Connecticut Criminal Justice Schools

  • 21 schools offering criminal justice degrees in Connecticut are in our database. (see below)
  • 12 offer associate’s degrees or certificates, 5 of them offer bachelor’s degrees and above, and 4 offer a mix of bachelor’s and master’s
  • We found 1 school in Connecticut ranked in US News and World Reports that have a criminal justice program: #19 University of Connecticut–Storrs, CT
  • According to Kiplinger’s, Connecticut has 1 university ranked in the top 100 for “Values in Public Colleges”, #28 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT
  • 10 campus-based and online schools in Connecticut are available for requesting information.

Spotlight School

Brandman University Online
Take a new step in your education with Brandman University. We offer 87 different certificate, associate, bachelor's, or master's programs in a wide variety of fields.

Programs:

  • BA in Criminal Justice (Homeland Security Emphasis)
  • BA in Criminal Justice
  • BA in Criminal Justice (Victim Advocacy)
  • And more...

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Profiles of Well Known Schools in Connecticut

Quinnipiac University: Quinnipiac University offers both a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a minor. The faculty consist of current and former professionals in law, corrections, law enforcement, and criminal justice policy, many of whom integrate field trips into their curriculum. Guest speakers are often invited to give lectures and come from a variety of agencies and offices, including Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and the Connecticut Network to Abolish the Death Penalty. Criminal Justice majors must complete 37 major credit hours with courses that cover everything from forensics issues in law enforcement to youth crime. Quinnipiac University also requires their students to complete a 120-hour internship during the fall or spring semester under the supervision of an internship coordinator, better preparing them to enter the professional criminal justice world upon graduation.

University of New Haven: The Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice and Forensic Sciences at the University of New Haven is home to the Department of Criminal Justice where students can pursue both undergraduate and graduate degrees. The Bachelor of Science and Associate of Science in Criminal Justice open the doors for career paths in law, corrections and law enforcement while the MS in Criminal Justice and the MS in National Security allow students to build upon their expertise. The college has its own customized study abroad programs in Russia, Italy, China, Australia, and Poland where students develop an understanding of the role of crime prevention and control in other countries. Students can also participate in the Co-op Program, giving them the opportunity to supplement their education with paid fieldwork.

University of Hartford: The Department of Sociology at the University of Hartford offers a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice as well as a minor. Majors are required to complete seven core criminal justice courses along with electives that fall under two groups, Group A: Perspectives on Human Behavior and Group B; Law and the Response of Social Conflict. The faculty are top specialists in the areas of urban crime, victimization, drugs and society, and human rights. Rather than sticking to one strict discipline, criminal justice students at the University of Harford complete a combination of sociology, political science, philosophy, and psychology courses.

Central Connecticut State University: The Criminology and Criminal Justice Department at Central Connecticut State University has both undergraduate and graduate level opportunities for those interested in the fields. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminology prepares students for entry level professions and graduate study while the Master of Science in Criminal Justice provides its students with the skills they need for leadership and management positions. Within the department is the Institute for the Study of Crime and Justice (ISCJ), where faculty and graduate students conduct groundbreaking research in anger assessment, criminal investigating, cultural competency, victimization, and several other focuses. With the institute comes the newsletter, The Informer, reporting on the latest of student and faculty research.

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Connecticut Criminal Justice Salary and Jobs

Occupation Number Employed Average Annual Salary
Correctional Officers and Jailers 4,240 $51,870
First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives 1,340 $82,860
Detectives and Criminal Investigators 1,030 $78,640
Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers 7,140 $62,340

Data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics as of May 2011.

