Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Programs in Wisconsin
Wisconsin has 20 colleges and universities offering a bachelor’s-level program in the criminal justice family, per federal education data, though program length, credit requirements, and internship components vary by school. A typical bachelor’s runs around four years. Degree requirements for law enforcement employment and promotion vary by agency, so confirm specifics with any department or school you’re considering.
Wisconsin’s criminal justice caseload runs the full range, from a stolen ambulance that triggered a cross-county pursuit in 2015 to a husband-and-wife funeral-home burglary ring that stripped cash and valuables off corpses before services. A bachelor’s in criminal justice is the degree most often named alongside careers in law enforcement, corrections, and the courts, though exact requirements and outcomes vary by agency and employer. Here’s what the degree generally covers, where to earn it in Wisconsin, and a related occupation worth knowing the numbers on.
What a Criminal Justice Bachelor’s Degree Covers
A bachelor’s in criminal justice typically runs four years and around 120 credits, a common benchmark for four-year degrees generally. Exact credit totals, required courses, and any internship or practicum component are set by each individual program, so pull the specific requirements from any school you’re seriously considering rather than assuming they’re identical.
Coursework Commonly Included
Programs like this one often include courses such as Criminal Law, Criminology, Principles of Corrections, Statistics in Social Research, and a research-methods or current-issues survey course, though the specific list and sequencing differ by school. Pull the actual course catalog from any program you’re considering rather than assuming this list is the required core everywhere.
Internships Vary by Program
Many criminal justice bachelor’s programs build in an internship or practicum before graduation, placed with a law enforcement agency, a corrections facility, a court, or another criminal-justice-adjacent employer. This isn’t universal, though, and the details differ by school. Confirm whether a specific Wisconsin program requires one, and where it places students, directly with that school.
Where to Study Criminal Justice in Wisconsin
Twenty Wisconsin institutions offer a bachelor’s-level program somewhere in the federal criminal-justice-program family, per U.S. Department of Education data. That family covers more than the Criminal Justice major itself: it also includes adjacent fields like Fire Protection, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology, and Legal Support Services, so not every school on this list offers an identical Criminal Justice degree. Check the specific program name at each one. None of the twenty are flagged as distance-only institutions in federal data, though that’s an institution-level designation, not confirmation of how any single program is actually delivered. Confirm current enrollment, course format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying, since federal reporting data lags what’s on a school’s own site.
| Institution | City | Type | CJ-Family Programs Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee | Milwaukee | Public | Criminal Justice |
| University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire | Eau Claire | Public | Criminal Justice |
| University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh | Oshkosh | Public | Criminal Justice, Fire Protection |
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside | Kenosha | Public | Criminal Justice |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville | Platteville | Public | Criminal Justice, Security Science and Technology |
| University of Wisconsin-Superior | Superior | Public | Criminal Justice |
| Bryant & Stratton College-Wauwatosa | Wauwatosa | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Carroll University | Waukesha | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Carthage College | Kenosha | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Concordia University-Wisconsin | Mequon | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Edgewood College | Madison | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Herzing University-Brookfield | Brookfield | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Legal Support Services |
| Herzing University-Kenosha | Kenosha | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Legal Support Services |
| Herzing University-Madison | Madison | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Legal Support Services |
| Marian University | Fond Du Lac | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology |
| Mount Mary University | Milwaukee | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Ottawa University-Milwaukee | Brookfield | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Rasmussen University-Wisconsin | Green Bay | Private for-profit | Criminal Justice |
| Viterbo University | La Crosse | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
| Wisconsin Lutheran College | Milwaukee | Private nonprofit | Criminal Justice |
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.
Paying for the Degree in Wisconsin
One state-specific option worth checking: the Wisconsin Sheriff’s and Deputy Sheriff’s Association runs an annual scholarship for Wisconsin residents pursuing a criminal justice or law enforcement certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree, worth up to $500 and requiring a short essay. The 2025-26 cycle opened December 15, 2025. Confirm current deadlines and eligibility directly with the association before you apply, since scholarship terms change from year to year.
