Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

Your pathway to online degree completion

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Next Session Start Date:

Apply by:

12/06/24

Document Deadline:

12/13/24

Confirmation Deadline:

12/20/24

Start Session:

01/13/25

Overview Tuition Calendar Admissions Courses

Program Overview

Get to know our online B.A. in Criminal Justice program

As more and more institutions increase their college education requirements, the 100% online Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree program equips you with the knowledge and skills you need to deepen your expertise and stand out among the competition. As a graduate, you will be prepared for higher-level opportunities in law enforcement, as well as judiciary services, forensics and investigation, private security, and Homeland Security.

Our accredited online B.A. in Criminal Justice program has a strong focus on social justice issues. In this program you will gain a solid understanding of the theories and methodology of criminal institutions as well as the sociological and psychological study of different types of crime. You will also gain hands-on supervised field experience in a criminal justice or social service agency. Coursework examines the effects of crime in the media, economic and social reactions to criminal behavior, and the justice system.

What Is Competency-Based Education?

Designed to leverage your previous knowledge, college coursework, and work experience, competency-based education enables you to earn your degree at your pace as you demonstrate mastery of relevant academic content.

How our YourPace online programs save you time and money:

  • Prove your knowledge, move ahead—the faster you advance, the more you save
  • Flat tuition rate per 8-week session, no matter how many courses you complete
  • With no weekly deadlines, you control the speed of completion

The University of Maine at Presque Isle is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE).

As a graduate of this criminal justice online program, you will:

  • Obtain supervised field experience in a criminal justice or social service agency
  • Leverage knowledge of criminal justice institutions and processes, theories of crime and punishment, criminal law, and social science research methods in real-world settings
  • Understand the sociological study of crime and its attempted control, as well as understand social attitudes, prejudices, and group dynamics
  • Comprehend and address critical content regarding stratification, social change, and emotional and cultural intelligence
  • Develop the business communication skills and social psychology to aid your work in criminal justice and social institutions

Criminal justice career opportunities:

  • Deputy U.S. Marshal
  • Fraud Investigator
  • Court Administrator
  • Loss Prevention Manager
  • Criminal Investigator
  • Security Manager
  • Corrections Administrator
  • Community Corrections Officer
  • Victim Advocate
  • Law Enforcement (local, state, federal)

Also available:

$1,700* per session

Flat-Rate Tuition

12 months**

Duration

120

Credit Hours

UMPI is ranked among the Top 10 Regional Colleges in the North for graduates with the least debt. – U.S. News & World Report, 2023.

“I have an extensive work and business background. The flexibility of completing my degree online and at my own pace and convenience was exactly what I needed.”

-Perry Leavey, UMPI YourPace Online Student

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NEED MORE INFORMATION?

Email us at umpi-yourpace@maine.edu

Or call 207-768-9433

Tuition

Find out how and when to pay your tuition

The B.A. in Criminal Justice online program offers highly affordable tuition with a flat rate regardless of how many courses you complete each session. No hidden fees or extra textbook costs. The faster you finish, the more you save!

*Tuition and fees are subject to change

Tuition breakdown:

$1,700* per session

Flat-Rate Tuition

Calendar

Dates you need to know

There are six opportunities throughout the year to begin our YourPace online program. Find the start date below that works best for you and apply before the application deadline. Please note, application and document deadlines are the same. UMPI must receive all documents including official transcripts by the document deadline to be considered. Transcripts can often take 10 or more business days from the request date to be received by UMPI, please plan accordingly.

TermAPP DEADLINEDOCUMENT DEADLINECONFIRMATION DEADLINEREGISTRATION DEADLINETUITION DEADLINESTART DATECLASS END DATETerm Length
Fall 107/26/2408/02/2408/09/2408/27/2408/29/2409/03/2410/25/248 weeks
Fall 209/20/2409/27/2410/04/2410/22/2410/24/2410/28/2412/20/248 weeks
Spring 112/06/2412/13/2412/20/2401/07/2501/09/2501/13/2503/07/258 weeks
Spring 201/30/2502/07/2502/14/2503/04/2503/06/2503/10/2505/02/258 weeks
Summer 104/04/2504/11/2504/18/2505/06/2505/08/2505/12/2507/03/258 weeks
Summer 205/30/2506/06/2506/13/2507/01/2507/03/2507/07/2508/29/258 weeks

Have questions or need more information about online programs?

