Find Atlanta Criminal Justice Schools Near You
Updated September 25, 2026
Atlanta has at least six colleges offering a criminal justice program in the city, including a bachelor’s at Clark Atlanta and a Ph.D. at Georgia State. Certification to become a Georgia peace officer runs through the statewide Georgia POST Council, not any single department, and includes a POST entrance exam and Basic Law Enforcement Training.
Atlanta runs on more than 1,700 sworn officers, spread across units like Cyber Crimes, Mounted Patrol, and the DUI Task Force, alongside corrections officers, detectives, and the paralegals and legal staff who support the courts. Getting into any of these fields starts with picking a school, in the city or online.
The programs above are sponsored options built for online and flexible schedules. If you’d rather study in person, several schools inside Atlanta proper teach criminal justice too, everything from a certificate to a doctorate. That list is further down this page.
In Georgia, becoming a certified peace officer runs through the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (Georgia POST), not through any single police department. POST sets the statewide floor: candidates pass a job-related entrance exam, though Georgia law lets a qualifying degree from a regionally accredited school satisfy that particular requirement, then complete POST’s Basic Law Enforcement Training course before an agency can swear them in. From there, individual departments add their own hiring steps on top. The Atlanta Police Department posts its current pay scale and full benefits directly, since department pay varies and changes over time.
Getting to campus doesn’t require a car. MARTA runs rail and bus lines across the city, enough to get you to class, downtown for an internship, or to a ride-along.
Criminal Justice Education in Atlanta
Georgia’s public and private schools price criminal justice degrees very differently, so it’s worth comparing more than one before you commit. Degree length varies too: an associate’s degree typically runs about two years of full-time study, a bachelor’s about four.
Both paths carry general education requirements alongside the criminal justice coursework, math, English, science, and humanities among them. On the criminal justice side, expect classes like these:
- Criminal justice ethics
- Policing and corrections procedures
- Criminology
- Victimology
Tuition swings widely by school. At Georgia State University, 2026-27 per-semester bachelor’s tuition runs $4,635 for Georgia residents and $15,450 for non-residents, before fees and other costs, so confirm current rates directly before budgeting.
A few Atlanta-area organizations are worth joining before you graduate. The American Criminal Justice Association runs several local chapters, the Atlanta Police Foundation supports the department directly, and paralegal students can look to the Georgia Association of Paralegals.
Schools Offering Criminal Justice Programs in Atlanta
At least six institutions inside the city of Atlanta offer a criminal justice program at some credential level, per U.S. Department of Education data:
| School | Type | Credential Levels Offered |
|---|---|---|
| Georgia State University | Public | Bachelor’s, Master’s, Ph.D. in Criminal Justice and Criminology |
| Clark Atlanta University | Private nonprofit | Bachelor’s, Master’s |
| Atlanta Metropolitan State College | Public | Undergraduate certificate, Bachelor’s |
| Atlanta Technical College | Public | Undergraduate certificate, Associate |
| American InterContinental University-Atlanta | Private for-profit | Associate, Bachelor’s (largely online, with an on-campus option) |
| Herzing University-Atlanta | Private nonprofit | Associate, Bachelor’s (per federal data, though confirm directly: the school’s current Atlanta campus page lists IT, Business, and Nursing as its focus) |
Atlanta Technical College also offers programs in fire protection, legal support services, and security science and technology. These sit in the same federal program family as criminal justice but are separate credentials, not versions of a criminal justice degree. Program delivery, in-person, online, or both, varies by school and can change between terms. Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying.
Job Outlook and Pay for Criminal Justice Careers in Atlanta
Security guards in the Atlanta metro area earn a median $35,150 a year, per May 2025 BLS wage data. Georgia’s security guard workforce is separately projected to grow 6% through 2034, per ProjectionsCentral. Correctional officers and jailers earn a median $49,380 a year in the metro, while Georgia’s corrections workforce is projected to shrink 5% through 2034.
Detectives and criminal investigators earn a median of $69,900 a year in the Atlanta metro, with Georgia projecting about 2% growth in the role through 2034. Police and sheriff’s patrol officers earn a median $60,910 in the metro, with the role projected to grow 6.5% statewide over the same period. First-line supervisors of correctional officers earn a median $61,580 in Atlanta. No state or national growth projection is available yet for that specific title. These are occupation-wide medians, not a guaranteed starting wage or a return on any particular degree.
| Occupation | Median Annual Wage, Atlanta Metro | Georgia Job Growth, 2024–34 |
|---|---|---|
| Security Guards | $35,150 | +6% |
| Correctional Officers and Jailers | $49,380 | −5% |
| Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers | $60,910 | +6.5% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers | $61,580 | Not available |
| Detectives and Criminal Investigators | $69,900 | +1.9% |
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Security Guards, Correctional Officers and Jailers, and Police and Detectives, scoped to the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA metro area. Long-term (2024-34) Georgia job growth projections from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect metro-area wages and state-level growth projections, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed September 2026.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a college degree to become a police officer in Atlanta?
Not statewide. Georgia POST requires a high school diploma or GED at minimum, a passing score on its entrance exam or a qualifying degree in place of that specific requirement, and completion of Basic Law Enforcement Training. Individual departments, including Atlanta PD, can add their own requirements on top of that floor.
What’s the difference between Georgia POST and the Atlanta Police Department?
Georgia POST certifies peace officers statewide and sets the training and testing floor every department has to meet. Atlanta PD is one of more than a thousand employing agencies in Georgia. It hires officers who meet or exceed that floor and layers its own department-specific process on top.
How long does a criminal justice degree take in Atlanta?
An associate’s degree typically runs about two years of full-time study, and a bachelor’s about four. Both include general education courses alongside criminal justice coursework.
Which criminal justice careers pay the most in the Atlanta area?
Among the occupations tracked here, detectives and criminal investigators post the highest median, $69,900 a year in the Atlanta metro, per May 2025 BLS wage data, followed by first-line supervisors of correctional officers at $61,580. These are occupation-wide medians, not a promised starting wage for any particular school or degree.
Key Takeaways
- At least six schools, right in Atlanta – from a certificate at Atlanta Technical College to a Ph.D. at Georgia State, per federal education data.
- Georgia POST, not any one department, sets the floor – statewide entrance exam and Basic Law Enforcement Training requirements apply before an agency like Atlanta PD adds its own hiring steps.
- Growth is uneven by role – Georgia projects patrol officer jobs growing 6.5% through 2034, even as corrections officer jobs shrink 5%.
- MARTA covers the commute – you don’t need a car to reach any of Atlanta’s in-city schools or an internship downtown.
Before you apply anywhere, compare at least two schools on cost and format, and check Georgia POST’s own requirements before assuming any one department’s hiring rules are universal. The sponsored programs above and the school list in this guide are a reasonable place to start.
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Looking beyond this city? Read the full guide to Criminal Justice Schools in Georgia.