Program Design
A system of criminal justice must meet the needs of each citizen as well as the needs of complex social, economic, and governmental institutions. The Bachelor of Arts degree program in criminal justice was developed with these needs in mind and is appropriate for both career-bound preservice students and in-service personnel in law enforcement, probation, parole, corrections, social service agencies and related areas.
Program Format
- The program is 100% online and can be completed from the convenience of your home and your schedule.
- A semester will consist of two sessions (session 1 and session 2). Each session is approximately seven weeks long and courses are delivered in an accelerated format.
- During the CEGE registration period, eligible students will receive an enrollment request form from the program.*
- Students are enrolled for the program courses by the Academic Advisor.*
- Students will follow a student program plan, which is developed by the Academic Advisor.
- Total units required for graduation: 120
Elective Courses
As part of the degree requirement students will complete six elective courses. The Criminal Justice Online program offers an array of elective courses each term. Selected elective courses will be offered intermittently throughout the academic year. The elective courses for the current academic year are: Women and Crime, White Collar Crimes, Gangs, Forensic Profiling, Domestic Violence, Hate Crime and Law, Justice and the Media, Wildlife Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security*, Criminal Procedure, Victimology, Law and the Courts, Crime Prevention, Correctional Administration, Community Corrections, Correctional Counseling, Police Administration, Community Policing.
Homeland Security Certificate
The Homeland Security Certificate is an option for those who are interested in furthering their development and understanding of this exciting field. The six courses will count towards the elective course degree requirement of the program, as well as, the culmination of the Homeland Security Certificate issued by the College of Extended and Global Education.
The six elective courses will be reflected on a CSUSB transcript as academic credit only. Please note, the Homeland Security Certificate issued by the College of Extended and Global Education will not appear on any unofficial or official CSUSB transcript.
To earn the Homeland Security Certificate students must complete the following elective courses (listed below).
- CJUS 4465 – Hate Crime & Law Policy
- CJUS 5504 – Criminal Procedure
- CJUS 5554 – Terrorism
- CJUS 5555 – Homeland Security
- CJUS 5556 – Transnational Organized Crime
- CJUS 5903 – Cybercrime
Program Recognition
We are proud of the prestigious recognitions and rankings that CSUSB's Criminal Justice Online program has received throughout the years. In 2021 CSUSB was ranked #1 in California by Best Value Schools, as "one of the finest criminal justice colleges in California offering online degrees"!
2022: Ranked #34 in “Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs by U.S. News & World Report
2022: Ranked #32 “Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice” by OnlineMastersDegrees.org (OMD)
2022: Ranked #7 in “Best Online Colleges in California - Best for Criminal Justice” (Intelligent.com)
2022: Ranked #8 in “Best Master’s in Criminal Justice Degree Programs - Best Value” (Intelligent.com)
2022: Ranked #10 in “Best Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs for Best Advisors” (Intelligent.com)
2022: Ranked #14 in “Most Affordable Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs - Best in the Pacific Region” (Intelligent.com)
2022: Ranked #15 in “Best Online Master’s in Criminal Justice Programs for Nationally Recognized Faculty”(Intelligent.com)
2021: The Master’s Program was ranked #4 in “15 Best Online MA Programs in Criminal Justice, 2021” (Best Value Schools)
2021: Ranked #1 in the State of California for our fully online Criminal Justice BA Degree Completion Program in CEGE (Best Value Schools)
2021: Ranked #38 in "Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs" (U.S. News and World Report)
2020: Ranked #18 in “Top 50 Criminal Justice Degree Programs for 2020” (Intelligent.com)
2020: Ranked #35 in “Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs” (U.S. News and World Report)
2019: Ranked #30 in “Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs” (U.S. News and World Report)
2018: Ranked #21 in “Best Online Masters in Criminal Justice Degree Program, 2018” (College Choice)
2018: Ranked #34 in “Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs” (U.S. News and World Report)
2018: Ranked #39 in 'The Top 50 Institutions for Online Master of Criminal Justice Degree Programs' (Master's Programs Guide)
2017: Ranked #19 in 'The 30 Best Online Bachelor of Criminal Justice Degree Programs' (The Best Schools)
2017: The Master's Program was ranked #15 in 'The 25 Best Online Master of Criminal Justice Degree Programs' (The Best Schools)
2016: Ranked #2 in 'The 25 Best Online Bachelor's in Criminal Justice Degree Programs' (The Center for Online Education)
2016: Ranked #7 in the 'Top 30 Best Online Criminal Justice Degree Programs (Bachelor's) 2016' (Best Degree Programs)
2016: The Master's Program was ranked #4 in “Most Affordable online Master’s in Criminal Justice Program” (Collegevaluesonline)
2016: The Master's Program was ranked #12 in “Best Online Masters in Criminal Justice Degree Program, 2016” (College Choice)
2016: Ranked #9 in the 'Best Online Criminal Justice Programs' (Best Colleges)
2015: The Master's Program was ranked #3 in “50 Best value Colleges for a Criminal Justice Degree, 2015” (Best Value Schools)
2015: The Master's Program was ranked # 17 in “50 Best Online Criminal Justice Programs, 2015” (Super Scholar)
2015: The Master's Program was ranked #20 in “Best Online Graduate Criminal Justice Programs” (U.S. News and World Report)
- CSUSB online master's degree criminal justice and MBA programs listed among nation’s best, Published January 26, 2021
- CSUSB online criminal justice program is No. 1 in the state, Published March 25, 2021
- CSUSB’s online criminal justice programs recognized nationally, Published April 21, 2021
- CSUSB’s online criminal justice and MBA programs are among the best in the nation, Published January 25, 2022
- CSUSB announces U.S. News & World Report online program rankings, Published January 24, 2023