Respected leaders who have graduated from universities in Connecticut

  • Bridgeport Police Chief Joseph L. Gaudett – University of Bridgeport, CT
  • Hartford Police Chief James C. Rovella – University of Hartfod, CT
  • Fairfield Police Chief Gary MacNamara – University of New Haven, CT
Police Quote “Have a passion for your job and the people you serve. Use every call and contact to make a positive difference. Treat everyone the way you would like to have your family or friends treated. Building trust internally and externally is the key to policing. Trust takes a long time to build but only seconds to destroy. Your integrity is the only thing YOU can lose. No one can take it from you. You have to give it up.” -Chief Frank Kaminski

Connecticut Criminal Justice Degrees

Although Connecticut is a highly urbanized state, its crime rates which are well below average for the country as a whole. This is a testament to the strength and professionalism of the individuals working in the state’s criminal justice industry. Furthermore, Connecticut has a stable and growing publication, indicating stable and increasing demand for individuals with criminal justice degrees moving forward.

The first step to getting started in Connecticut’s criminal justice industry, is earning an accredited education from one of Connecticut’s on campus programs or nationally recognized online programs. While a traditional classroom education can be attained at several local Connecticut colleges and universities, many students choose to take advantage of distance learning programs so that a degree can be obtained without the inconvenience of attending class. Institutions like the University of Phoenix not only offer degrees in criminal justice, but also offer specific concentrations to allow you to better tailor your skill set.

With a degree in hand, opportunities in the criminal justice are more widely available in Connecticut. The Connecticut State Police attend job fairs to attract candidates to their positions, for which advanced education is encouraged. The Connecticut State Police is another employer that seeks qualified law enforcement professionals. Of course, opportunities are also available among the private sector as well as with the Federal Government which runs a large prison in Danbury, among other operations. The average annual salary for police and patrol officers in Connecticut is $60,800.1

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Connecticut’s Criminal Justice Employment Outlook 2, 3, 4, 5

At the start of 2012, Connecticut’s unemployment has stabilized at 8.2%, which is just below the 8.5% national average, and it will regain prior peak employment levels by the late 2014. Government related employment, which is a good proxy for Connecticut criminal justice jobs, has below average prospects with prior peak employment levels not reached until late 2015 although the declines will inflect to gains by 2013. The Occupational Supply & Demand system projects some criminal justice annual openings in Connecticut as follows: police and sheriff patrol (135 openings / 88% of individuals in these positions report having some college or a bachelor’s degree), Correctional Officers (70 annual openings / 60% of individuals in these positions report having some college or a bachelor’s degree), Detectives / Investigators / Forensic Techs (20 annual openings), Security Guards (255 annual openings) and Paralegals (115 annual openings / 88% of individuals in these positions report having some college or a bachelor’s degree). According the to Sunshine report, Connecticut’s 2012 state budget has improved by cutting costs, enacting a large tax hike and gaining union concessions. However state projections indicate there are still many Connecticut criminal justice jobs. We suggest requesting free information from several Connecticut criminal schools to best understand your education options.

Online and Connecticut Criminal Justice Schools

Getting a Criminal Justice degree has never been more accessible for students in Connecticut. If you live in Connecticut, we recommend the following accredited campus-based and online criminal justice programs for students interested in pursuing associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees in the growing field of criminal justice.

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University of Phoenix
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • A.A. in Criminal Justice
  • B.S in Criminal Justice Administration/Cybercrimes
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice Administration - Human Services

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Baker College Online
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • Bachelor of Criminal Justice

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Capella University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • MS - Criminal Justice
  • PhD - Criminal Justice
  • BS - Criminal Justice

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Keiser University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • Criminal Justice, BA
  • Criminal Justice, MA (Online Only)
  • Homeland Security, BA (Online)

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Walden University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • B.S. in Human Services - Criminal Justice 
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice - Crime and Criminals
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice

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Kaplan University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • MS in Criminal Justice - Law
  • MS in Criminal Justice
  • BS in Criminal Justice

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Post University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • B.S. in Human Services / Criminal Justice
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement
  • B.S. in Criminal Justice

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Liberty University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • BS in Criminal Justice
  • AA in Criminal Justice

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Brandman University Online
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • BA in Criminal Justice (Homeland Security Emphasis)
  • BA in Criminal Justice
  • BA in Criminal Justice (Victim Advocacy)

request information

Grand Canyon University
Campuses: 1Online
Popular Degrees:

  • M.S. in Criminal Justice: Legal Studies
  • B.S. in Justice Studies
  • M.S. in Criminal Justice: Law Enforcement


Tip: If you don’t live near a campus-based school that offers a program of interest, consider an online degree or a university in an adjacent state (New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island).

