Best Online Criminal Justice Degrees 2026
Jump to a section 8 sections
- Six online criminal justice programs and what their graduates earned
- Scorecard’s figures describe past graduates, not your result
- A criminal justice degree does not make you a sworn officer
- What the jobs pay: BLS May 2025 wages
- Four checks before you apply
- Three ways to cut the cost
- Frequently asked questions
- Next step: see what aid covers before you choose
For 2026, six online criminal justice programs have College Scorecard outcomes you can compare: the bachelor’s at Arizona State, Liberty, John Jay College and American Public University System (APUS), and the master’s at Sam Houston State and the University of Cincinnati.
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Check whether a criminal justice degree pays off for you
Pick police officer, probation officer or paralegal, enter your pay and the program's tuition, and see your break-even year using BLS May 2025 pay. About a minute, no sign-up.
Run the ROI calculatorTheir criminal justice graduates’ median earnings ran from $59,343 to $69,546 four years after finishing, and median federal debt from $10,350 to $38,362. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers earned a median $76,210 and probation officers $66,270 in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
A degree is one requirement among several. Police work also takes an academy, and federal agent jobs add work experience, age limits and a background investigation.
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Six online criminal justice programs and what their graduates earned
We picked these six as examples of online criminal justice programs at schools that report the field to College Scorecard. It is an editorial selection, not a ranking. Every school here takes federal student aid, which requires accreditation by an agency the Department of Education recognizes.
| School | Program | Fully online in Scorecard |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | BS, Criminology and Criminal Justice | Yes |
| Liberty University | BS, Criminal Justice | Yes |
| John Jay College (CUNY) | BA, Criminal Justice (online completion) | Some credentials |
| American Public University System | BS, Criminal Justice | Yes |
| Sam Houston State University | MS, Criminal Justice | Some credentials |
| University of Cincinnati | MS, Criminal Justice | Yes |
The outcomes table below reads College Scorecard’s June 2026 field-of-study file for Criminal Justice and Corrections (field 43.01) at the level listed. Arizona State’s online programs report to Scorecard as Arizona State University Digital Immersion.
| School | Program | Scorecard field | Median earnings, 4 yrs after | Median federal debt | Graduates, 2022-23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Public University System | BS, Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $69,546 | $20,888 | 571 |
| University of Cincinnati | MS, Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (master's) | $64,278 | $38,151 | 85 |
| Sam Houston State University | MS, Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (master's) | $62,489 | $38,362 | 117 |
| Liberty University | BS, Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $61,715 | $25,000 | 572 |
| Arizona State University | BS, Criminology and Criminal Justice | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $59,973 | $20,151 | 238 |
| John Jay College (CUNY) | BA, Criminal Justice (online completion) | Criminal Justice and Corrections (bachelor's) | $59,343 | $10,350 | 1,454 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data updated June 10, 2026. Earnings and debt cover every graduate of that field and credential at the school, online and on campus together, so they describe the school's graduates, not what any one student will earn. Earnings are the median for graduates working and not enrolled four years after finishing (2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates, in 2024 dollars); debt is the median federal loan debt of graduates (2018-19 and 2019-20); "Not published" means Scorecard suppresses the figure for a small cohort. Scorecard pages: American Public University System, University of Cincinnati, Sam Houston State University, Liberty University, Arizona State University, John Jay College (CUNY).
Scorecard’s figures describe past graduates, not your result
Scorecard is the most consistent public source for comparing schools on pay and borrowing. It helps to know exactly what each number covers.
- Earnings are the median pay of graduates who were working and not enrolled four years after finishing. They cover 2017-18 and 2018-19 graduates, in 2024 dollars.
- Debt is the median federal loan debt (Stafford and Grad PLUS) of 2018-19 and 2019-20 graduates. Private loans and money paid out of pocket are not in it.
- Scope is every graduate of that field and credential at the school, online and on campus together. It is not a figure for the online program alone.
- Fully online is the school’s own report of whether all, some or none of its credentials in that field can be finished entirely by distance education.
- “Not published” means Scorecard withheld the figure, usually because the group of graduates is small.
The figures leave out current tuition, how long students take to finish, and what any one student will earn. The outcomes table sorts rows by median earnings because Scorecard publishes that figure for most rows. A higher number does not make a program better for you: the mix of jobs graduates take, where they live and who enrolls all move a school’s median.
A criminal justice degree does not make you a sworn officer
BLS, Bureau of Labor Statistics. The U.S. Department of Labor agency that publishes pay and job outlook figures for each occupation. says most police and detectives must graduate from their agency’s training academy, then complete on-the-job training. Candidates usually must be at least 21 and meet physical and background standards. Education requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree, depending on the agency.
