Criminal Justice (Ph.D.)

Research doctoratePhDDedicated degreeOnline

Overview

Sixty-hour online Ph.D. in Criminal Justice with research design courses, a research concept requirement and a dissertation.

Official program name: Criminal Justice (Ph.D.)
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy · major: Criminal Justice
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Degree level: Doctoral — research doctorate
Subject focus: Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science or a closely related justice subject.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
School: Liberty University
Location: Lynchburg, VAFor the online option this is where the school is located — not a residency requirement, and not a guarantee that you may enroll from your state.
Subjects: Criminal Justice — core of the degreeCriminology — core of the degree
Tracks / concentrations: Homeland Security · Leadership
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Required credits: 60 total hours
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Duration: Not verified

Why this program is listed

Dedicated Ph.D. in Criminal Justice delivered online, with generalized, homeland security and leadership options.

Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

We list associate, bachelor's, master's and research-doctorate programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science and related subjects at institutionally accredited US schools — degrees in the subject and formal concentrations, never certificates or one-elective degrees. Eligibility rules

Format and attendance

Formats, online delivery, campus visits, internships and class schedule are shown separately, each only as the school states it.

Formats offered: Online
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Online delivery: Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.
Source: liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Campus visits (online option): Campus visits: not verified
Class schedule (online option): Not verified
Internship: Internship requirement: not verified
Study intensity: Not verified

Attendance requirements as published

Other attendance requirement Not verified
The program page says some courses may require intensive or alternative formats with scheduled meeting times, travel to campus or login sessions.
Source: liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Curriculum

Research and evaluation core: advanced research design, quantitative methods, qualitative methods and program evaluation.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Other

Degree must be completed within 7 years.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Careers and licensure

An academic degree and an occupational licence are different things.

Career and licensure statements for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

A degree does not guarantee police academy admission, sworn officer certification, federal employment, a security clearance, a position with a named agency, a forensic laboratory job or eligibility to practice as a psychologist. Those have separate training, scientific prerequisites, examinations or hiring requirements set by the agency, state or licensing board. Academic degrees vs police academy training

Research and doctoral requirements

Research areas, supervision, examinations and residency as the school publishes them.

Research proposal

Successful completion of a Research Concept course is a graduation requirement.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Dissertation

Dissertation courses I-IV with a dissertation defense; continuous enrollment during the dissertation phase.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Admissions

Required, optional, waived and not-required items are shown exactly as the school states them. Anything not listed is not verified — not “not required”.

Prior degree: RequiredEarned master's degree or equivalent from an accredited institution.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Minimum GPA: RequiredMinimum 3 — Cumulative GPA of 3.00 or above.
Source: catalog.liberty.edu · verified October 24, 2026

Tests

Entrance and English-language test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate admission chances.

Start dates and deadlines

Dates are shown with the term the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadlines: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its student category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-term and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other, and tuition is not the full cost of attendance.

Tuition for this program: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Scholarships and funding

Awards published by the school for this program or for its level. Loans must be repaid and are not scholarships; service scholarships require government service after graduation. Graduate funding guide

Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.

Accreditation

Two different things: the school's institutional accreditation, and FEPAC accreditation of this exact forensic science program.

Institutional accreditation

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) — accreditedSource: ope.ed.gov · verified October 10, 2026

FEPAC program accreditation

This program does not appear in FEPAC's accredited-program list. FEPAC accredits forensic science programs only and is optional; its absence is not a sign that a program is illegitimate, and the school's other programs or institutional accreditation do not imply it.

State authorization (online students)

Not verified — check the school's state authorization page before applying from outside Virginia.

International applicants

Not verified for the online option.

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages and directories below. Last verified October 24, 2026.

catalog.liberty.edu/graduate/colleges-schools/helms-government/philosophy-criminal-justice-phd/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
catalog.liberty.edu/graduate/colleges-schools/helms-government/philosophy-criminal-justice-phd/crimi — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
DAPIP — SACSCOC institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
liberty.edu/online/government/doctoral/criminal-justice/ — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026

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Criminal Justice Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Liberty University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.