Online Criminal Justice Degree

Online Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Program

American InterContinental University’s criminal justice online classes were designed to provide an in-depth overview of many fields and practical applications of criminal justice, including law enforcement, crisis management, forensic science and homeland security—all on your own schedule.

This online criminal justice degree program offers flexibility to earn your degree while working and taking care of your family. Mobile-friendly coursework helps you study toward your online criminal justice bachelor’s degree at your convenience, so you can maintain school-life balance.

What can you do with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice?

Online criminal justice programs can help you prepare to apply the theories of crime causation, to process evidence of a crime, to carry out duties constitutionally, and to understand the American justice and court systems.

Enroll in criminal justice courses online to study toward a strong foundation in general criminal justice fundamentals and applicable skills, or choose a specialization for deeper knowledge in a criminal justice area.

Prerequisite for AIU’s bachelor’s in criminal justice online degree program?

There are no prerequisites to pursue an online criminal justice bachelor’s degree with AIU. Your dedicated Graduation Team can answer any questions you may have and help guide you through the admissions and financial aid processes. Your team will help support you on your academic journey, from start to graduation.

Ask an Admissions Advisor if you may be eligible to graduate sooner. You could earn degree credit for eligible work and military experience, and transfer in up to 75% of qualifying credits needed for your degree from another accredited institution.¹

Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice curriculum

This criminal justice degree online program features general education classes that may be helpful in this industry, including English composition, technology and information literacy, interpersonal communication, and more.

The core of the curriculum layers criminal justice theories and methods with research and constitutional knowledge. AIU’s online criminal justice degree program combines real-world experience and knowledgeable faculty members, many of whom are industry professionals, plus interactive criminal justice modules that are based on current policies and national events.

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1. Transfer credit is evaluated on an individual basis. Not all credits are eligible to transfer. See the University Catalog for transfer credit policies.

Programs vary by location.
Not all programs are available to residents of all states.
American InterContinental University, AIU, is part of the American InterContinental University System, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), a regional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.

Estimate Tuition and Grad Date

Total tuition for this degree program may vary depending on your educational needs, existing experience, and other factors.

Estimate your costs, potential savings and graduation date.

Criminal Justice Courses

Degree Requirements

General Education

Credits

ENGL106	English Composition I	4.5
ENGL107	English Composition II	4.5
MATH125	General College Mathematics	4.5
UNIV103	Academic and Professional Success	4.5
UNIV106	Technology and Information Literacy	4.5
UNIV109	Interpersonal Communication	4.5
	General Education Elective (1 Course)	4.5
	Humanities (2 Courses)	9
	Natural Sciences (2 Courses)	9
	Social and Behavioral Sciences (2 courses)	9
	Total Credit Hours:	58.5

Core

Credits

CRJS102	Criminal Justice Today	4.5
CRJS105	Theories of Crime Causation	4.5
CRJS205	Introduction to Criminal Law	4.5
CRJS210	Introduction to Law Enforcement	4.5
CRJS215	Introduction to American Court System	4.5
CRJS220	Foundations of Corrections	4.5
CRJS310	Crime Victim Studies	4.5
CRJS315	Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Theory	4.5
CRJS330	Constitutional Issues in Criminal Procedures	4.5
CRJS355	Evidence	4.5
CRJS405	Research Methods & Statistics for Criminal Justice	4.5
CRJS499	Senior Capstone in Criminal Justice	4.5
	Total Credit Hours:	54

General Electives

Credits

Select 10 undergraduate Elective courses


	Total Credit Hours:	45

General Criminal Justice Track

Credits

In lieu of a Specialization, select 5 Criminal Justice Electives from any of the Specializations below

	Total Credit Hours:	22.5

Specialization Options

Corrections and Case Management

Credits

CRJS435	Prison Law	4.5
CRJS445	Offender Rehabilitation	4.5
CRJS450	Advanced Topics in Corrections	4.5
CRJS454	Case Management & Treatment Planning	4.5
CRJS456	Psychopharmacology for Criminal Justice Professionals	4.5

Forensic Science

Credits

CRJS365	Criminalistics	4.5
CRJS406	Criminalistics II	4.5
CRJS471	Medicolegal Death Investigation	4.5
CRJS478	Forensic Biology	4.5
CRJS455	Criminal Investigation	4.5

Homeland Security and Crisis Management

Credits

CRJS225	Foundations of Crisis Management	4.5
CRJS370	Terrorism and Homeland Security	4.5
CRJS380	Critical Infrastructures	4.5
CRJS416	Homeland Security & Crisis Management Planning	4.5
CRJS426	Communication and Crisis Planning	4.5

Law Enforcement

Credits

CRJS320	Community Oriented Policing	4.5
CRJS360	Advanced Law Enforcement	4.5
CRJS365	Criminalistics	4.5
CRJS370	Terrorism and Homeland Security	4.5
CRJS455	Criminal Investigation	4.5

Total Credit Hours: 22.5

Total Credit Hours : 180

Criminal Justice Classes Overview

In this specialized curriculum, students focus on the criminal-justice system, its organizational components and processes, and its legal and public-policy contexts. Courses are structured to assist students in the development of their goals as they learn focused knowledge and skills common to criminal-justice professionals. For an Online Criminal Justice Degree, your classes may include:

Security and Loss Prevention

This course examines the theories and principles of security and loss prevention through a systematic review of key issues and concepts associated with the reduction and prevention of personal and corporate loss. This course will review the historical development of loss prevention, exposures to losses, risk assessment techniques and strategies to minimize loss and improve security.

Comparative Criminal Justice System

This course is designed to give students a rationale for understanding and appreciating the different ways justice is conceived and administered internationally. This course serves as a basis for comparing various justice systems as they relate to the American justice system. Students will explore how various countries organize their law enforcement, judicial systems and corrections agencies, and compare them with the American criminal justice system.

Crime and Substance Abuse

This course examines drug abuse and its relationship to crime. Topics include the statistical relationship between drugs and crime, drug laws and courts, drug prevention programs and public policy concerning the use and abuse of substances.

Administration of Criminal Justice

This course focuses on the challenges administrators face in law enforcement, courts and corrections. Students will examine the various organizational frameworks in the criminal justice system and the concepts, organizational principles and models associated with these criminal justice agencies.

Criminalistics

Criminalistics is part I of a two part series. This course is a survey course of forensic science. The course content will focus on defining "forensic science"; recognizing practices of legitimate, junk and fraudulent science; examining the properties of physical evidence; discussing the scope, potential and limitations of a variety of forensic sciences; examining analytical techniques applied by forensic scientists; evaluating the criteria for admissibility of scientific evidence; and discussing the ethical responsibilities of forensic scientists.

Terrorism and Homeland Security

This course presents an overview of the key security issues facing the United States in both the areas of Homeland Security and Terrorism. It introduces students to the changing dynamics of homeland security at both the national and state levels. Students will explore the various dynamics of providing security in different settings. Additionally, the history and future of terrorism will be examined.

Offender Rehabilitation

This course focuses on the various factors utilized to develop personalized sentencing and treatment plans for individual offenders. It examines the personality of the offender who may be diagnosed as a psychopath, sociopath, drug addict or mentally ill person. Students will study how to develop treatment plans that will assist in the rehabilitation of the offender.

Criminal Investigation

This course explores the elements of investigation including crime scenes, witnesses and evidence and includes such topics as investigative techniques, evidence documentation, interrogation and arrest. The course addresses the particulars of investigating major crimes.