Minnesota Criminal Justice Schools: Degrees, Licensing & Salary
Updated September 17, 2026
Minnesota requires every peace officer candidate to complete a Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) pathway approved by the state’s Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board), then pass the Peace Officer Licensing Examination, before an agency can hire and license them. Beyond policing, the state’s 42 criminal-justice-family schools also feed corrections, courts, and legal-support careers, with pay that varies sharply by role.
St. Paul was once a favored layover for Depression-era gangsters. John Dillinger, Ma Barker, and “Machine Gun” Kelly all passed through, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension traces its roots partly to cleaning that mess up. The agencies built to do that work are still hiring, and this page rounds up the state’s criminal justice schools in Minnesota, the licensing rules, and what the job actually pays.
Major Minnesota Cities
What Does It Take to Get Hired in Minnesota Law Enforcement?
Minnesota builds a college requirement directly into peace officer licensure. Every candidate has to complete a Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) pathway approved by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board). If you don’t already hold a degree, you’ll earn one from a regionally accredited school alongside your PPOE coursework, often at the same POST-certified school. If you already have a degree in any field, you don’t need another one; several POST-certified schools run PPOE-only programs built specifically for degree holders.
Either pathway ends at the same exam: Minnesota’s Peace Officer Licensing Examination. Passing it makes you license-eligible, not licensed. The actual peace officer license is issued only once a Minnesota law enforcement agency hires you into the role. Corrections and court-support careers are governed by each hiring agency’s own standards rather than the POST Board’s PPOE pathway.
What Degrees Can You Earn in a Minnesota Criminal Justice Program?
You’ll find options from a certificate through a doctorate connected to Minnesota, though not all in the same place. The state’s 42 in-campus institutions run programs from a one-year certificate through a master’s degree; the two doctoral options tied to Minnesota, at Capella University and Walden University, are online-only. Common credentials at the in-state schools include:
Most bachelor’s programs run about 120 credits, split roughly evenly between general-education coursework and your criminal justice major. Expect a curriculum built around:
Some programs include internships, capstones, or research projects near the end of the degree, giving you hands-on experience before you graduate. Check with your specific program to see what’s required.
Where Can You Study Criminal Justice in Minnesota?
Per U.S. Department of Education data, 42 Minnesota institutions offer a program somewhere in the criminal justice family (criminal justice, legal support, security science, homeland security, or fire protection) at some credential level, from certificate through master’s. Two more, both online-only, offer programs through the doctoral level. A sample of in-state schools:
| Institution | City | Type | Credential Levels Offered |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State University-Mankato | Mankato | Public, 4-year | Bachelor’s, Master’s, Graduate certificate |
| University of Minnesota-Crookston | Crookston | Public, 4-year | Bachelor’s |
| Metropolitan State University | Saint Paul | Public, 4-year | Undergraduate certificate, Bachelor’s, Master’s |
| Winona State University | Winona | Public, 4-year | Bachelor’s |
| Hamline University | Saint Paul | Private nonprofit, 4-year | Undergraduate certificate, Bachelor’s, Graduate certificate |
| Century College | White Bear Lake | Public, 2-year | Undergraduate certificate, Associate |
| Minneapolis Community and Technical College | Minneapolis | Public, 2-year | Undergraduate certificate, Associate |
| Normandale Community College | Bloomington | Public, 2-year | Undergraduate certificate, Associate |
| Dakota County Technical College | Rosemount | Public, 2-year | Undergraduate certificate, Associate |
| St Catherine University | Saint Paul | Private nonprofit, 4-year | Bachelor’s |
This isn’t every school in the state. Use the state finder below to browse the rest. Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying; federal data lags a school’s own catalog by several months. If a program is meant to satisfy Minnesota peace-officer education requirements specifically, verify its PPOE certification status with the POST Board or the school’s PPOE coordinator, not just the school’s general admissions office.
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.
What Do Criminal Justice Careers in Minnesota Pay?
| Career | Median Annual Wage (May 2025) | Projected Job Growth (2024-34) |
|---|---|---|
| Probation Officer | $81,580 | +4.5% |
| Correctional Officer | $66,040 | -5.7% |
| Paralegal | $75,570 | +1.6% |
| Police Officer | $83,360 | +4.5% |
| Detective | $80,000 | +3.6% |
Notice the gap between corrections and patrol work: a correctional officer’s median wage sits nearly $18,000 below a police officer’s, and it’s the only role in this table with a shrinking headcount, projected to lose about 230 positions statewide by 2034. Probation work pays closer to patrol and is growing at the same 4.5% clip.
May 2025 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary figures for Probation Officers, Correctional Officers, Paralegals, and Police Officers 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 September 2026.
Where Are the Jobs in Minnesota Criminal Justice?
Patrol work carries the most volume by far: Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers is the largest of the occupations tracked here, with about 810 average annual openings projected through 2034. Correctional Officers and Jailers is the one role in this group with a shrinking headcount, but turnover still generates an estimated 320 openings a year, so hiring doesn’t stop just because the total count is falling. Beyond patrol and corrections, Minnesota agencies also regularly hire for:
Long-term (2024-34) job growth and average annual openings from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect state-level projections; conditions in your area may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a college degree to become a police officer in Minnesota?
Yes. Every peace officer candidate has to complete a Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) pathway approved by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training, earning a postsecondary degree along the way if you don’t already have one. Passing the state’s Peace Officer Licensing Examination makes you license-eligible; the license itself is issued once a Minnesota agency hires you.
How many criminal justice schools are in Minnesota?
Per federal education data, 42 in-state institutions offer a program in the criminal justice family at some credential level, from certificate through master’s, plus two online-only universities offering programs through the doctoral level.
What’s the difference between a correctional officer’s pay and a police officer’s pay in Minnesota?
As of May 2025 BLS data, a Minnesota correctional officer earns a median of $66,040 a year against $83,360 for a police officer, a gap of roughly $17,000.
Is an online criminal justice degree accepted by Minnesota agencies?
For peace officer licensure specifically, what matters is whether the program satisfies the Minnesota POST Board’s PPOE and degree requirements, not the delivery format on its own. Verify a program’s PPOE status directly with the POST Board or the school’s PPOE coordinator before enrolling. For corrections, court-support, and other non-licensed roles, requirements are set by the individual employer.
What pays more in Minnesota criminal justice: corrections or probation?
Probation work. A Minnesota probation officer’s May 2025 median wage of $81,580 runs about $15,500 above a correctional officer’s, and probation’s job outlook is also stronger.
Key Takeaways
- Minnesota builds a degree requirement into peace officer licensure – every candidate completes a POST Board-approved PPOE pathway and passes the state’s Peace Officer Licensing Examination, though passing the exam makes you license-eligible, not yet licensed.
- The school options are broad – 42 in-state institutions, per federal education data, span a one-year certificate through a master’s, and two online-only universities add doctoral options.
- Pay varies sharply by role – probation officers and police officers both clear $80,000 at the median (May 2025 BLS), while correctional officers sit closer to $66,000 with a shrinking 2024-34 outlook.
- Patrol work has the most volume, with about 810 average annual openings projected statewide through 2034.
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, award amounts, and deadlines.
Read: Criminal Justice Scholarships and Financial Aid
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