Study Criminal Justice in New Jersey

Studying criminal justice in New Jersey offers plenty of advantages. On the one hand, you have your pick of any number of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Moreover, many New Jersey colleges and universities offer online learning, so you can complete your degree without having to set foot on campus.

On the other hand, New Jersey has a very high population and is in close proximity to urban centers like New York City and Philadelphia. This means there are ample opportunities for practicum or internship placements to enhance your college education.

So, whether you want a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree to pursue a career in law enforcement, the court system, or corrections, New Jersey has a program for you!

Best Accredited Online Criminal Justice Degrees in New Jersey - Criminal Justice Bachelor's, Master's and Associate's Programs in NJ

Online Criminal Justice Degrees in New Jersey

Listed below are some of the popular schools offering online criminal justice degrees in New Jersey:

  • William Paterson University
  • Kean University
  • Baker College
  • Rowan University
  • Southern New Hampshire University
  • Grand Canyon University
  • UMass Global
  • Walden University

William Paterson University

Online Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice from William Paterson University is traditional in the sense that it’s a 120-credit program and requires about four years of full-time studies to complete. However, what’s not traditional about it is that it’s a fully online program that doesn’t require any campus visits.

What’s more, the program has a dual focus on criminology and criminal justice. This means you’ll take classes focusing not only on the administration of justice but also on the cause of crime in the first place. This program also emphasizes a growing understanding of how the criminal justice system has historically caused harm to certain communities. As such, you’ll learn methods and techniques that can improve criminal justice services.

As is typical of undergraduate programs, you’ll spend time studying subjects inside and outside of criminal justice. In fact, the first two years of this program are mostly dedicated to completing basic introductory work. For example, you’re required to complete a host of general education courses in areas such as:

  • U.S. history
  • English composition
  • Math
  • Natural sciences
  • Mass communications

You’ll also likely take classes focusing on art and humanities, philosophy, and physical education.

You’re also required to complete general electives. These classes must fit into broad categories, such as quantitative reasoning, analytical thinking, and written communication. For example, you might take College Algebra and Trigonometry to fulfill the quantitative reasoning component. Likewise, you might take a course in Writing for the Social Sciences to meet the written communications requirement.

Once you get into the criminology and criminal justice major, you’ll complete 36 credits of coursework that’s evenly split between core courses and electives. The core coursework focuses on topics central to your field of study, such as Criminal Law, Criminology, and the Essentials of Criminal Justice.

But, you’ll also take numerous classes focusing on research, such as Data Analysis and Research Methods. These classes are essential for your growth as an analytical thinker. The Data Analysis course explores the processes involved in data collection, analysis, and reporting. The Research Methods course focuses on the processes of scientific inquiry. You’ll learn how to review criminal justice literature, how to form research questions, and how to write effective social science papers.

You’re given the choice of eight possible electives, of which you must take six. The options are far-ranging, from Organized Crime to Terrorism to Corrections. Other options are as follows:

  • Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
  • Juvenile Delinquency
  • Social Deviance
  • White Collar Crime
  • Inequality and Criminal Justice

William Paterson University also offers many minor options should you want to enhance your undergraduate course of study with a concentration in another area. You might explore related fields of study like History, Psychology, or Social Justice. Conversely, you might wish to acquire related skills that would help you in your criminal justice career, like Public Relations, Critical and Professional Writing, or Communication Studies.

You can apply to William Paterson University here if it seems like a good fit for your needs. You must meet the following requirements to apply:

  • Have a high school diploma or its equivalent.
  • Have a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher.
  • Submit an official high school diploma or equivalency scores.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university from which you’ve earned credit.

You must also have at least 60 college credits under your belt or be at least four years removed from high school graduation to apply.

Kean University

Online Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

Kean University also offers an online degree in this field. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is delivered by a highly qualified faculty who are direct experts in this field. In fact, the faculty’s expertise spans areas like cybersecurity, policing, counter-terrorism, and law, to name a few.

Like most undergraduate degrees, this one from Kean University requires 120 credits to complete. The courses you take are a varied collection of studies in areas like history, psychology, philosophy, and English. For example, you’re required to take classes like English Composition, Statistics, Speech Communication, and Research and Technology.

