Criminal Justice College – University at Albany (SUNY)

University at Albany, ranked as one of the top three criminal justice programs by U.S. News & World Report, offers a bachelor degree program in addition to its graduate and PhD offerings.

Students in the Master of Arts in Criminal Justice program focus on information technology models, learning how to efficiently manipulate data, in addition to traditional theory courses. The School of Criminal Justice has working partnerships with the New York City Police Department, New York State Police, and the Japanese National Police which students are able to take advantage of.

Students in this criminal justice college program are required to complete 30 credit-hours, which include theory and statistics courses, and must pass a comprehensive exam to graduate.

For more information on the graduate program, or for details on either the bachelor or PhD criminal justice degree programs, contact Albany at (518) 442 - 5212.

Criminal Justice College Degree – University of Cincinnati

UC's School of Criminal Justice, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top three in the United States, offers both undergraduate and graduate criminal justice college degree programs, including a traditional and online graduate program.

In both the traditional and online programs, students are required to take between 45 and 48 credit-hours, which can be completed either part-time or full-time. Students in the online criminal justice university program are able to complete it fully online via an asynchronous class schedule, which allows students to log in and learn whenever they choose.

For students studying part-time, the program can be completed in two years, which those studying full time can often complete it in a single year.

For additional information on admissions and tuition, contact UC at 1-800-645-5078.

Additional Ranked Criminal Justice Programs

Below is a listing of the top fifteen criminal justice university programs as ranked by U.S. News & World Report in 2009:

  • University of Maryland
  • University at Albany (SUNY)
  • University of Cincinnati
  • University of Missouri, St. Louis
  • Penn State University
  • University of California, Irvine
  • Florida State University
  • Michigan State University
  • Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey (Newark)
  • CUNY, John Jay College
  • Temple University
  • Arizona State University
  • Northeastern University
  • University of Florida
  • University of Pennsylvania

The above schools offer some of the finest undergraduate and graduate criminology and criminal justice programs in the United States, and are good first options for students to consider.

Considering a Criminal Justice University Program

Students interested in a criminal justice degree are encouraged to shop around and find the program which is the best educational fit, considering financial, geographic, and academic factors.

It's important to note that there are hundreds of colleges and universities in the United States which offer quality criminal justice programs, and students should not be afraid to shop around if those mentioned in this article are not good educational matches.

For information on additional academic and career programs, see also:

The Best Online Criminal Justice Degrees

Paralegal Degree Programs

Medical Billing Schools Online

Online program named top ‘Best Buy’

January 22, 2010

Western Carolina University’s online bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice once again has received a No. 1 national ranking in affordability by the distance education information clearinghouse GetEducated.com.

WCU’s program is listed first among a group of 19 “Best Buys.” The rankings are based on a fall 2009 survey of regionally accredited universities that offer bachelor’s degree programs in criminal justice through distance education.

North Carolina residents who enroll in WCU’s program pay about $10,204. The online program that received the No. 2 ranking costs more than twice that much, and the cost of other ranked programs ranged up to $42,000.

“It’s gratifying that outside agencies continue to give us high marks for the value and quality of our academic programs,” said WCU Provost Kyle Carter.

To be accepted into WCU’s online criminal justice program, applicants must have received an associate of arts, associate of science or associate of applied science degree from a community college, or they must have completed the 44 general core courses at a community college. WCU’s program requires a minimum of 120 semester hours, including 48 hours of criminal justice, 42 hours of liberal studies and 30 hours of general electives.

The WCU program is highly competitive. The program is full this current spring semester, and a limited number of applicants can be accepted to begin the program in the fall.

WCU’s online criminal justice program previously was ranked a No. 1 “Best Buy” by GetEducated.com in 2007. The university’s online master’s degree program in project management received that designation in 2008.

For more information about WCU’s online bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice, go to http://www.wcu.edu/5704.asp on the Web or contact Larry Myers, program director, at 828-227-2485 or ljmyers@wcu.edu.