Choosing an Online Program

"Online" covers a wide range of experiences. One program may be completely remote with no scheduled meetings. Another may require live sessions, a local internship or an on-site exam. A program that lets you apply online or take one course remotely is not an online degree. Read the program page for what is required, and treat anything it does not say as unknown.

Whole-program delivery

The first question is whether the entire degree can be completed online. The directory records delivery based on the program's own wording:

• Fully online: the page says "100% online," "entirely online" or "no campus visits."
• Online with campus visits: residencies, immersions or required visits.
• Online with placements: online coursework plus a required local internship or practicum.

Marshall University states that its MS in Criminal Justice "is always offered entirely online." Ole Miss says its Master of Criminal Justice can be earned "entirely online, at your own pace." Penn State's World Campus lists "100% Online" for its criminal justice degrees. By contrast, the University of Central Florida's online MS says it can be completed fully online, though not all electives may be offered online, and Bowling Green State University offers an online master's in criminal justice whose Forensic Investigation and Victims and Offenders specializations are available to on-campus students only.

If a page says only "online," the directory leaves campus-visit status unknown. Ask the school before you assume either way.

Live sessions or on your own schedule

Online programs split into asynchronous (work whenever you like within deadlines) and synchronous (scheduled live meetings).

• Marshall's MS requires "a minimum of four synchronous sessions a semester," though students never have to come to campus.
• Bowling Green's online criminal justice completion program states that "online classes are asynchronous."
• Ohio University's criminal justice program says students can "complete your degree on your own schedule through asynchronous coursework."
• Sam Houston State's online master's programs are delivered in accelerated 7-week or 7.5-week sessions, which affects pacing more than live attendance.

Time zones matter if live sessions exist. Check whether session times are fixed and whether recordings are provided.

Campus visits, exams and labs

"Online coursework" does not mean "no in-person requirements." Look for these items:

• Campus visits or residencies. Eastern Kentucky University's online associate degree in police studies states "no campus visits required." John Jay College's online completion program states that students "are not required to come to campus."
• Proctored exams. The University of Alaska Fairbanks' master's in justice administration requires a written comprehensive exam proctored in conjunction with a seminar course.
• Internships and practicums. Bowling Green's online bachelor's completion program requires 400 internship hours. That is online coursework with a local placement, which is a different experience from a program with no internship.
• Labs. Online forensic science programs often have practical components. Laboratory degrees need natural-science labs that cannot be done on a screen alone, so read the lab requirements closely. Sam Houston State's online master's in digital forensics describes training in a cyber forensics intelligence center, so ask how its lab work is delivered for online students.

State authorization and geographic restrictions

Which states a school can enroll distance students from is a regulatory question. The National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) describes SARA as "an agreement among member states, districts, and territories" that "establishes comparable national standards for interstate postsecondary distance education." Participation is voluntary: institutions "all voluntarily participate in SARA," and its site reports more than 2,400 institutions in 49 states plus D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

What that means for you:

• A school's SARA participation concerns authorization for distance education. It does not guarantee that a program meets requirements for a particular license or certification. NC-SARA's own page lists professional licensure resources separately; do not assume SARA settles any licensing question.
• A school may still limit enrollment from some states for a given program. Look for a "state authorization" or "disclosures" page and look up your state.
• If a program page does not list restrictions, that does not mean there are none. The directory records geographic restrictions only when the school prints them.

Prior credit and who can enter

Programs describe themselves as "online" while being open to different applicants.

• Degree-completion. Bowling Green's online bachelor's in criminal justice is "designed for those who have an associate degree in criminal justice or a related field." Ohio University's criminal justice major "requires a completed associate degree in a related area." Neither is a first-year program.
• Transfer-focused. John Jay's online bachelor's is designed to support "criminal justice bachelor's transfer students" who cannot come to campus.
• Open to first-time students. Some programs, such as online associate degrees, state that first-time students need a high school diploma or equivalent. Others do not say.

Remaining time in a completion program is not the length of the whole bachelor's degree. See transfer and degree-completion pathways.

Reading a program profile

On a program page in this directory, check these fields in order:

1. Delivery (fully online, with visits, with placements, or not stated).
2. Schedule (asynchronous, synchronous or mixed).
3. Attendance items (visits, labs, proctored exams, live sessions, internship).
4. Geographic restrictions printed by the school.
5. Prior-credit requirement and whether first-time students may enter.
6. Tuition basis. Per-credit tuition is not total cost. Online programs may add fees.

Then compare options on online criminal justice degrees, online bachelor's programs, online forensic science programs and the comparison tool. For what accreditation does and does not show, read understanding accreditation.