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See Courses & Program Info
View a complete list of program courses, eligibility requirements, steps to apply, and more.
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You will need to complete the following application steps for this law enforcement track:
- Step 1: Based on the eligibility requirements above, determine if you are eligible for the law enforcement track.
- Step 2: If you are eligible, complete the UMGC application for admission. Within the application, specify that you are applying for the the criminal justice bachelor's degree (law enforcement track). After you submit an application for this track, we will send you documents that will assist us in verifying your eligibility and obtaining the necessary supporting documentation.
- Step 3: Submit any supporting documentation requested by UMGC.
The criminal justice degree program requires a total of 120 credits. If you meet the admission requirements for this specific track, you’ll need to follow the curriculum below to complete your degree program.
Required Major Courses & General Education Requirements
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Vertical Pathway
If you completed your undergraduate degree at UMGC with coursework in criminal justice, a vertical pathway between UMGC's graduate and undergraduate degree programs in that field allows you to reduce your total coursework for a master's degree in management with a criminal justice management specialization.
Develop Vital Skills in Criminal Justice
Criminal justice practitioners need to develop deeper knowledge and career-focused skills to meet the increasing professional demands of the field. While state and local law enforcement agencies do not require a criminal justice degree to be hired, many related technical fields and promotional opportunities require higher education. In addition, some federal law enforcement agencies now require at least a bachelor's degree for new hires.
Our faculty refresh and update the online program curriculum regularly with a focus on helping students achieve the following:
Top 5
Best Places to Work
The intelligence community ranked no. 3 in the Best Place to Work in the Federal Government employer rankings in 2022 and has ranked top 5 for 11 consecutive years.
Source: Partnership for Public Service & Boston Consulting Group | “Best Places to Work in the Federal Government Rankings” | 2022
Top 15
Criminal Justice Jobs
Five of the 15 highest-paying criminal justice jobs in the United States require at least a bachelor’s degree, according to an analysis of BLS job titles on LinkedIn.
Source: LinkedIn | “15 Best-Paying Criminal Justice Jobs” | January 24, 2023
Practice Real-World Skills in Your Courses
Throughout the criminal justice degree curriculum, your instructors will assign coursework that will help you prioritize real-world skills and hands-on experiences. In past courses, students have been able to complete the following projects:
- Analyze a fact pattern and discern what facts are relevant to criminal culpability and why. Consider general criminal law concepts and specific statutes in your analysis.
- Assume the role of a law enforcement administrator and develop an appropriate action plan to address a complex crime or law enforcement problem in a community-based capacity.
- Based on a description of a serial murder investigation, identify facts and items that are significant to the criminal investigation and explain their importance.
Because academy training and law enforcement experience are substituted for some coursework in the law enforcement track, the experiences of our students may vary.
Explore UMGC Insights
Gain insight from our faculty and staff and delve deeper into a range of topics, including criminal justice careers, prior learning, transfer credits, and more.
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FAQs
Get answers to questions that current and prospective students are asking about program-specific admission, credibility, and more.
UMGC's criminal justice program law enforcement track is specially designed for current and recent police officers who want to receive up to 60 credits for their law enforcement experience and police academy graduation. These credits can be applied as part of UMGC's policy to accept up to 90 credits overall toward a bachelor's degree from a variety of sources.
Because of this, students who have earned college credits for coursework substantially similar to courses required for the law enforcement track may be eligible to transfer in those credits as well.
Our online bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice is uniquely designed to provide you with an understanding of crime and criminal behavior, criminal justice administration, the roles of practitioners within the criminal justice system, and the in-depth critical thinking and ethical decision-making strategies necessary to meet the professional demands of the field of criminal justice. The capstone course is designed to help you apply principles of interagency cooperation, critical thinking, and systems approaches to solve practical problems in a criminal, investigative, or related field while building practical, in-demand skills such as problem-solving, case study analysis, strategic planning, teamwork, and professional writing.
If you're looking for the online criminal justice degree program without the admission requirements specifying experience in law enforcement agencies, consider our standard criminal justice degree program.
The online criminal justice degree is a 120-credit program with courses offered year-round. Within this specific criminal justice degree track, you’ll be able to transfer up to 60 credits toward your degree for your law enforcement experience/police academy graduation (and up to 90 transfer credits overall). The track's curriculum contains 60 credits of specialized coursework that you may be able to finish in two years or less.
In order to be eligible for this criminal justice program law enforcement track, you will need to meet a series of eligibility requirements, submit a written statement, and provide supporting documentation indicating that you have met the eligibility requirements. These eligibility requirements include graduating from a police academy, completing field training, and working (or recently working) as a law enforcement officer who holds arrest powers and serves in a crime detection/prevention capacity.
The criminal justice degree track admission requirements are designed to help you turn your experience in law enforcement agencies and police agencies into credit hours that can accelerate your path toward a bachelor's and help support your career advancement, either within your department or in other criminal justice jobs.
You'll need a background in state or local law enforcement that includes graduation from a police academy (restrictions may apply). As part of the application process, you'll need to provide documentation supporting your eligibility.
Pi Gamma Mu (Social Science Disciplines)
Pi Gamma Mu recognizes outstanding scholarship in the social sciences. UMGC's Maryland Theta chapter was recently added to the society’s Roll of Distinction and was also the winner of the 2020 UMGC Student Organization Awards Best in Show Activities and Events Award. It is available to undergraduate students. Membership is by invitation only. You must have completed at least 45 credits toward your degree to be eligible. If you have earned at least 20 credits in social science coursework (including at least 9 credits at UMGC) and have a GPA in the top 35 percent, you may be invited to join. For more information, please email marylandtheta@umgc.edu.