Associates Degree In Criminal Justice

Content Of The Degree

Firstly you must have a high school diploma to enroll for an Associates criminal justice degree.

Although the content of the Associates criminal justice degree can vary slightly depending on the educational institution and if it has a particular emphasis, you can generally expect it to follow a familiar format.

Half of the degree will often concentrate on general/core education such as science, computing etc and half on criminal justice.

For the criminal justice degree content (which is what you are interested in at the end of the day) – you can expect to cover topics similar to the below list:

• Court Procedures
• Criminal Investigation
• Criminal Law
• Criminology
• Psychology – Basic
  
• Justice Systems
• Police Administration and Management
• Police Operations and Procedures
• Juvenile Felony
• Probation and Parole
• Victimology

 

How Long Will The Associates Degree In Criminal Justice Take?

The Associates degree in criminal justice usually takes 2 years of study time to complete and this can be done online from home or by attending full time colleges and educational institutions.

How Much Does It Cost?

The cost of the Associates criminal justice degree will vary depending on state and school. What makes this a bit worse is that many schools, colleges and universities that offer criminal justice associates degrees do not advertise their prices for fear of scaring away potential students.

To get specific prices and details you usually have to submit a request form online or give them a call and this is also true for the top schools, colleges and universities too, whether online or classroom based.

I have included a list of some of the leading educational institutions offering the Associates degree in criminal justice below so I suggest you contact the ones of interest and request an information pack.

“The figures can range from <$10k to around $30k and this depends on a couple of factors”

How much you invest will depend on your goals. If you have ambitious plans and want to work for a federal agency or for a large city law enforcement agency then you should be thinking of investing more.

Also think about if you are going to be using the Associates criminal justice degree credits to put towards enrolling for your Bachelor degree in the future.

Below are some low cost institutions that offer the Associates degree in criminal justice:

• California Coast University
• Liberty University Online
• Penn Foster College

Generally speaking if you are looking to live at the school, college or university then you can expect to pay more. This is especially true for private institutions.

For example the American Intercontinental will carry a cost of around $30k but if you opt for the online distance learning package you are looking at around $20-22k at the time of this writing so consider all options and request an information pack.

Also don’t forget that the educational institutions can usually help you to get grants and government funding to help meet the costs of your education.

If I were you I would do this:

Step1: Consider Your Investment

Step2: Request Information From All Schools & Educational Institutes That Interest You

Step3: Spend Time Going Through The Information

Step4: Make Your Decision

“Transferring Your Credits If You Plan On Going For The Bachelor Degree”

The Associates degree takes around 2 years and the Bachelor 4 years.

What most people do to save money is get an Associates degree at a cheaper community college and use the credits to transfer to a larger University to complete the Bachelors.

This way you can transfer and only take two years at the major university to complete the Bachelor’s. You can save quite a bit of money by doing this. Just make sure that the credits from the college are transferable to your university of choice before you sign up for your Associates degree.

Universities can vary greatly on their policies so you are better to contact the University and request the information to be certain.

 

What Jobs Can You Get With An Associates Degree In Criminal Justice?

• Security Work inc Airport – $20-30k
  
• Bailiff – about $30-35k
  
• Police Officer inc Highway Patrol, Harbor Police, Animal Cruelty etc – $25-35k
  
• Park Ranger – about $30-40k but sometimes around $25k
  
• Corrections Officer – $30-60k
  
• Probation Officer – $30-60k
  
• Juvenile Detention Officer – $30-60k
  

“To be honest, although on paper many jobs state an Associates as a minimum, in reality you really need a Bachelors degree in criminal justice in order to be considered a worthwhile candidate for a position.”

“This is because of the candidate competition as most students and criminal justice job seekers now possess this.”

 

Associates of Arts (AA) Or Associates of Science (AS)

To be honest any of these degrees will stand you in good stead for a career in criminal justice and both contain other “basic core” topics such as maths, science, arts, humanities etc but just so you know the difference:

Associates of Arts:

• Less Specialized
• Often includes languages, literature and humanities
• Similar to an AS degree in terms of time

Associates of Science:

• Generally more specialised
• Often includes other topics such as biology or physics
• Often requires more time/classes than an AA.

Generally speaking if you are only interested in entry level roles and a general criminal justice knowledge then the AA or AS will be fine but if you are looking to go more into detail and plan on a career in criminal justice and are looking at higher level roles such as criminology then you should consider the AS.

Don’t stress too much about this though as all are good qualifications to have and highly regarded although nowadays you should be looking to get your Bachelor degree.

 

List Of Educational Institutions Offering An Associates Degree In Criminal Justice:

 

• American InterContinental University Online

• California Coast University

• Indiana Business College

• Everest CollegeEverest University Online

• RETS College

• Santa Barbara Business College

• University of Phoenix

• Saint Leo University

• Columbia College

• Colorado Technical University

• Virginia College

• Florida Tech University

• Liberty University Online

• Strayer University