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Criminal JusticeDegrees

Online Master's in Criminal Justice

Master's degrees (MA, MS, MCJ, MFS and other official awards) in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects, with admission requirements, tests, tuition basis, thesis options and study format. This page lists only programs with a verified online option, and states what each one requires in person.

Listed alphabetically by school. This directory is not a ranking. What we list

Attendance, as published

Online coursework does not always mean no travel. We count only what each program's official page states; everything else stays "not verified". An online application or a few remote electives do not make a degree online.

2

state no mandatory campus visits

0

require campus visits or residencies

2

require an internship or practicum

67

campus-visit policy not verified

No campus visits (2)Asynchronous (7)Live sessions (1)With campus visits (1)Lab required (0)First-year entryDegree completion

Albany State University logo

Albany State University

Criminal Justice, Master of Science

Master'sMSDedicated degreeCJ with forensic focusMaster of Science
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Albany, GASchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Can be completed in one year for seriously committed students (12 hours fall, 12 spring, 6 summer) (seriously committed students following the printed fall/spring/summer sequence) · 30 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: SACSCOC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Law Enforcement and Policing · Corrections · Forensic Science
View program
Format: Online
Location: Charles Town, WVSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 30 credits
Tuition: $470 per credit · All students — Standard rate, master's level
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Bellevue University logo

Bellevue University

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master'sMSDedicated degreeMaster of Science
Format: Fully online
Location: Bellevue, NESchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: Duration not verified · 30 credits
Tuition: $680 per credit · All students — Online master's in criminal justice, per credit hour
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Criminal Justice Administration
View program
Boston University logo

Boston University

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master'sMSDedicated degreeMaster of Science
Format: Campus · Online · Full-time, Part-time
Location: Boston, MASchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: 8–16 Months to Completion (depends on part-time or full-time study) · 32 credits
Tuition: $585 – $1,030 per credit · All students — Per unit by course number: 100-599 level $585; 600-999 level $1,030 · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: NECHE
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Bowling Green State University logo

Bowling Green State University

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master'sMSDedicated degreeCJ with forensic focusMaster of Science
Format: Campus · Fully online · Part-time
Location: Bowling Green, OHSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: 18 months (online) (online program, five semesters)
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Criminal Investigation
View program
Format: Campus · Fully online
Location: Pittsburgh, PASchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: 3 semesters with a fall start; 4 semesters with a spring or summer start (campus page); as few as 12 months (online page) (conditional minimum; online page says 'In as few as 12 months') · 30 credits
Tuition: $800 per credit · All students — Online program page
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: MSCHE
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Criminology · Forensic Psychology
View program
Format: Campus · Online · Hybrid
Location: Honolulu, HISchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: finish in 12 months (as printed on the program page; accelerated 10-week terms, four terms per year) · 30 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: WSCUC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Criminology
View program
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Colorado Springs, COSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 48 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Homeland Security
View program
Format: Fully online
Location: Orange Beach, ALSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: Duration not verified · 36 credits
Tuition: $359 per credit · All students — Graduate
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: SACSCOC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Richmond, KYSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: $600 per credit · All students — Online, per credit hour
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: SACSCOC
Subjects: Criminology · Criminal Justice
View program

Excelsior University

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

Master'sMSDedicated degreeMaster of Science
Format: Online · Asynchronous
Location: Albany, NYSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 30 credits
Tuition: $715 per credit · All students — Graduate tuition (non-nursing programs), all-inclusive of student services and technology
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: MSCHE
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Homeland Security
View program
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Fayetteville, NCSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: SACSCOC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Campus · Online
Location: Miami, FLSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 36 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: SACSCOC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Online
Location: Phoenix, AZSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 38 credits
Tuition: $610 per credit · All students — Online
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice · Law Enforcement and Policing
View program
Grand Canyon University logo

Grand Canyon University

Master of Science in Criminal Justice with an Emphasis in Legal Studies

Master'sMSDedicated degreeMaster of Science in Criminal Justice
Format: Online
Location: Phoenix, AZSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Duration not verified · 38 credits
Tuition: $610 per credit · All students — Online
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Campus · Online · Asynchronous
Location: Honolulu, HISchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Online attendance requirements not verified
Duration: Complete in 12 Months Full Time (full time) · 36 credits
Tuition: $1,066 per credit · All students — Graduate, Criminal Justice Administration · 2026-2027
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: WSCUC
Subjects: Criminal Justice Administration · Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Fully online
Location: Indianapolis, INSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement); internship required
Duration: Duration not verified · 36 credits
Tuition: Tuition not verified
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: HLC
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Campus · Fully online
Location: New York City, NYSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: Duration not verified · 36 credits
Tuition: $470 per credit · In-state — Graduate part-time (11 credits and under), NYS resident · Fall 2026-Spring 202
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: MSCHE
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program
Format: Campus · Fully online
Location: New York City, NYSchool location, not a residency requirement
Attendance: Fully online as published (no separate campus-visit statement)
Duration: 2 years full-time (9 credits per semester) or 4 years part-time (full-time or part-time as stated) · 36 credits
Tuition: $470 per credit · In-state — Graduate part-time (fully online program), NYS resident · Fall 2026-Spring 202
Next deadline: No upcoming verified deadline
Accreditation: Institution accredited: MSCHE
Subjects: Criminal Justice
View program

Tuition and admissions at a glance

64

schools with a verified online master's program

$250–$1,534

published per-credit tuition across 34 online programs

27 of 28

online master's programs with a published GRE policy do not require the GRE

Ranges mix in-state, out-of-state and all-student rates and exclude fees; they are not a cost estimate, and online students do not all pay the same rate. Compare programs on the same basis in Compare.

Online degree questions

Are online degrees different from campus degrees?

Usually the awarded degree is the same; what differs is how you attend. Check each profile for campus visits, residencies, in-person labs, proctored exams and live-session times — we list them separately and only as published.

Does “online” mean I never have to visit campus?

Not necessarily. A program is shown as having no mandatory campus visits only when its official page says so. Otherwise the requirement is “not verified”, which is not the same as “none”.

Can I enroll from any state?

Online programs are listed under the school's location, which is not a residency requirement. Schools publish state-authorization rules separately; some cannot enroll residents of every state, and international eligibility varies. Check the school's disclosure for your state.

Can I start an online bachelor's without college credits?

Some programs admit first-year students; others are degree-completion programs that require prior credits or an associate degree. Each profile shows the entry route as the school states it. A completion program's remaining time is not the length of the whole bachelor's degree.

Is there an online PhD in criminal justice or criminology?

Only where the university itself presents the doctorate as online. A general online-learning page is not evidence of an online PhD, and doctoral programs commonly require residencies or an in-person defense. We do not list an online PhD without that evidence.

Does an online degree qualify me for police academy, a federal job or a lab position?

No academic degree guarantees that. Police academy admission, sworn certification, federal hiring, security clearance and forensic laboratory positions have separate requirements set by the agency or employer. See the guide on academic degrees vs police academy training.