Furthermore, you’ll study World Literature, Fine Arts, and a foreign language. Additional studies in sociology, music or theater, math, and computer applications are required, too. You’ll supplement these required general education courses with 30-31 credits of free electives. The classes you can use to fulfill this requirement can come from any undergraduate field of study and can be at any level (e.g., 1000-4000), though at least half of the free electives must be 3000-level or higher.

A total of 45 credits are required within the major area of study. These credits include both introductory and advanced coursework within criminal justice. For example, you’ll take classes like Criminal Justice in America, Criminology, and Diversity in Criminal Justice. Likewise, you’ll explore courses in American Courts, Correctional Systems, and Police in America.

Other classes examine specific criminal justice topics. Juvenile Justice, for example, explores youth offenders, the processes of rehabilitation and punishment for youthful offenders, and supporting organizations (e.g., probation and parole) and their role in helping youthful offenders reintegrate into society.

This program also requires you to complete a research methods class and a capstone. The research methods class helps you gain crucial skills like analytical thinking, critical reading, and writing skills. You’ll need these and other abilities as you complete the capstone project, which is both reading and writing intensive.

Kean’s B.A. in Criminal Justice also requires you to select one of six concentrations:

  • General Criminal Justice
  • Corrections
  • Law
  • Policing
  • Cybersecurity
  • Investigations

Though each concentration’s coursework is different, each one requires you to take at least nine credits to complete. For example, the Corrections concentration includes classes in Probation and Parole, the Death Penalty, and Alternatives to Incarceration. The Policing concentration, meanwhile, includes courses in Police Organization, Supervision in Law Enforcement, and Justice and Police Power.

No matter which concentration you choose, you’ll get real-world, hands-on experience that is highly beneficial to your pursuit of a career after graduation. Not only will you gain experience using investigative techniques, but you’ll also have opportunities to attend lectures from top law enforcement officials, work on cybercrime cases, and travel the globe as part of Kean’s Travelearn program.

The application requirements for first-year students are as follows:

  • Complete the application linked above.
  • Pay a $75 application fee.
  • Submit official high school transcripts or equivalency scores indicating that you’ve mastered the following:’
    • Four years of English
    • Three years of math
    • Two years of history
    • Two years of lab sciences
    • Two years of the same foreign language
    • Three approved academic electives in science, math, or social studies
  • Submit ACT or SAT scores (only required for GED applicants and home-schooled students).

Baker College

Online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

As a student pursuing the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at Baker College, you’ll focus specifically on criminal justice studies. This specialization prepares you for immediate entry into the workforce in law enforcement and corrections. With a graduate degree, you might also consider policy-based or administrative roles in law enforcement or corrections. This degree is also an excellent preparation for starting law school.

No matter which path you choose, you’ll learn essential features of the criminal justice system from experts in the field. The curriculum you’ll complete is designed with input from experienced criminal justice professionals, ensuring that you’ll have relevant and marketable skills upon graduating.

You’ll need to complete 120 credits to graduate, which most students accomplish in four years of full-time studies. These credits are divided equally among general education courses and major-area coursework.

General education classes provide you with a broad education in critical fields like the natural sciences, math, English, and the social sciences, among others. Although Baker College requires you to complete classes in specific areas of study, you often have the flexibility to choose which classes you take to fulfill those requirements.

For instance, to fulfill a natural sciences lab requirement, you might take Environmental Science, Introduction to Biology, or Introduction to Chemistry. Similarly, to fulfill a social science requirement, you might take Introduction to Psychology, Introduction to Sociology, or Introduction to Political Science.

Within the major, you’ll begin with basic courses such as:

  • Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • Introduction to Corrections
  • Diversity in Criminal Justice
  • Criminology

These classes cover essential features of criminal justice, including the nature of crime, current issues in corrections, and prevailing theories of crime and justice. After completing these classes, you’ll move on to more specific criminal justice studies.

For example, you’ll take a course in Principles of Policing that examines the evolution of policing in the United States. You’ll explore historical trends, modern methods of policing, and the tools and methods currently used to prevent and investigate crime.

Another specific course you might take is Drugs, Crime, and Society. In this course, you’ll analyze how these three factors are interrelated and investigate current issues, such as the decriminalization of drugs. This includes an examination of U.S. drug policy, including the war on drugs.

