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Online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration

Serve your community – and your career – with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration degree. Gain a fundamental understanding of the essential components that make up the American criminal justice system. Learn about criminology, community policing, change management and more. Develop career-relevant skills and prepare for administrative responsibilities in law enforcement, criminal courts and corrections. 

Program Purpose Statement

The University’s Criminal Justice programs are educational degree programs. These programs do not prepare students to become certified peace officers. For those interested in pursuing a career in law enforcement, corrections or as a peace officer with any particular local, state, federal, tribal or international agency, there are numerous additional qualifications (and often disqualifications), depending on the position. Before enrolling in a Criminal Justice program, potential students are highly encouraged to check with the relevant agency for a complete list of position requirements and disqualifications.

Ignite Your Passion

Start when you're ready

Register by: February 25, 2025

Careers & Outcomes

What can you do with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration?

Discover where your online criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree might take you. Gain the knowledge, skills and abilities to prepare for the next step in your career pursuits. Get ready to tackle administrative responsibilities in law enforcement, criminal courts and corrections. 

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3% growth

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics opens in new window, job growth for first-line supervisors of police and detectives is projected to be faster than average between 2023 and 2033.

The BLS Projected Growth for 2023-2033 is published by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This data reflects the BLS’ projections of national (not local) conditions. These data points are not specific to University of Phoenix students or graduates.

Build your professional profile for career enhancement

As a student in our criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree, you’ll learn career-relevant skills, such as public policy, change management, policy research, community policing and criminology. Add these to your professional profile in weeks, not years, and apply them in your current role, or use them to help build your career. 

Ready to get started?

Start your application for free or request additional information.

Courses

Browse courses for a criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree

Education never stands still. That’s why we have advisory councils made up of leaders in their fields. They meet periodically to review industry needs and trends, providing valuable insights that help us keep our programs relevant. Our rigorous criminal justice administration courses provide you with career-relevant skills that’ll help you make an impact on the job and in the communities you serve. 

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Look for this icon to see which skills you’ll learn in a course.

Criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree requirements

You’ll need 120 credits to complete this online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration degree. Your course schedule may vary based on transferable credits or credits earned through the University’s Prior Learning Assessment.

In your coursework, you’ll learn about public policy, ethical conduct, community policing, conflict resolution, emergency management, organizational communication and more. Our criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree bridges the gap between theory and practical application. 

14 Core Courses

Here’s where you’ll pick up the bulk of your knowledge about the American criminal justice system and how it’s represented in the domains of law enforcement, criminal courts and corrections. You’ll acquire a range of skills in public policy, change management, risk management, diversity awareness and more. 

14 Core Courses

12 Gen Ed Courses

Our general education courses lay the foundation for all our degree programs. Gaining skills like decision making, planning, problem solving, strategic thinking and interpersonal communication will help create well-rounded professionals in the criminal justice field. Plus, these are universally applicable skills. 

12 Gen Ed Courses

14 Elective Courses

Our electives allow you to explore topics of interest to enhance what you’re learning in your criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree. Learn about the mechanics of writing to strengthen your ability to create reports. Or study state and local political processes to understand the relationship among governments. 

14 Elective Courses

Schedule

Your academic counselor will help schedule your courses for an online criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree.

If you’re in Phoenix, this program has a blended option. This means you can start at the Phoenix campus to complete your general education courses, and then transition to online learning for your core program courses. 

Our flexible, blended learning format can be beneficial if you’re uncertain about the online learning environment or you want to further develop your technical/computer skills prior to taking courses fully online.

In the online environment, you’ll take one course, every five weeks, on Blackboard, our learning management system. In a week, you’ll typically write three discussion posts, complete several readings and finish one course assignment. If you meet your specific due dates, you can attend class and work on assignments when it fits your schedule. Learn when and where you want with the flexibility to balance family, work, school and life.  

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration also allows you to complete up to three required courses for a Master of Science in Administration of Justice and Security and a Master of Public Administration while finishing your criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree. 

Skills-aligned program icon

Earn career-relevant skills in weeks – not years.

