Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Serve Your Community as a Criminal Justice Professional
Affordable Online Classes
Faculty With Law Enforcement Expertise
Become Established as a Leader for Justice
Learn More Today
Complete the form to learn more about this program.
- Duration 4 years
- Cost per Credit $450
- Credit Hours 120
Program Benefits
- IALEIA-recognized “Program of Excellence”
- Comprehensive criminal justice career preparation
- 6 start dates per year
Earn a Specialized Degree and Protect Your Community
Utica University’s online B.S. in Criminal Justice prepares you to promote a system where justice and rights are continually served. Recognized as a program of excellence by the International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA), the online bachelor’s in criminal justice program reflects the world’s need for diverse crime-fighting and prevention professionals.
As crimes become more sophisticated with technology, the demand for criminal justice professionals with advanced skill sets will continue to increase.
When you earn your online bachelor’s in criminal justice from Utica University, you’ll learn tactics to prevent criminal behavior, as well as catch and rehabilitate offenders.
Class sizes are kept small, so you can work closely with faculty who are experts in their fields and apply theory in experiential coursework under their guidance.
Continue Your Undergraduate Education
This online degree is also a completer program, which means that students may transfer credits into an undergraduate program at Utica University. Students may also complete all 120 credits at Utica University as a full, undergraduate degree. Candidates for the baccalaureate degree must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of study at Utica University. A maximum of 90-98 credits may be transferred from four-year institutions, and 60-64 from two-year institutions, depending on one’s academic major. Transfer students who matriculate with 60 or more credits need to declare a major upon entering Utica University.
Advance Your Career in Law Enforcement and Beyond
As a graduate, you’ll not only have job opportunities in areas like policing, law, probation, juvenile services, private security, and more, but you can pursue advanced study in:
- Public administration
- Criminal justice
- Criminology
- Management
- Law
As law enforcement staffing continues to grow in private and public sectors, Utica’s criminal justice alumni have taken leadership positions at the:
- Secret Service
- Fluor Corporation
- N.Y. State Office of the Attorney General
- Department of the Treasury
- U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
With razor-sharp critical analysis skills concerning crime, policy claims, and policy, you’ll open a variety of doors within criminal justice to grow or begin a successful career in both government and private sectors in the U.S.
Jobs and Income
Study Essential Criminal Justice Topics
Our online bachelor’s in criminal justice provides you with a solid foundation in criminological concepts, processes, and issues. You’ll learn to think critically about crime and understand how research informs policy.
You’ll also learn how economic and cybercrime influence traditional forms of crime and the justice system’s response to these offenses.
Explore CoursesProgram Outcomes
When you graduate from Utica’s online B.S. in Criminal Justice program, you’ll be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of key criminal justice and criminological concepts, processes, and issues.
- Describe major criminological theories in terms of the causes and controls of crime, considering the community.
- Exhibit critical thinking about crime and criminal justice policy claims and issues with an emphasis on questioning the credibility of claims and statistics.
- Articulate how research is used to test hypotheses and inform policy decisions, including the design of evaluation studies.
- Describe how ethics influence the exercise of discretion in the field of criminal justice and the conduct of criminological research.
- Communicate effectively about crime and the criminal justice system, including written and oral communication and technology proficiency.
- Demonstrate an understanding of what effective employment in a criminal justice setting involves.
- Articulate how economic and cybercrime influence traditional forms of crime and the criminal justice system’s response to them.
Admission Requirements
Our online bachelor’s in criminal justice now accepts applications from first-time freshmen and students with some college credit. Admission requirements include:
- Completed application
- Résumé
- Personal Statement
- Letter of Recommendation
- Official Transcripts
Official final high school transcripts (with graduation date) are required for all undergraduate students.
- If you are entering with an associate degree or transferring a minimum of 57 credits from a four-year college, your general education requirements are considered complete.
- SAT or ACT for first-time freshmen if you’d like these to be considered
Tuition and Financial Aid
This program costs $450 per credit hour. Utica is dedicated to making an advanced education accessible and affordable and offers many avenues for financial aid.
Learn MoreFaculty Spotlight: Learn From Criminal Justice Professionals
Our online bachelor’s in criminal justice courses are taught by faculty with strong industry backgrounds in law, cybersecurity, public policy, homeland security, and fraud. They bring extensive experience into their courses to prepare you for the real work involved in catching a criminal, preventing crime, and supporting the justice system.
Gregory E. Walsh, Ed.D.
Associate Professor, Criminal Justice
Prior to joining Utica in 2008, Gregory E. Walsh, Ed.D., held a variety of positions with the New York State Police. His 25-year career culminated in 2003 when he was promoted to Captain in the Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI).
While with the BCI, Walsh managed all major criminal investigations for the state police in a seven-county area and supervised specialized units, including the Computer Crimes Unit, the Forensic Identification Unit, the Counter-Terrorism Unit, and the Violent Crimes Investigation Unit. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Walsh was appointed chairman of a seven-county counter-terrorism law enforcement conglomerate and served as a member of the U.S. Attorney’s Anti-Terrorism Task Force.
