American Public University System

Penn State University · Penn State Harrisburg School of Public Affairs (World Campus partner)
Criminal Justice, B.S.
Overview
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with study of law enforcement, courts and corrections. The bulletin lists campus delivery and World Campus lists a 100% online option.
- Official program name
- Criminal Justice, B.S.
- Awarded degree
- Bachelor of Science · major: Criminal JusticeSource: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
- Degree level
- Bachelor's
- Subject focus
- Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science or a closely related justice subject.Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
- School
- Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
- Location
- University Park, PAFor 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 degree
- Required credits
- A minimum of 120 creditsSource: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
- Duration
- Not verified
Entry pathway
Not verified whether this degree admits first-year students or only applicants with prior credits.
Why this program is listed
Dedicated Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice offered at Penn State campuses and fully online through World Campus.
Dedicated Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice offered at Penn State campuses and fully online through World Campus.
Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026We 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 offered
- On campus · OnlineSource: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
- Online delivery
- Fully onlineAll coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.All coursework is online and the institution states no required campus attendance for the online option.Source: worldcampus.psu.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
The program page does not say whether the online option requires campus visits. Ask the school before you apply — missing information is not “no requirement”.
Curriculum
Curriculum
- Required courses include criminology, policing, courts, corrections, research methods, statistics, a senior seminar and ethics; 12 credits chosen from policy-area course groups.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Internship
- Bulletin states every student in the degree completes an internship at a host agency (campus program description).Source: bulletins.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Other
- Students with ACT 120, Pennsylvania State Police or Municipal Police Training transcripts may receive up to 16.5 credits toward the World Campus degree.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Careers and licensure
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
Admissions
- Minimum GPA
- RequiredMinimum 2 — Entrance to the major requires at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA and third-semester classification.Source: bulletins.psu.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
- Year not printed
Application deadline
October 31 · for January 11 start (World Campus)
The school does not print a year with this date.
Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026
Tuition and fees
| Category | Amount | Basis and year |
|---|---|---|
| All students — World Campus undergraduate, 59 or fewer credits accrued or transferred, 11 or fewer credits per semesterFrom the school's online tuition table | $644 | per credit · 2026-2027Calculated tuition$77,280 = 120 credits × $644 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026 |
| All students — World Campus undergraduate, 60 or more credits accrued or transferred, 11 or fewer credits per semesterFrom the school's online tuition table | $692 | per credit · 2026-2027Calculated tuition$83,040 = 120 credits × $692 per credit. Excludes mandatory fees, books, travel for any required visits or placements, transfer credit reductions and rate changes. Not the full cost of attendance.Source: worldcampus.psu.edu · verified October 24, 2026 |
Scholarships and funding
Program-specific scholarships: not verified. We publish this only when the institution states it on an official page.
Accreditation
Institutional accreditation
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) — 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 Pennsylvania.
International applicants
Not verified for the online option.
Sources and verification
- bulletins.psu.edu/undergraduate/colleges/altoona/criminal-justice-bs/ — Official catalog / bulletin, verified October 24, 2026
- DAPIP — MSCHE institutional accreditation record (data files downloaded 2026-10-10) — U.S. Department of Education dataset (IPEDS / DAPIP), verified October 10, 2026
- worldcampus.psu.edu/degrees-and-certificates/penn-state-online-criminal-justice-bachelor-of-science- — Official program page, verified October 24, 2026
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Similar programs at other schools
Same degree level and focus. Listed for discovery, not ranked.
American Public University System
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Arts (BA), Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Degrees is independent and not affiliated with Penn State University. Information is collected from official pages and directories and can change; confirm requirements, costs and deadlines with the school.