Learning shouldn’t take years to put into practice. That’s why we’re empowering you to build career-relevant skills with every five- to six-week course.

We’ve worked with the labor market researcher Lightcast to identify in-demand skills for occupations and mapped those to our related associate, bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.

Tuition

Paying for school

Tuition is based on number of credit hours per course. Courses are typically 3 credits, but can range from 1-6 credits. Costs do not include savings opportunities like transfer credits and scholarships.

Undergrad cost per course

$1,364 / course

Cost per credit 

Credits per course

Resource fee

$398

x3

+ $170

Estimated cost per course

$1,364

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What affects the overall cost of my program?

Your full program cost can vary by: 

  • Savings opportunities. Your cost could be reduced with eligible transfer credits, scholarships, employer discounts and more. Students with eligible credits and relevant experience on average saved $11K and 1 year off their undergraduate degree at University of Phoenix.

With our Tuition Guarantee, you pay one flat, affordable rate from the moment you enroll to the day you graduate from your program.

Discover ways to save time and money on your degree with our Savings Explorer® tool:

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Get credit for what you already know

Your life experiences can be evaluated for potential college credit for your online criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree. If you have military or law enforcement training, such as Peace Officer Standards and Training  opens in new window (POST), Basic Corrections Academy  opens in new window training or Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy  opens in new window training, you can apply to have that experience evaluated for credits.

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Other ways to save on time and tuition

Because we believe everyone deserves an affordable education, we work hard to help our students achieve one. Here’s a few ways you can save time, save money and avoid starting from scratch. 

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Budget & borrow

How to pay for college

Paying for school can be intimidating, but we’re here to help you make sense of it. Our finance advisors can walk you through your options like federal financial aid and savings opportunities to minimize your debt. Plus, we can help you figure out your financial plan.

Admissions

Apply for free – no application fee, no obligation.

Starting your degree is a big decision — and we want you to feel great about it. That’s why we remove obstacles from your application.

  • No SAT/ACT required 
  • No essay required 
  • No cost, risk-free trial for eligible students
  • We’ll request transcripts at no cost to you, when possible, and we accept eligible credits from over 5,000 accredited institutions.

Accreditation

Accredited for 45+ years

Since 1978, University of Phoenix has maintained institutional accreditation by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), hlcommission.org opens in new window. Learn more about the value of University of Phoenix accreditation and how it benefits our students.

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 90% of our surveyed students.[1] Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

[1] Transactional Survey, August 2021-22 (18,645 respondents)

Gabriel G., Enrollment Representative

Call or chat with us 7 days a week.

G. Galindo - Enrollment Representative

Gabriel G., Enrollment Rep

Receive 1-on-1 support

You have a support team of real people you can lean on. And our academic counselors, who are with you every step of the way, have earned a 5-star rating from 85% of our surveyed students.[1]

[1] Transactional Survey, September 2022-August 2023 (23,739 respondents)

Start a conversation with an enrollment representative today.

Call us at 844-937-8679 or chat with us 7 days a week.

Student Experience

An education that fits your busy life

Balancing family, work and school

Work toward your degree without giving up what matters most. Start your degree year-round and take one class at a time.

Online learning

Enroll in online classes and attend class whenever it fits your life, day or night, as you complete your criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree.

Computer requirements for courses

Many course assignments will require you to use a computer to complete and submit your assignment. 

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Faculty Spotlight

Criminal justice administration professionals dedicated to you 

Your success is a top priority for our faculty members. They bring an average of 28+ years of experience and hands-on perspective to the classroom. You’ll gain criminal justice administration insight from experienced professionals who have served as chiefs of police, captains, lieutenants, wardens, judges and detectives. They contribute valuable, relevant and timely expertise in class and help bridge the gap between academics and industry knowledge.

Doris Savron
As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader.

Doris Savron
Vice Provost of Colleges, University of Phoenix

As a faculty member, I'm on your team. I'm your coach and your cheerleader.

Frequently asked questions about the criminal justice administration bachelor’s degree

While widely available, not all programs are available to residents of all states. Please check with a University Enrollment Representative.