In 2016, Walsh took a sabbatical in Brazil to study security and anti-terrorism operations at the Olympics and Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro. He continues to research mass-gathering security issues around the world.
Honors and Distinctions
- 25-year career in criminal justice
- M.A. in Criminal Justice from the State University of New York at Albany
- Ed.D. from Fielding Graduate University
Selected Publications
- Walsh, G.E. (contributor) et al., (2016) Change and Reform in Law Enforcement: Old and New Efforts from Across the Globe. Boca Raton, Florida: CRC Press.
- Walsh, G.E. (2013). Where do Emergency Management Programs Fit on Campus? Emergency Management, 11(5) pp.
- Lynch, L. M., McBride, B. R., Thibault, E. A., Walsh, G. E. (2014) Proactive Police Management. New York, New York: Pearson.
Shanna Van Slyke, Ph.D.
Professor, Criminal Justice
Shanna Van Slyke, Ph.D., is interested in power, privilege, and punishment—including white-collar crime, inequality, and perp walks. Currently, she is studying public opinion on perp walks, examining media constructions of white-collar versus street crime, and writing a textbook titled Compelling Criminal Justice Communications.
Dr. Van Slyke co-edited The Oxford Handbook of White-Collar Crime, and her peer-reviewed publications have appeared in journals such as Criminology and Public Policy; Crime, Law, and Social Change; Punishment and Society; and Criminal Justice Studies.
In 2013, Van Slyke was invited to speak at the U.S. Sentencing Commission’s Economic Crime Symposium, and she was the recipient of the National White-Collar Crime Center and White-Collar Crime Research Consortium’s Young Career Award.
Honors and Distinctions
- Numerous publications on criminology, policy, and white collar crime in scholarly journals, such as Criminology and Public Policy; Crime, Law, and Social Change; Punishment and Society; and Criminal Justice Studies.
- 2013 recipient of the National White-Collar Crime Center and White-Collar Crime Research Consortium’s Young Career Award
- B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in Criminology from Florida State University’s College of Criminology and Criminal Justice
Selected Publications
- Van Slyke, S.R., Benson, M.L., and Virkler, W.M. (2018). Confidence in police, due process, and perp walks: Public opinion on the pretrial shaming of criminal suspects. Criminology and Public Policy, 17(3), 605-634.
- Van Slyke, S.R., Benson, M.L., Cullen, F.T. (Eds.). (2016) The Oxford Handbook of White-Collar Crime. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Van Slyke, S.R., Bales, W.D. (2013). Gender dynamics in the sentencing of white-collar offenders. Criminal Justice Studies, 26(2), 168-196.
- Van Slyke, S.R., Bales, W.D. (2012). A contemporary study of the decision to incarcerate white-collar and street property offenders. Punishment and Society, 14(2), 217-246.
- Van Slyke, S.R., Mattar, M. (2010). Improving our approach to human trafficking (Introduction). Criminology and Public Policy, (2), 197-200.
Frequently Asked Questions
Advancing your life and career by earning an online criminal justice degree comes with lots of questions, and we want your search for answers to be effortless. If you have a question we haven’t covered, call (866) 295-3106 to speak with an enrollment counselor.
Earn your B.S. in Criminal Justice degree in 3.5 years by completing one class every eight weeks. What’s more, Utica University accepts up to 90 transfer credits to help you graduate even faster. Review additional curriculum details on the courses page.
Although scholarships are unavailable for the B.S. in Criminal Justice program, non-traditional students have many third-party scholarships to consider. Plus, be sure to explore these financing options:
- Complete the FAFSA® to determine your financial aid eligibility. Utica University’s FAFSA® code is 002883.
- Apply for a Sallie Mae loan.
- If you’re a military veteran, a member of the reserves, or currently serving in the U.S. military, you and any dependents are eligible for several financial assistance options. Utica University also offers a 10-percent tuition discount for you and your spouse.
To learn more, call 1-866-295-3106 or request more information.
The International Association of Law Enforcement Intelligence Analysts (IALEIA) recognized Utica University’s B.S. in Criminal Justice as a program of excellence. Furthermore, U.S. News & World Report has named Utica University (formerly Utica College) a Top 200 Regional University. Utica’s programs have received additional recognition from these and other organizations:
- National Security Agency
- Department of Homeland Security
- Department of Defense
- SR Education Group
- BestDegreePrograms.org
- TheBestSchools.org
Utica University has made it easy to apply in four simple steps. Visit Admissions to see how you can begin your application online.
During the application process, you will provide a résumé, personal statement, letter of recommendation, and your official high school transcripts. If you have questions, call 1-866-295-3106 or email uticaonline@utica.edu to get help from a Utica University enrollment counselor.
The number of courses you take will vary based on the electives and core credits that you choose.
Utica University helps you earn this degree more quickly by accepting as many as 90 credits from regionally accredited universities. To explore curriculum details, visit the courses page.
This online program helps you build the qualifications for rewarding positions in law enforcement and private security. Career options include:
- Police officer or detective, which had a median annual salary of $67,290 in 2020 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Forensic science technician, which had a median annual salary of $60,590 in 2020 according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Visit our careers page to explore more opportunities for graduates of the online B.S. in Criminal Justice program.