Alabama Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Updated September 25, 2026

Alabama has 37 colleges and universities offering a criminal justice program, from a certificate to a master’s degree, according to federal education data. Most law enforcement jobs in the state don’t require a degree to start, but agencies may factor education into hiring, specialized assignments, or pay, depending on the employer. Median pay ranges from $46,660 for correctional officers to $66,290 for detectives, as of May 2025 BLS wage data.

Alabama covers more than 52,400 square miles and is home to nearly five million residents. A criminal justice degree isn’t required for most entry-level law enforcement jobs here, but it’s one of the more direct paths in, and it matters more the higher up the ladder you want to go.

Whether you’re weighing a two-year associate degree against going straight into a local academy, or you already work in corrections or security and want to move up, Alabama’s schools cover the full range.

State Agency: Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center

Featured Programs:

Criminal Justice Careers and Requirements in Alabama

Criminal-justice careers in Alabama span municipal, county, state, and federal agencies, with different hiring and certification requirements. Individual agencies set their own hiring bar, but any sworn law-enforcement officer in the state must also clear certification from the Alabama Peace Officers’ Standards and Training Commission (APOSTC). If you’re applying with only a high school diploma or GED, APOSTC generally requires the Basic Ability Test (BAT), based on ACT WorkKeys, unless you already hold a qualifying associate degree or higher, which exempts you. Academy candidates also go through physical and psychological evaluations before certification.

Sworn state positions, including the Alabama Highway Patrol and Marine Patrol, both run under the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), follow the same APOSTC standards in addition to their own agency-specific hiring steps. The Alabama Criminal Justice Information Center handles the state’s criminal-justice information systems as part of ALEA’s CJIS division; certification standards are APOSTC’s job, not ACJIC’s.

Federal law enforcement doesn’t have one universal degree requirement either. FBI special agents need at least a bachelor’s degree, or an advanced degree, before the Bureau will consider them, and Alabama has FBI field offices in Birmingham and Mobile. Other federal agencies work differently: a Border Patrol Agent applicant can qualify through a year of general experience, a bachelor’s degree, or a combination of the two depending on grade level, plus a required entrance exam.

Alabama’s 67 county sheriff’s departments each handle law enforcement for their county, alongside city police departments in the state’s incorporated municipalities. Several state agencies also hire investigators outside sworn law enforcement, including the Department of Human Resources, the Alabama Securities Commission, and the Alabama State Department of Insurance. A handful of Alabama university systems run their own sworn police departments, including the University of Alabama, Wallace State Community College, and Southern Union State Community College. Auburn University instead receives its law-enforcement coverage from the City of Auburn Police Department under contract.

Some of the courses you’ll take on the way to a degree:

An Introduction to Courts and Corrections
Criminology
Federal Rules of Evidence
Criminal Law
Constitutional Law
Criminal Procedures
Police Ethics
Race, Class and Gender
An Introduction to Gangs

Expect heavy reading on the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments specifically. Some programs offer internships, practicums, or other experiential-learning opportunities; requirements vary by school and degree.

Where to Study Criminal Justice in Alabama

Thirty-seven Alabama institutions offer a program in the criminal-justice family, per U.S. Department of Education data, spread across every credential level from a certificate to a master’s. Two of them, Amridge University and Columbia Southern University, are distance-only and listed here because that’s where they’re registered, not because you’d set foot on a campus.

Institution	City	Control	Credential Levels Offered
The University of Alabama	Tuscaloosa	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
Auburn University at Montgomery	Montgomery	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
University of Alabama at Birmingham	Birmingham	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
Troy University	Troy	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s, Undergraduate certificate
Jacksonville State University	Jacksonville	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
Alabama State University	Montgomery	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
University of North Alabama	Florence	Public	Bachelor’s, Master’s
Faulkner University	Montgomery	Private nonprofit	Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s
Samford University	Birmingham	Private nonprofit	Undergraduate certificate, Bachelor’s, Post-baccalaureate certificate
Jefferson State Community College	Birmingham	Public	Associate, Undergraduate certificate
Gadsden State Community College	Gadsden	Public	Associate, Undergraduate certificate
Chattahoochee Valley Community College	Phenix City	Public	Associate, Undergraduate certificate
Columbia Southern University*	Orange Beach	Private for-profit	Associate, Bachelor’s, Master’s, Undergraduate certificate
Amridge University*	Montgomery	Private nonprofit	Associate, Bachelor’s

*Distance-only program; not an in-state campus.

This is a representative sample of the 37 institutions, not the full list, chosen for degree-level range across public and private schools.

Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying. 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 September 2026.

Alabama Salary and Job Outlook for Criminal Justice Careers

As of May 2025 BLS wage data, pay across Alabama’s criminal justice careers varies more by the badge you carry than by the degree behind it. Median pay for correctional officers is lower than for detectives, and the growth outlook is just as uneven: corrections is shrinking in Alabama while patrol and investigative roles are adding jobs.

Career	Alabama Median Wage (May 2025)	Job Growth (2024-34)	Avg. Annual Openings
Correctional Officer	$46,660	-7.1%	390
Paralegal	$47,260	+0.1%	580
Police Officer	$51,270	+4%	940
Probation Officer	$61,050	+2%	100
Detective	$66,290	+2%	90

May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Probation Officer, Correctional Officer, Paralegal, Police Officer, and Detective. 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 September 2026.

Looking for a Criminal Justice Certificate Program in Another State?

If Alabama isn’t where you plan to work, or you’re comparing programs before you commit, search any other state below for its own schools, salary data, and hiring requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a college degree to become a police officer in Alabama?

No. Alabama agencies set their own hiring requirements, but every sworn officer must also clear APOSTC certification, including the Basic Ability Test for applicants without a qualifying degree. A degree isn’t required to start, though some agencies may weigh it in hiring, specialized assignments, or pay.

How much do criminal justice jobs pay in Alabama?

It depends heavily on the role. As of May 2025 BLS data, median pay ranges from $46,660 for correctional officers up to $66,290 for detectives, with police officers, probation officers, and paralegals falling in between.

Which Alabama schools offer a criminal justice degree without requiring campus attendance?

Amridge University and Columbia Southern University are both registered in Alabama and listed as distance-only in federal education data, meaning their programs are designed for students who won’t attend in person.

Is a criminal justice job in Alabama a growing field?

It depends on the job. Alabama’s 2024-34 projections show police officer and detective roles growing, paralegal roles holding roughly flat, and correctional officer positions shrinking by about 7%, per ProjectionsCentral.

What’s the difference between an associate and a bachelor’s degree for a criminal justice career in Alabama?

An associate degree can meet some agencies’ preferred education line and get you into the field faster. A bachelor’s is required for some federal roles, like FBI special agent, and some agencies may weigh it for specialized assignments or promotion, though policies vary by employer.

Key Takeaways

Most Alabama law enforcement jobs don’t require a degree to start – agencies set their own hiring bar, but every sworn officer still has to clear APOSTC certification.
A bachelor’s degree is required for some federal roles, not all of them – FBI special agents need one; agencies like Border Patrol offer alternate paths through experience or a mix of education and experience.
Median pay varies by role, not by school – correctional officers median $46,660 versus $66,290 for detectives, per May 2025 BLS data.
37 Alabama institutions offer a criminal justice program at some credential level, per federal education data, including two distance-only options.
Corrections hiring is shrinking while patrol and investigative roles grow – worth factoring in before you pick a specialty.

If cost is what’s holding you back, start with the scholarships built for criminal justice students before you look at loans. It covers eligibility, award amounts, and deadlines.

Read: Scholarships for Criminal Justice Majors and Grad Students