Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice in Illinois
Updated October 8, 2026
Illinois has 31 colleges and universities offering a bachelor’s in criminal justice or a closely related field, per U.S. Department of Education data. Programs range from straight criminal justice to legal support, fire protection, and security-science tracks. Illinois’s law-enforcement certification runs separately, through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, not through any college degree.
If you’re weighing a criminal justice bachelor’s against other paths into the field, here’s what to know going in: Illinois’s law-enforcement certification process runs separately from any degree, and requirements vary by agency and by occupation. This guide covers what these programs generally cover, related career data for the state, and where to study in Illinois.
Illinois Law Enforcement Certification Runs Separately From Your Degree
A criminal justice bachelor’s doesn’t put you through Illinois’s law-enforcement certification process, and it isn’t a substitute for it. Every sworn police officer in Illinois must hold an active certification from the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board (ILETSB), created under the Illinois Police Training Act (50 ILCS 705). That means completing a certified basic training course (a minimum of 640 hours at the Illinois State Police Academy or another ILETSB-certified academy), passing a physical fitness test and psychological screening, and passing the board’s certification exam.
Hiring requirements, including whether a given department wants a degree, are set agency by agency and are separate from ILETSB’s training standards. Corrections, probation and parole, private security, and federal law enforcement each run their own certification or hiring pathway; none of them go through ILETSB’s police-training process.
Illinois Criminal Justice Law Is Still Being Rewritten
Illinois criminal justice work looks different than it did a decade ago—cash bail is gone, and officer oversight runs through a stronger board than it used to. Governor JB Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act (Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act) in January 2021, and its Pretrial Fairness Act component eliminated cash bail statewide starting September 2023, the first state in the country to do it. The same law also gave ILETSB binding authority to decertify officers for serious misconduct, including felony convictions and excessive force. Governor Pritzker was still defending the law and discussing possible legislative changes as of January 2026 (ABC7 Chicago, 2026).
What These Programs Generally Cover
Coursework varies by school, but bachelor’s programs in this field commonly run around four years and roughly 120 credits, often drawing on areas like criminological theory, research methods, and policing or corrections procedures. Exact requirements, course names, and credit counts differ by program, so check the specific catalog of any school you’re considering rather than assuming it matches another one.
Financial aid is worth chasing before you take out loans. Western Illinois University’s Macomb Area Crimestoppers John Bliven Law Enforcement Scholarship awards $600 a year to Law Enforcement and Justice Administration majors with a 3.0 GPA who graduated from a McDonough County high school (WIU, 2026). That’s a narrower fit than it sounds, so check the eligibility details before counting on it. Rend Lake College’s Foundation also runs scholarships open to criminal justice students; check its current listings for what’s available and when it’s due.
Related Occupations in Illinois
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officer
Illinois police and sheriff’s patrol officers earn a median $100,520 a year (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 data). The state projects approximately 2,460 average annual openings through 2034, alongside 5.2% overall employment growth over the same period (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34). Entry into the occupation runs through ILETSB certification, described above, which is separate from any college degree.
Correctional Officer
Illinois correctional officers and jailers earn a median of $79,190 a year (BLS, May 2025). ProjectionsCentral’s 2024-34 outlook shows an estimated 1,060 average annual openings alongside a projected 4.6% decline in overall employment. Those are two separate figures, not one causing the other. Corrections hiring and training in Illinois run through the Illinois Department of Corrections and individual county sheriffs, not through ILETSB’s police-certification pathway.
Detective and Criminal Investigator
Detectives and criminal investigators in Illinois earn a median $91,190 a year (BLS, May 2025), with about 220 average annual openings projected through 2034 on 2.9% growth (ProjectionsCentral, 2024-34). Many police detectives reach the role after time on patrol, but this broader BLS occupational category also covers investigators who enter through other routes, so don’t assume there’s a single path in.
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers and Detectives and Criminal Investigators and Correctional Officers and Jailers. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state-level data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed October 2026.