The degree matters more for other jobs. BLS lists a bachelor’s as the typical entry education for probation officers and names criminal justice as a common field. Forensic science technicians also typically need a bachelor’s, but BLS lists physical science, biology or forensic science as the usual fields, not general criminal justice.
FBI special agents: degree plus experience, with an age cutoff
The FBI publishes its special agent requirements. As of September 2026 they are:
- A bachelor’s degree or higher from a U.S.-accredited college or university. The FBI does not waive this for military service.
- Either a bachelor’s plus two years of full-time professional work, or an advanced degree plus one year. A bachelor’s plus one year as a sworn officer, or an advanced degree alone, meets the lower GL-9 entry grade.
- Age at least 23, and an application before your 38th birthday unless you have veterans’ preference or federal law enforcement service.
A master’s degree does count here: it can shorten the work experience you need or qualify you for GL-9 entry on its own. Check fbijobs.gov before you plan around it, since the FBI updates these rules.
What the jobs pay: BLS May 2025 wages
The degree matters less than the job it leads to. These are national BLS wages for May 2025.
| Job | Typical entry education (BLS) | Lowest 10% earn under | Median | Top 10% earn over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detectives and criminal investigators (33-3021) | Varies; federal agencies may require a bachelor's | $55,390 | $93,790 | $160,540 |
| Police and sheriff's patrol officers (33-3051) | High school diploma or equivalent | $47,510 | $76,210 | $115,120 |
| Forensic science technicians (19-4092) | Bachelor's degree | $48,250 | $72,060 | $117,250 |
| Probation officers (21-1092) | Bachelor's degree | $46,840 | $66,270 | $107,790 |
| Paralegals and legal assistants (23-2011) | Associate's degree | $44,740 | $62,890 | $101,500 |
Four checks before you apply
-
Name the job first
Police, probation, federal agent and crime lab jobs have different requirements. Read the hiring page of the agency you want before you pick a degree.
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Confirm the school's accreditation
Federal agencies ask for a degree from a U.S.-accredited school. Check the school’s accreditor in the Department of Education’s database.
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Ask what the program covers online
Some programs, such as John Jay’s online bachelor’s, are degree-completion programs for students who already have credits. Ask what you can finish online and what transfers in.
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Price it with this year's tuition
Scorecard debt is not the price. Get the current tuition, compare in-state and out-of-state rates at public schools, then subtract any employer benefit.
Three ways to cut the cost
Federal aid for the bachelor’s. Students without a bachelor’s can qualify for a Pell Grant, which pays up to $7,395 for 2026-27. The guide to Pell Grants for adults covers who qualifies.
Federal loans for the master’s. Graduate students can borrow up to $20,500 a year in Direct Unsubsidized Loans. Grad PLUS loans are no longer available to new borrowers after July 1, 2026, per Federal Student Aid. The Grad Loan Gap Check shows what those loans cover of a master’s program’s yearly cost.
Employer tuition help. Up to $5,250 a year of employer-paid education can be tax-free under IRS Section 127. Ask your employer’s human resources office whether it offers tuition help.
Frequently asked questions
Do you need a degree to be a police officer?
Not always. BLS says education requirements range from a high school diploma to a college degree, and some departments and federal agencies require college coursework or a degree. Every path still runs through the agency’s academy.
Is an online criminal justice degree accepted by the FBI?
The FBI asks for a bachelor’s degree from a U.S.-accredited college or university and does not say the degree must be earned on campus. Its eligibility rules do not separate online from on-campus degrees. It also requires work experience and an application before your 38th birthday, with limited exceptions.
Does a master’s in criminal justice help?
It can for federal work. For FBI special agents, an advanced degree cuts the work experience requirement to one year and qualifies you for the GL-9 grade on its own. For probation officers, BLS lists a bachelor’s as the typical entry education, so check your agency’s promotion rules before paying for a master’s.
Next step: see what aid covers before you choose
Shortlist two or three programs from the tables, then get this year’s tuition from each. The aid check shows what Pell, state grants and federal loans could cover for your situation before you commit to one.
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Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these pages. How we check sources
- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data (updated June 10, 2026)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers (33-3051)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Detectives and Criminal Investigators (33-3021)
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Forensic Science Technicians (19-4092)
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Police and Detectives: How to Become One
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Forensic Science Technicians
- FBI Jobs, Special Agent Application and Evaluation Process
- Arizona State University Online, BS in Criminology and Criminal Justice
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Online Education
- Federal Student Aid, OBBBA loan limit definitions (updated Aug. 24, 2026)
- IRS Publication 5993, employer educational assistance
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