Law Enforcement Certification in Wisconsin
Earning this degree doesn’t by itself make you a certified Wisconsin law enforcement officer. Certification runs through the state’s Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB), part of the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Division of Law Enforcement Services, which sets the training and eligibility standards for law enforcement, tribal law enforcement, jail, and secure-detention officers statewide. Certification requires completing a 720-hour academy program at an LESB-certified academy.
That’s a state training and certification standard, and it’s separate from any individual agency’s own hiring process, which typically layers on its own entrance exam, physical fitness testing, a background investigation, and sometimes a preferred or required education level. Those requirements vary by department and by position, so confirm them directly with any agency you’re applying to. Corrections officers, private security roles, and federal law enforcement each follow their own separate hiring and training standards, not the LESB framework above.
A Related Occupation to Know the Numbers On
Promotion within Wisconsin’s criminal justice system, into a supervisory role or otherwise, depends on the hiring agency’s own criteria: experience, exams, performance record, and sometimes additional training. It isn’t set by holding a particular degree.
One related occupation worth knowing the numbers on: First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives (SOC 33-1012). May 2025 BLS wage data puts Wisconsin employment at 2,080 for this role, with a median salary of $97,120. That BLS wage-survey employment count uses a different methodology than ProjectionsCentral‘s separate 2024-34 state outlook, which works from a 1,840 base and projects a decline of about 10 positions by 2034, alongside roughly 120 average annual openings, a measure of turnover, not net new jobs. This is a supervisory, experienced-level occupation, not an entry-level one, and reaching it depends on the hiring agency, not on holding this degree specifically.
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives. 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a criminal justice bachelor’s degree take in Wisconsin?
Programs commonly run around four years and 120 credits, the typical length for a bachelor’s degree generally, but exact credit totals, course sequencing, and any internship or practicum requirement are set by each individual program. Confirm the specifics with the school you’re considering rather than assuming every program matches.
Do Wisconsin police departments require a bachelor’s degree?
Wisconsin law enforcement officer certification is governed by the state’s Law Enforcement Standards Board (LESB), which requires completing a 720-hour academy program at an LESB-certified academy. That’s a state training and certification standard, separate from any individual agency’s own hiring requirements, which can include their own entrance exam, physical testing, background investigation, and preferred or required education level. Those requirements vary by department and position, so check with the specific agency you’re applying to.
What’s the difference between an associate and a bachelor’s in criminal justice?
An associate degree is typically a two-year credential; a bachelor’s adds roughly two more years, often with more research-methods and theory coursework. Which level a given agency, position, or graduate program actually requires varies, so check the specific requirement for the job or program you’re targeting rather than assuming one degree level automatically qualifies you.
Are any of these Wisconsin programs offered online?
Program delivery format isn’t something federal education data tracks at the individual-program level. None of the 20 Wisconsin institutions above are flagged as distance-only at the institution level, but that doesn’t confirm how any single criminal justice program is delivered. Contact the school’s admissions office directly to confirm whether a specific program runs online, in person, or as a hybrid.
Key Takeaways
- Four years, about 120 credits is typical – but exact requirements, internships, and course sequencing are set by each individual program, confirm with the school.
- 20 in-state options – across Criminal Justice and adjacent fields like Homeland Security, Security Science and Technology, Fire Protection, and Legal Support Services, per federal education data; not every school offers an identical program.
- Certification and hiring are two different things – the state’s LESB sets training and certification standards, but each agency layers on its own hiring requirements, and those vary by department and position.
- $97,120 median for a related occupation, First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives in Wisconsin (May 2025 BLS), a supervisory role this degree doesn’t guarantee on its own.
If covering four years of tuition is the sticking point, start with what’s actually earmarked for you before you touch loans. The Wisconsin Sheriff’s and Deputy Sheriff’s Association’s annual scholarship is open to Wisconsin residents pursuing a criminal justice or law enforcement degree right now, confirm the current deadline and terms with the association directly.