Criminal Justice - online

Overview

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice - online degree from University of Colorado Denver will provide you with a broad knowledge of the criminal justice system, including such topics as the role of technology in criminal justice, how the corrections system works, how courts and law enforcement work together, and criminal justice theory. When you graduate with a BACJ degree, you’ll have the skills and knowledge to propel you into a career in the criminal justice system whether it's in government, nonprofit or the private sector.

Through the flexibility of this program, you will be able to learn what you want, when you want. Not only is the program offered entirely online for your convenience, but we also allow you the flexibility to specialize in areas of criminal justice that interest you most.

Additionally, we can assure you that CU Denver's online Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program is the same great program as the on-campus version. In fact, it’s exactly the same as the on-campus program — you’re just taking classes in a different way.

Tailor your BA in Criminal Justice degree with one of our career-focused concentrations:

Law Enforcement — Prepare for a career in law enforcement with course topics that include police-community relations, homeland security, juvenile justice, and sociology of law. 

Victims and Victim Services — Learn how to make a difference in victims' lives by focusing on course topics such as victimology, domestic violence and crime, political violence, and trauma in the criminal justice system.

Career Outlook

With a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree, you’ll have an opportunity to pursue a plethora of careers from detective to death investigator to probation officer.

The career outlook for criminal justice graduates is increasing year-over-year. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics, 30% of federal government employees were eligible to retire by late 2017. That statistic doesn’t even take into consideration state or local government employees or nonprofit and public sector employees.

The overall career outlook for BACJ students depends in large part on the type of criminal justice career. Overall, the Bureau of Labor and Statistics predicts the following growth patterns: 

• 5% increase in all law enforcement by 2021
• 2% increase for detectives and criminal investigators
• 6% increase in police and sheriff’s patrol officers
• 5% increase in corrections professions by 2021
• 19% increase in criminal social work professions by 2021

Here are some of the top career opportunities that you could expect after graduation, along with median annual salary:

• Forensic Interviewer: $38,854
• Fraud Investigator: $58,178
• Crime Analyst: $47,098
• FBI Agent: $63,510