The U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics estimates a 17 percent increase in the demand for detectives and criminal investigators in the United States from 2008 through 2018. While each police force has its own employment requirements for professionals in the field, a degree in criminology can help prospective and current police officers attain positions in investigation units. A small number of colleges in the United States offer online criminology programs, allowing students the flexibility of earning a degree without having to regularly attend classes on a campus.
Portland State University
A public institution based in Portland, Oregon, Portland State University opened in 1946. The college offers an entirely online bachelor's degree program in criminology and criminal justice. All students in the program complete coursework in policing, punishment and corrections, community health, drug education, the court systems, crime analysis and theory, crime control, criminal law and reasoning, and research methods. An internship is mandatory for all majors and is typically completed with a law enforcement agency or organization located near the student's home. Those enrolled can also elect to take classes in juvenile crime, rehabilitation, crime mapping and white collar crimes. In addition to the baccalaureate program, the college offers certificates in advanced crime analysis, the American justice system and criminal behavior. Students can complete the certificates while earning the online criminal justice degree or another online or classroom-based degree from the college. A post-graduate certificate in criminology and criminal justice is available for students who have previously earned a bachelor's degree in a field other than criminal justice and wish to receive post-secondary training in criminology.
Portland State University
P.O. Box 751
Portland, OR 97207
503-725-3511
pdx.edu
University of Cincinnati
In 2010, the public, Ohio-based University of Cincinnati received the third-place ranking among all criminal justice programs in the United States from "U.S. News and World Report." The college offers a Master of Science in criminal justice, which requires students to have a baccalaureate degree in any major from an accredited post-secondary school to receive admissions consideration. Students have the opportunity to complete the program with one year of accelerated, full-time online study or with two years of part-time study. Among the courses required for the program are law and social control, theories of corrections and law enforcement, criminal justice management, juvenile justice, policy analysis, and research methods and statistics. All students must complete a culminating research project prior to graduation.
University of Cincinnati
P.O. Box 210063
Cincinnati, OH 45221
513-556-1100
uc.edu
Florida State University
A public institution located in Tallahassee, Florida State University was established in 1851. The college's online master's degree program in criminal justice and criminology requires students to have a bachelor's degree in any field. In addition to online classes, the program incorporates video and DVD-based courses. The program takes from one to two years to complete, depending on the number of courses students choose to take each semester. Required classes include criminological theories, computer applications in criminal justice, research methods and criminology applied statistics. The majority of credits for the program consist of elective courses, allowing students to tailor their course of study to meet their career goals and interests. Among the electives are race and ethnicity, prevention and treatment of crime, criminal justice administration, victimology and forensic science. Students have the option to complete an independent thesis paper or research project, if they wish, as a part of their electives.
Florida State University
A2500 University Center
Tallahassee, FL 32306
850-644-6200
fsu.edu
Tags: criminal justice, State University, bachelor degree, college offers, Florida State