Online Criminal Investigations Degrees, Certificates, Diplomas from Top Colleges and Universities

Start investigating your way to a great future

Listed below are colleges and universities that offer online degrees, certificates, and diplomas in the major of Criminal Investigations and a detailed list of the programs offered. Tuition, financial aid, course offerings, online classes, adult education, and distance learning options are available by request.

Rewards of a Major in Criminal Investigations

Do you want an exciting career in law enforcement? Do you want to be part of an intricate team of crime fighters who help solve crimes? Then a career in the exciting world of criminal investigations may be right up your alley. A career in criminal investigations involves finding out what happened at a crime scene. In this career field, law enforcement personnel are typically the first ones to arrive at a crime scene and they solve cases, find missing people, and help bring criminals to justice.

Those involved in criminal investigations are responsible for securing the crime location and collecting information. This can also be a scientific career field as all evidence that is gathered from crime locations must be measured, recorded, and stored. Many times analysis will also be conducted on evidence from crime scenes. Crime scenes must also be reconstructed to try and figure out what actually occurred during a crime. Those involved in criminal investigations must also report, document, and report their findings and this may be require them to be present and even testify at trials or hearings regarding crime scenes and evidence.

This is a very exciting and stressful career field. Having the correct training, education, and experience is absolutely necessary to obtain a good starting career in the criminal investigations field. Many colleges are currently offering 2 year, associates degree programs, and 4 year, bachelors degree programs in the field of criminal investigations. Some of the required courses in these degree programs could include introduction to criminal justice, basic math, documentation and English courses, applied ethics, arrest protocols, American legal system, computer forensics, psychology, and more.

Strong Career Outlook in the Field of Criminal Investigations

Graduates with a degree in criminal investigations have excellent salary making potential. In this field, the average hourly wage in May of 2008 was over $23.00 per hour. Those with graduate degrees or in management positions generally made even more per hour. Many of these jobs also offer full-time benefits like insurance and retirement options, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook.

Excellent Salary Possibilities in Criminal Investigations Field

This field is growing very steadily as more private companies and individuals are hiring private investigators to do research for them. Also, as crime investigations utilize more technology those with skills in how to utilize these technologies are needed. The field of criminal investigations is expected to grow by at least 20 percent between now and 2018, according to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Excellent College Degree Programs Available in Criminal Investigations

There are currently excellent degree programs available in the field of criminal investigations. Take a look at some of the great online course offerings in this field. With online courses, you can take courses according to your own schedule.

Listed below are online Criminal Investigations colleges and online Criminal Investigations universities complete with the programs offered. Information about tuition, financial aid, online classes, and other options are available by submitting a form request to the appropriate online school.

Use the following link if you are interested in help with locating a college or university with an online degree in Criminal Investigations.

Online Schools with Criminal Investigations programs

Walden University

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Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Criminal Justice - Computer Information Systems & Security
The B.S. in Criminal Justice program is designed to help you gain the skills and knowledge to prepare for a career in law enforcement, the justice system, corrections, homeland security, and social services. The program blends contemporary theory on the nature, extent, and cause of crime with the study of national and international criminal justice practices. Learning is supported through coursework and a final capstone project. Plus, the program uses the latest interactive media, including lifelike, computer-generated scenarios from crime scenes.

You will apply criminal justice theories to current issues as you gain perspective in three vitally important areas:
- * Civic engagement, social responsibility, and global awareness
- * Collection and analysis of data across organizations
- * Teamwork and communication
Our curriculum is based on the recommendations of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The program can help prepare you to become a more effective social change agent in criminal justice organizations at the local, state, federal, or international levels.

Concentrations
- Computer Information Systems and Security
- Crime and Criminals
- Criminal Justice Management and Administration
- Homeland Security
- Human Services for Criminal Justice
Accelerate Into Master's (AIM)
Transition from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree in less time with Walden's Accelerate Into Master's (AIM) degree option. AIM offers high-achieving undergraduate students an opportunity to take as many as five graduate-level courses in their undergraduate coursework. Upon completion, credits from these courses can be applied toward a master's degree. With the AIM degree option, you can earn your master's degree in as little as one year, depending on your individual progress and degree program.
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Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Criminal Justice - Crime & Criminals
The B.S. in Criminal Justice program is designed to help you gain the skills and knowledge to prepare for a career in law enforcement, the justice system, corrections, homeland security, and social services. The program blends contemporary theory on the nature, extent, and cause of crime with the study of national and international criminal justice practices. Learning is supported through coursework and a final capstone project. Plus, the program uses the latest interactive media, including lifelike, computer-generated scenarios from crime scenes.

You will apply criminal justice theories to current issues as you gain perspective in three vitally important areas:
- * Civic engagement, social responsibility, and global awareness
- * Collection and analysis of data across organizations
- * Teamwork and communication
Our curriculum is based on the recommendations of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. The program can help prepare you to become a more effective social change agent in criminal justice organizations at the local, state, federal, or international levels.

Concentrations
- Computer Information Systems and Security
- Crime and Criminals
- Criminal Justice Management and Administration
- Homeland Security
- Human Services for Criminal Justice
Accelerate Into Master's (AIM)
Transition from a bachelor's degree to a master's degree in less time with Walden's Accelerate Into Master's (AIM) degree option. AIM offers high-achieving undergraduate students an opportunity to take as many as five graduate-level courses in their undergraduate coursework. Upon completion, credits from these courses can be applied toward a master's degree. With the AIM degree option, you can earn your master's degree in as little as one year, depending on your individual progress and degree program.

Kaplan University

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BSCJ - Crime Scene Investigation

Study techniques for locating, collecting, and analyzing crime scene evidence used in courts of law. Identify boundaries of a crime scene and review the principles of searching the crime scene for specific types of evidence, identifiable forensic material, and other items of evidentiary value. As a graduate, you may qualify to pursue a crime investigation position in a law enforcement organization.*
*Kaplan University's programs are designed to prepare graduates to pursue employment in their field of study, or in related fields. However, the University does not guarantee that graduates will be placed in any particular job, eligible for job advancement opportunities, or employed at all. Additional police academy training may be required for law enforcement jobs.

South University Online

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Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Crime Scene Investigation Specialization

The influence of technology and the changing face of crime have magnified the need for criminal justice specialists. Through the South University online Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice program, you can help meet this need. In the Crime Scene Investigation Specialization you'll learn about the cornerstones of crime solving. Focus on collecting and preserving physical evidence at a crime scene, understanding the functions of a crime laboratory, and reconstructing crime scenes.

Everest University Online

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Criminal Investigations (Associate)

The Associate in Science in Criminal Investigations program teaches the fundamentals of crime scene investigation science and theory. Subjects taught include but are not limited to criminalistics, fingerprints and latents, crime scene photography, technology crimes, collecting and presenting audio and visual evidence, and biological evidence.

Westwood College

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Criminal Justice: Major in Investigations (B)

In this bachelor's degree program you'll acquire skills necessary to launch your career in criminal justice. In interactive classes taught by industry professionals you'll be exposed to:

• an in-depth review of investigation-related issues such as crime scene investigation and digital and white collar crime
• writing and communications courses to enhance reporting skills needed in many criminal justice professions
• investigative techniques that can be applied to a wide variety of career choices in this field