Other required courses include:

  • Cybercrimes
  • Introduction to Forensic Science
  • Evidence-Based Practices
  • Introduction to Courts
  • Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice

You’ll also need to complete fifteen credits of criminal justice electives. These classes allow you to tailor your studies to some extent. Options include Legal Issues in Corrections, Community Corrections, and Security Management. You might also take classes on Evidence Collection and Procedures, Organized Crime and Youth Gangs, or Organizational Leadership in Criminal Justice.

The final component of this program is a capstone experience. You have two options. First, a work experience option allows you to spend a minimum of 150 hours working in a criminal justice setting under the supervision of an experienced criminal justice official. These hours can be volunteer or paid.

Alternatively, you can develop an experiential learning portfolio. This option allows you to reflect on the hands-on experiences you have had working in criminal justice and examine what you have learned and how you’ll apply it in a future criminal justice career.

The requirements for admission as a first-year student are as follows:

  • Complete the online application linked above.
  • Pay a $30 application fee.
  • Send a copy of your high school diploma or equivalency certificate.

You can submit ACT or SAT scores along with the documents listed above, but this is not required.

Rowan University

Online Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice

Another top option to consider for your criminal justice studies is the Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice from Rowan University. This program is offered completely online through Rowan’s global campus, which allows you to complete the program whether you live in New Jersey or not.

The program is offered in flexible terms. You can enroll full-time to finish your degree as soon as you can or you can enroll on a part-time basis to account for work and life obligations. Likewise, it’s an interdisciplinary program allowing you to explore related fields like psychology and sociology to construct a tailored degree for your specific needs.

Broadly speaking, this program focuses on crime and society’s response to it. But aside from learning directly about criminal justice, you’ll also explore policy and administration issues, law, and criminology. This program also facilitates the development of crucial skills like logic, enhanced reading and writing abilities, and critical thinking, to name a few.

Additionally, your studies don’t just focus on the experience of accused offenders. Instead, you’ll learn about social and community justice, the victim’s experience, and the duties of common criminal justice workers, like law enforcement agents and court workers. You’ll further learn about the role of security services, human services, and corrections in helping control crime.

This degree requires you to complete 120 credits to graduate, which most students can do in four years. Just over half of those credits fall into the general education category discussed earlier. So, your first semester of classes might look something like this:

  • University Studies
  • Introduction to Criminal Justice
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Introduction to Sociology
  • Math for the Social Sciences

Note how only one of these courses is in the criminal justice field. This is common for the first semester. In reality, you’ll spend the first four semesters with a similar schedule as you work on completing general requirements with a few major-area requirements thrown in.

You’ll start concentrating your coursework on crime and law during your third and fourth years in the program. This degree requires 51 credits in the field, 36 of which are directly related to criminal justice and 15 credits in adjacent areas, such as sociology, political science, philosophy, and statistics.

As you’d expect, the required courses address many different aspects of crime and law. For example, you’ll take Law and Human Rights, Survey of Criminal Justice, and Criminal Law. You’re also required to take Introduction to Corrections, which offers a broad overview of the history of the U.S. correctional system. The class also examines modern correctional theories and policies.

A course in Theories of Crime and Criminality is also required. This class examines the nature of crime, its causes, and how crime impacts society at large. You’ll look at risk factors for people who commit crimes as well as strategies that can be employed to reduce the likelihood of criminality.

Additionally, you’ll take a course in Criminal Justice Research, a Seminar in Law and Justice, and complete a Criminal Justice Internship. The internship is one of the most critical components of this program because it’s an opportunity to put your learning into practice. Depending on your career goals, your internship placement might be with an attorney, a police agency, or a correctional institution.

You must satisfy the following requirements to be considered for admission:

  • Complete the application linked above.
  • Pay a $65 application fee.
  • Complete at least 24 or more semester hours of college coursework.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university from which you’ve earned credit.

Online Master of Arts in Criminal Justice

One advantage of studying at Rowan University is that you can continue your education upon the completion of the undergraduate degree described above by completing a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. This program especially emphasizes the importance of research in this field. As such, you’ll take a number of research-based classes and have opportunities for fieldwork in research, too.

The curriculum is split into various categories of classes:

  • Required Coursework
  • Elective Coursework
  • Comprehensive Exam

The required coursework includes six three-credit classes ranging from Research Methods I and II to Criminal Justice Policy Analysis to Contemporary Developments in Theory. You’re also required to take a class on Law and Society. This course examines the interrelationship between laws, criminal justice, and society at large, including how some demographics are unjustly treated by aspects of the criminal justice system.