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Directory of Connecticut Universities Offering Criminal Justice Degrees

Albertus Magnus College (New Haven, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Science | Sociology (Criminal Justice concentration)

Asnuntuck Community College (Enfield, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice

Branford Hall Career Institute (Branford, CT; Southington, CT; Windsor, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Corrections

Briarwood College (Southington, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Applied Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice

Capital Community College (Hartford, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice

Central Connecticut State University (New Britain, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Arts | Criminology
Master of Science | Criminal Justice

Florida Technical College (Norwalk, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Applied Science | Criminal Justice
Certificate | Criminal Justice | Corrections

GateWay Community College (New Haven, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Applied Science | Real-time Reporting | Broadcast Captioning
Associate of Applied Science | Real-time Reporting | CART
Associate of Applied Science | Real-time Reporting | Judicial
Certificate of Completion | Real-time Reporting | Broadcast Captioning
Certificate of Completion | Real-time Reporting | CART
Certificate of Completion | Real-time Reporting | Judicial

Goodwin College (East Hartford, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice

Housatonic Community College (Bridgeport, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Certificate | Corrections
Certificate | Criminal Investigation
Certificate | Police Management
Certificate | Security Operations

Manchester Community College (Manchester, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Administrative Assistant, Legal Option, Business Office Technology
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice

Mitchell College (New London, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Arts | Homeland Security
Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice

Naugatuck Valley Community College (Waterbury, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Applied Science | Computer Crime Deterrence
Associate of Applied Science | Corrections
Associate of Applied Science | Forensics
Associate of Applied Science | Law Enforcement
Associate of Applied Science | Security
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Certificate | Computer Crime Deterrence
Certificate | Criminal Justice

Norwalk Community College (Norwalk, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice

Post University (Waterbury, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor Degree | Criminal Justice (online program)
Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice (online program)

Quinnipiac University (Hamden, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Arts | Criminal Justice

Sacred Heart University (Fairfield, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice
Master of Arts | Criminal Justice

Student Review: “I enjoyed my experience at Sacred Heart University during my college years there. One thing that I liked was that class sizes were generally small about the size of the average high school class. I liked this because I felt like all students could get individualized attention from their professors and receive any help on any assignments. I also liked that professors were willing to get to know their students and see them as people rather than a number. One other thing I liked was the community events. Sacred Heart, being a Catholic school, had events related to the faith in addition to the standard events one may see at another university, such as bingo or club meetings. The biggest thing I liked was that the school was diverse in its student body. There were students from several different cultural backgrounds which made me feel like I was in my hometown’s schools. The only thing I disliked was the parking. There would be times I was a couple minutes late to a class because of the limited number of parking spaces available in the school’s parking lot.” -Christopher F., student at Sacred Heart University

Tunxis Community College (Farmington, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Corrections
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Associate of Science | Drug and Alcohol Treatment

University of Hartford (West Hartford, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:

University of New Haven (West Haven, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Associate of Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Science | Criminal Justice
Bachelor of Science | Forensics
Master of Science | Criminal Justice
Master of Science | Forensics

Western Connecticut State University (Danbury, CT)
Criminal Justice Degrees Offered:
Bachelor of Science | Justice and Law
Master of Science | Justice Administration

References:
(1) Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes_CT.htm
(2) Bureau of Labor Statistics: http://www.bls.gov/lau/ see state on page for current unemployment rate
(3) USA TODAY/Moody’s Analytics/BLS: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2009-02-06-new-jobs-growth-graphic_N.htm
(4) Occupational Supply & Demand System / OCDS Georgia State University for the U.S. Department of Labor: http://www.occsupplydemand.org/OSD_SelectOcc.aspx?chk=2&ST=ZZ
(5) The Sunshine Review: http://sunshinereview.org/core/home (select state budget button)

Page Edited by Charles Sipe.