall average for those with an online criminal justice degree in Tennessee is $60.3k.The numbers grow exponentially with education and experience, which points back to the reason earning a degree online can become a major benefit to someone’s career goals and life in the state of Tennessee.
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