Furthermore, you’re required to take Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice. This class examines wide-ranging fields, from cybercrime to terrorism to social justice issues. You’ll look at alternatives to incarceration, the role of the media in addressing criminal justice concerns, and the role of behavioral health in helping mitigate crime.

Rowan University offers a full slate of electives you can choose from, too. A Seminar in Violence, Community Justice, and Administrative Law and Ethics are just a few examples. Other options include the following:

  • Prevention and Rehabilitation
  • Courts and Supportive Agencies
  • Altruism, Cooperation, and Criminal Justice
  • Management of Criminal Justice Organizations
  • Seminar in Juvenile Justice and Juvenile Delinquency

It’s worth noting that these are just a few elective options. What’s more, Rowan University consistently develops new courses to reflect new and emerging topics in criminal justice. This ensures that you have cutting-edge choices for expanding your skill set in this field.

This degree requires you to complete 30 credits, which takes most full-time students three semesters to complete. Studying full-time would likely necessitate five or more semesters of study.

Alternatively, you can pursue Rowan University’s combined advanced degree program in criminal justice. This option allows you to earn the Bachelor of Arts in Law and Justice Studies outlined earlier and this Master of Arts in Criminal Justice. Doing so enables you to complete both degrees in just five years.

Whatever your approach, you can rest assured that you’ll get a high-quality education. The program’s faculty has numerous areas of expertise, from incarceration policy to gun violence to victimology. Other areas of expertise include social justice issues, cognitive-behavioral programs for offenders, and domestic and international policing.

The requirements for admission to this program are as follows:

  • Complete the application linked above.
  • Pay a $65 application fee.
  • Have a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent from an accredited college or university.
  • Submit official transcripts from every college or university you’ve attended showing a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher.
  • Provide a current resume.
  • Provide two letters of recommendation from academic references.
  • Submit a statement of professional objectives.

It is also highly recommended that you complete the GRE and take introductory courses in statistics, research methods, and criminal justice.

What are the Career Opportunities for Criminal Justice Graduates in New Jersey?

Law Enforcement

In New Jersey, law enforcement careers are a prominent option. You might consider becoming a police officer or detective in cities such as Newark, Jersey City, or Trenton. These roles involve maintaining public safety, investigating crimes, and fostering positive relationships within the community. The New Jersey State Police also provides positions for those interested in broader law enforcement duties, including highway patrol, criminal investigations, and specialized units such as narcotics or cybercrime.

Cybersecurity

With the increasing importance of digital security, cybersecurity has become a critical field. Criminal justice graduates can specialize in preventing and investigating cybercrimes. This sector involves protecting computer systems, networks, and data from cyber-attacks, as well as responding to security breaches. Employment opportunities are available in private companies, government agencies, and specialized cybersecurity firms.

Community Outreach and Advocacy

Another important sector is community outreach and advocacy. In this field, you could work with non-profit organizations, community groups, or government programs aimed at preventing crime and supporting affected individuals. Your role might involve developing and implementing programs to reduce crime rates, educating the public about safety practices, and advocating for policy changes to improve the criminal justice system.

Juvenile Justice

Focusing on juvenile justice is another career option. Working as a juvenile probation officer, youth counselor, or in a juvenile detention facility, you would help guide young offenders towards rehabilitation and prevent future criminal behavior. This sector requires a compassionate approach and a commitment to supporting youth in making positive life changes.

Victim Support Services

Victim support services are crucial for helping those impacted by crime. As a victim advocate, you would provide emotional support, information about the legal process, and assistance with accessing resources such as counseling and financial aid. This role is vital for ensuring that victims receive the help they need to recover and move forward.

Forensic Science

Forensic science is a crucial sector within the criminal justice field. As a forensic scientist or crime scene investigator, you would work closely with law enforcement agencies to analyze physical evidence from crime scenes. This role involves collecting, preserving, and analyzing evidence such as DNA, fingerprints, and other trace materials. Employment opportunities exist in state crime labs, police departments, and independent forensic laboratories throughout New Jersey.

Correctional Counseling

Correctional counseling is a sector focused on providing psychological and rehabilitative support to inmates. As a correctional counselor, you would work within correctional facilities to help inmates address behavioral issues, develop coping strategies, and prepare for reintegration into society. This role requires strong interpersonal skills and a commitment to supporting the rehabilitation process.

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