Puerto Rico Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Updated October 13, 2026

Puerto Rico has 34 colleges and universities offering a program in the criminal justice family, per federal education data, spanning criminal justice, legal support services, homeland security, and security science programs. Security guards and police officers are the largest of the territory’s tracked protective-service occupations, both projected to keep growing through 2034.

State Agency: Puerto Rico Justice Department

Puerto Rico runs its own hiring and training pipeline through the Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico (NPPR), its territorial police force. Before you pick a school or an entry point, it helps to know what the island’s own numbers on crime, job growth, and schools actually say.

Overview

Puerto Rico’s homicide rate has been among the highest of any U.S. jurisdiction for years. The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer put it at 18.1 per 100,000 residents in 2022, compared with a national rate of 6.3 that same year. The most recent island-specific count comes from the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics, which recorded 471 homicides across the territory in 2025.

In 2018, The Evening Standard reported a sharp rise in killings that it linked to the disruption following Hurricane Maria. It’s part of why Puerto Rico’s crime numbers have long drawn national attention, alongside the current figures above.

Featured Programs:

Sponsored School(s)

Liberty University

Featured Program: Criminal Justice Online Degree Programs

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Purdue Global

Featured Program: AS in Criminal Justice; BS in Criminal Justice with concentrations in Forensic Psychology; Homeland Security; Law Enforcement; MS in Criminal Justice

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Walden University

Featured Program: BS in Criminal Justice, MS in Criminal Justice, PhD in Criminal Justice, Graduate Certificate in Criminal Justice

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Arizona State University - Online

Featured Program: Criminology and Criminal Justice, BS

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Rasmussen University

Featured Program: Criminal Justice Associate; Criminal Justice Leadership and Management Bachelor's Degree; Law Enforcement Associate; Law Enforcement Academic Certificate

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Criminal Justice Education in Puerto Rico

Criminal justice programs vary by school, but many start with core coursework in criminology, criminal law and procedure, court procedures, and policing before you narrow into a specialization.

Some programs let you focus further, into areas like cybercrime, identity theft, or forensic and security science, once you’ve cleared the core coursework. Some also build in a supervised internship before graduation; check with each school on availability and requirements.

Paying for It

Puerto Rico students and schools take part in federal student aid programs, though your eligibility depends on your school, program, and the type of aid, the same as it would anywhere else. Learn more about scholarships in criminal justice by exploring our financial aid resources page before you commit to a program.

Where to Study Criminal Justice in Puerto Rico

Thirty-four institutions in Puerto Rico offer a program in the criminal justice family, per U.S. Department of Education data: most in criminal justice itself, with others in legal support services, homeland security, security science and technology, or the field’s federal “other protective services” category. All 34 are based on the island rather than registered as distance-only, though individual programs may still offer online or hybrid delivery; confirm format directly with the school.

School and program data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, institution file May 2025 and field-of-study file April 2025, per federal education data. Confirm current enrollment, format, and admission requirements directly with any school before applying. Data accessed October 2026.

Outlook for Criminal Justice Careers in Puerto Rico

This page’s wage data covers the 50 states, DC, and selected metro areas, but it doesn’t include a Puerto Rico row, so there’s no project-sourced dollar figure to publish here. The BLS does publish its own Puerto Rico wage estimates separately; they’re simply outside the file set behind this page. What this page can report directly is the territory’s own job-growth data, which does cover Puerto Rico, and which points toward steady, if uneven, demand through 2034.

Projected-growth percentages above are ProjectionsCentral’s own published figures and may not match a simple calculation from the rounded employment columns shown, that’s standard for government projections data, where the percentage is derived from unrounded source figures. Long-term (2024-34) job growth projections for Puerto Rico from the US Department of Labor-sponsored resource, ProjectionsCentral. Figures reflect territory-level projections, not school-specific information or a guarantee of employment. Data accessed October 2026.

One line worth a second look: Information Security Analysts are projected to grow 36% on the island through 2034, per ProjectionsCentral, the fastest rate of any occupation in this data set.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools in Puerto Rico offer a criminal justice program?

Thirty-four institutions across the island offer a program in the criminal justice family, per U.S. Department of Education data, ranging from undergraduate certificates to master’s degrees. Most are in criminal justice itself, with others covering legal support services, homeland security, and security science and technology.

Do I need a degree to become a police officer in Puerto Rico?

As of the Negociado de la Policía de Puerto Rico’s most recent cadet recruitment announcement (2024), the minimum requirements are a high school diploma, an age between 18 and 46, and a minimum height of 5’3″, not a college degree. You’ll still need to clear an entrance exam, a polygraph test, a physical fitness test, and a background investigation before you’re accepted as a cadet and sent to the Police Academy. These requirements have changed by legislative amendment several times in recent years, so confirm the current standard directly with the agency before you apply.

What’s the job outlook for security guards and police officers on the island?

Both are projected to grow through 2034, per ProjectionsCentral’s territory-level data: security guard positions by 10.8% and police and sheriff’s patrol officer positions by 2.9%. Security work is currently the larger of the two fields by a wide margin, at 26,660 jobs versus 11,930.

Can I complete a Puerto Rico criminal justice program online?

The federal data behind this page doesn’t break out which individual programs are offered online, only which institutions are registered as distance-only, and none of Puerto Rico’s 34 listed schools fall into that category. Contact a school directly to confirm whether a specific program runs online, in person, or hybrid.

Why does Puerto Rico’s homicide rate matter to someone considering this field?

Because it’s part of the environment you’d be working in. The FBI’s Crime Data Explorer put Puerto Rico’s 2022 homicide rate at roughly three times the national average, and the Puerto Rico Institute of Statistics recorded 471 homicides across the island in 2025, the most recent year on record.

Key Takeaways

• 34 institutions, five program areas – Criminal justice, legal support services, homeland security, security science and technology, and the federal “other protective services” category are all represented, per federal education data.
• Cadet entry doesn’t currently require a degree – As of the NPPR’s most recent recruitment announcement, a high school diploma is the minimum education requirement; confirm current standards with the agency directly, since they’ve changed by legislative amendment several times in recent years.
• Growth is real but uneven – Security guard and police officer roles are both expanding through 2034, while bailiff positions are projected to shrink slightly.
• No Puerto Rico wage figure on this page – That’s a gap in this page’s sourcing, not in BLS’s coverage; BLS does publish Puerto Rico wage data, it’s just outside the file set this page draws from.
• Security guard work needs its own license – A criminal justice credential alone doesn’t qualify you for private security work in Puerto Rico; the role is licensed separately under Ley Núm. 108 de 1965, through the Negociado de la Policía’s security licensing division.

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

Read: Scholarships for Criminal Justice Majors and Grad Students

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