Where to Study Criminal Justice in Illinois
31 Illinois institutions offer a bachelor’s in a criminal justice-family program, per federal education data: most in straight Criminal Justice and Corrections, a handful layering in legal support, fire protection, security science, or homeland security options alongside it. These are different programs with different requirements, not 31 versions of the same degree.
| Institution | City | Control | Program Area(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aurora University | Aurora | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Benedictine University | Lisle | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Blackburn College | Carlinville | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Bradley University | Peoria | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Chicago State University | Chicago | Public | Criminal Justice |
| DeVry University-Illinois | Lisle | Private for-profit | Criminal Justice |
| Eastern Illinois University | Charleston | Public | Criminal Justice |
| Elmhurst University | Elmhurst | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Eureka College | Eureka | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Governors State University | University Park | Public | Criminal Justice |
| Greenville University | Greenville | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Illinois College | Jacksonville | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Illinois State University | Normal | Public | Criminal Justice, Legal Support Services |
| Judson University | Elgin | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Lewis University | Romeoville | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Fire Protection, Legal Support Services, Security Science and Technology, Protective Services (other) |
| Loyola University Chicago | Chicago | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Legal Support Services, Security Science and Technology |
| Millikin University | Decatur | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| North Park University | Chicago | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Northeastern Illinois University | Chicago | Public | Criminal Justice |
| Olivet Nazarene University | Bourbonnais | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Quincy University | Quincy | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Rasmussen University-Illinois | Rockford | Private for-profit | Criminal Justice |
| Roosevelt University | Chicago | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Legal Support Services |
| Saint Xavier University | Chicago | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Southern Illinois University-Carbondale | Carbondale | Public | Criminal Justice, Fire Protection, Legal Support Services |
| Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville | Edwardsville | Public | Criminal Justice |
| Trinity Christian College | Palos Heights | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| University of Illinois Chicago | Chicago | Public | Criminal Justice |
| University of Illinois Springfield | Springfield | Public | Criminal Justice |
| University of St Francis | Joliet | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Western Illinois University | Macomb | Public | Criminal Justice, Fire Protection, Protective Services (other) |
None of the institutions above carry a distance-only flag in federal education data, but that flag describes the institution’s overall registration, not whether this specific program runs on campus, online, or both. Confirm delivery format, current enrollment, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying; a program can be retired or folded into a different degree between the data’s collection date and the day you read this.
School and program data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, institution file May 2025 and field-of-study file April 2025. Data accessed October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a bachelor’s in criminal justice take in Illinois?
Most bachelor’s programs in this field are designed to run four years at a full-time pace, though exact credit requirements and timelines vary by school. Transfer credit from an associate degree can shorten that for some students. Confirm the specific timeline and format with the program you’re considering.
Do Illinois police departments require a four-year degree?
It depends on the agency. Illinois’s law-enforcement certification itself runs through the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board and doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, but individual departments set their own hiring preferences, and those vary. Check the specific requirements of the agency you want to work for.
What can I do with a criminal justice degree besides becoming a police officer?
Related occupations include corrections, probation and parole, and investigative work, along with fields like legal support, fire protection, or security management, depending on which program track you choose. Each of those fields carries its own separate education, licensing, or hiring requirements beyond the degree itself, so research the specific path you’re aiming for.
Is a criminal justice degree worth it if I want to work for a federal agency?
It can help. The FBI, for example, generally requires a bachelor’s degree as a baseline for Special Agent applicants, though not a criminal justice major specifically, and agents have to meet additional experience and eligibility requirements beyond holding a degree. Other federal agencies set their own requirements, so confirm them directly with whichever one you’re targeting.
Key Takeaways
- Illinois has 31 in-state options offering a bachelor’s in a criminal justice-family program, per federal education data, spanning straight criminal justice degrees alongside legal-support, fire-protection, and security-science tracks.
- A college degree and Illinois law-enforcement certification are two separate things. ILETSB handles training and certification standards for sworn officers; your bachelor’s program doesn’t replace that process.
- Pay differs by role. Illinois police and sheriff’s patrol officers and detectives report higher medians than correctional officers do, per May 2025 BLS data, though all three occupations carry their own separate entry requirements.
- Illinois criminal justice law is still moving. The SAFE-T Act rewired pretrial procedure and officer decertification authority starting in 2021-2023, and lawmakers were still discussing further changes as of January 2026.
If cost is what’s holding you back, start with the scholarships built for criminal justice majors before you look at loans. It covers eligibility, amounts, and deadlines for students in this field.
Want the bigger picture? Read the full guide to Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.