Online Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree: Best Program 2017

Pursuing a criminal justice bachelors degree online can help you start a rewarding career. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the average wage of professionals working in criminal justice across the country is about $47,200. In addition, the BLS expects job opportunities in this sector to grow by 18% through 2020. Read on to learn about what you need to do in terms of academics in order to get into this field.

The Ultimate Guide To Online Criminal Justice Degrees

What Is Studied Within The Program?

A typical online criminal justice bachelor’s degree aims to give students a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system including philosophical, theoretical, as well as practical understanding of the United States criminal code. For example, students generally study behavioral science, forensic science, criminal psychology, and nuances related to law enforcement. The aforementioned course subjects enable students to contemplate a wide range of security-related issues such as public safety, national security and examine principles of criminal culpability.

Why Should Someone Pursue This Degree?

You can use prior work or academic experience to forge a successful career in the field of criminal justice. For instance, private investigators take home, on average, $43,000 annually. If you opt to work as a paralegal, you can expect to earn about, $46,600 every year. Probation officers and criminal investigators take home an average of $47,000 and $68,800 respectively every year, according to figures published by the BLS. Although employment prospects vary from state to state, you can work for government agencies, NGO’s, or corporate bodies.

What Standard Courses Are Taken?

Some of the course subjects that criminal justice bachelor’s degree online students take include criminal procedure, crisis negotiation, cyber crime investigation, forensic criminology, public administration, criminal law, introduction to corrections, crime scene investigation, juvenile justice, forensic psychology, and homeland security. Take note that these courses are not standard across the board. As such, you should inquire from the institution that is offering the online degree program what to expect in terms of coursework.

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What Career Opportunities Are Available Once Completed? 

After completing your online bachelors degree in criminal justice, you would be able to work in various fields. To start with, you can work as a protective service professional. This means you can work for the US Marshal’s Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), municipal and state police departments, as well as the Department of Homeland Security. You can also work as a law and corrections professional in various capacities such as juvenile court officer, probation officer, paralegal, court administrator, or parole officer. Other job opportunities include working as a risk management consultant, child protection officer, or private security officer. For more information on career opportunities within the field of criminal justice, review our article: What Can You Do With a Degree in Criminal Justice?

Why Should Someone Pursue This Degree Online?

Unlike traditional class-based degree programs, learning online typically allows students to study whenever they are free. This means that you can work during the day and take classes later in the day. Secondly, you can take online classes from anywhere within the Internet civilization. Thirdly, online criminal justice bachelor degree programs are, on average, cheaper. To understand why this is so, consider the expenses that a learning institution with physical classes has to take into account such as nonteaching and teaching staff salaries, utility bills, and the cost of buying teaching materials. Most institutions pass on such costs to their students. On the other hand, online institutions can use cloud computing technology and platforms to deliver content to students. This translates to lower operating costs.

What Type Of Requirements Are Needed For Admissions?

To sign up for the degree, almost all institutions offering the degree would require you to have a high school diploma or GED as well as a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher in your previous college studies. Since not all online learning institutions allow students to transfer credits, you should inquire first if an institution permits it.

Learning criminal justice bachelors degree online has many benefits. For example, you can schedule classes to take place when you have free time. Courses that students take include forensic criminology, crime scene investigation, and forensic psychology.