Below is a list of all of the Online PhD in Criminal Justice Programs we could find, from over 1,800 schools across the US.
From mystery novels to crime dramas the criminal justice system captures the public's curiosity and imagination. The PhD in criminal justice degree delves beneath the surface to help learners not only ask deeper questions about the criminal justice system - but also to answer them. The highest academic degree within the field of criminal justice, the PhD serves to foster a thorough understanding of criminal justice theory, methods of criminal justice, and the criminal justice system itself. Students emerge with the ability to independently conduct research in the field, to serve as teaching faculty in educational institutions and to work as practitioners in a broad range of settings such as public policy research institutions and government institutions.
Doctoral (PhD) programs in criminal justice are some of the last criminal justice degrees to find their way online. As a result, only a few such programs exist and with several caveats. The first is that most come with a hefty price tag, particularly in comparison to the cost of an on-campus degree. Brick and mortar, full-time doctoral programs are often free; the institutions cover the cost of tuition for accepted students while also providing a small living stipend in exchange for teaching assistant work. Further, a huge component of a traditional doctoral degree is the relationship between a student and his or her academic advisor - it may be harder to get as much from the advising process online. Additionally, on-campus PhD programs typically require only a bachelor's degree for admission - students earn a master's degree en route to their doctorate degree. Most online criminal justice degree programs require students have a master's degree to apply. Finally, as of right now, the handful of online PhD programs that do exist tend to be affiliated with institutions that are either exclusively online, or are for-profit universities. Although employer attitudes toward non-traditional degrees are changing, it's important to keep in mind that some employers, especially within academia, may have different attitudes when it comes to the online PhD.
Online criminal justice PhD programs are a good fit for those already enmeshed in a criminal justice career in which attaining a PhD would result in a promotion or raise. For those students, the online PhD offers the ability to work and study, while increasing their career prospects. For those not already in the field and for those whose primary goal it is to secure an academic teaching position, the online PhD in criminal justice may not be as well-suited.
Students take courses on either a semester or quarterly basis and degrees take between three to seven years of study to complete, depending on the number of courses taken each semester. The first 2.5 to 3.5 years involve specific coursework while the remaining time is spent working on a dissertation. Courses are offered in an asynchronous format - students sign on, respond to message boards and read professors' notes whenever it is convenient for them. Beyond a broad criminal justice overview, online doctoral programs typically offer the opportunity for students to concentrate on subfields within criminal justice including forensic psychology, terrorism, comparative criminal justice, social psychology, juvenile justice, forensic science, and policy analysis.
Admission into an online PhD program in criminal justice requires a master's degree in criminal justice or in a related field such as criminology, political science or sociology; letters of reference; and a statement of intent. Careers with a PhD in criminal justice are varied. Many graduates go on to work at institutions overseeing security programs or within local, state or federal law enforcement agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Central Intelligence Agency, or the National Security agency.
The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research (http://www.sccjr.ac.uk/) provides high quality research about the creation, application and assessment of criminal justice policy. The General Blog of Crime (http://www.generalblogofcrime.com/) is run by a group of grad school friends who happen to be criminologists. They cover all aspects of crime ranging from news and politics to the issues of the death penalty and wrongful convictions. The United States Department of Justice, http://www.justice.gov/, is the nation's "primary federal criminal investigation and enforcement agency" and has significant opportunities for criminal justice research.
Please feel free to contact the schools using the links below. You should try to contact multiple schools to get a good range of programs to compare, since they offen differ widely in terms of tuition, admissions requirements, and even how truly "online" they are. We tried to restrict this list to the programs that appeared to be all, or nearly all, online, but it’s still best to confirm the details directly with the schools.