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Ready to take the next step toward earning your degree online from UMPI?

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Admissions

Requirements for this online criminal justice program

We’ve made the admission process simple and streamlined so it’s easier for you to get started. Students who wish to earn their B.A. in Criminal Justice YourPace online degree from UMPI should have the equivalent of a high school diploma and possess some prior college credit and/or work experience.

Admission Requirements:

No Application Fee

Minimum 1.75 GPA

Admissions Requirements and Guidelines for Undergraduate Programs

  • Students must be 20 years of age at the time of application.
  • High school diploma or equivalent (e.g., HiSet, GED)
  • Minimum cumulative college of GPA 1.75 from most recently attended institution
    • Submission of all official transcripts:Transcripts are only considered official if they are sent directly to UMPI from the granting institution or their electronic ordering service. Student-submitted transcripts are not accepted.
    • College credits with a cumulative GPA of less than a 1.75 must also submit a resume to indicate activities and experience post high school diploma (or equivalent). An interview may be required.
  • Students who do not have any college credits must submit the following:
    • Provide high school transcript, high school equivalency test (HiSet), or GED
    • A resume to indicate activities and experience post high school diploma (or equivalent)

Instructions for international students:

  • All international transcripts will only be accepted if the student provides them through an evaluation service. The evaluation agency must be a member of NACES or AICE. We will not accept unofficial copies (e.g., from the student)
  • Canadian schools and universities from a French-only institution (mostly in the province of Quebec) must be evaluated
  • International students are required to demonstrate English proficiency by submitting scores from an English language proficiency test taken no more than two-years prior to date of application

Additional guidelines for international applicants may be found here.

**Student under 20 years of age do not meet the requirements for the YourPace programs. We do offer other programs that may meet your needs. If you would like more information about our traditional programs, please visit https://www.umpi.edu/admissions/. You can also reach out to the Admissions Office at umpi-admissions@maine.edu or by calling 207.768.9433.

Institutions and third-party vendors may submit official documents such as official transcripts and English proficiency exam score reports to: edocs@maine.edu

Mailing Address:

Application Processing Center
PO Box 412
Bangor, ME 04402-0412

Courses

Take a look at the topics you’ll study in our online criminal justice program

To earn your B.A. in Criminal Justice, you need to complete 120 credit hours of coursework. Each course is built around a series of competencies. Once you have mastered the series, you complete the course. Using our personalized learning model, we look at your past college credit, prior learning, and work experience to create your custom degree plan.

The program includes 40 credit hours of general education courses, 45 credit hours of Criminal Justice core, 6 credit hours of Criminal Justice electives, and 29 credit hours of electives.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course is a comprehensive overview of U.S. criminal justice; its components, processes, and terminology as well as the relationships and issues internal and external to the criminal justice system. Historical and current context is investigated with regard to policies and problems in community relations, criminal law, law enforcement, courts, and corrections.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an exploration of the field of criminal justice ethics encompassing the history of justice and theories of morality and ethics. Special attention will be given to concrete ethical issues and dilemmas which are encountered regularly by participants in the major components

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an introduction to the sociological study of crime and its attempted control. Specifically, issues such as definitions of crime, theories of crime, crime and the media, formal and informal reactions to criminal behavior, and the political economy of the US criminal justice system. Pre-requisite: CRJ 100.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

A study of the philosophy and application of criminal law. Specific case studies will be employed.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course will give the student an all-encompassing overview of juveniles as they relate to the criminal justice system. Theories, philosophies, and policies are examined in context of juvenile delinquency and causation and reduction efforts

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course examines the social, structural and historical foundations of modern policing. Primary analysis is placed on the function of law enforcement in relation to crime prevention and control, and police-community relations.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an overview of the history of punishment as a social action and the development of the prison as an institution. A review of the current state of US corrections and the expansion of penal institutions in the US over the past three decades is combined with various special topics within punishment and corrections.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

In this course the student is exposed to analysis of ideologies, assumptions, and performance of crime control policies in the United States. Crime control policies and their implications will be examined from several perspectives: Administration, Police, Courts, and Corrections.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Supervised field experience in a criminal justice or social service agency. CRJ 496 is the capstone course in the degree in which students work within a criminal or social justice agency and connect their experiences with our program learning outcomes. Professor Leduc meets (via zoom) with students in the session before they are ready to take this course to plan out where the student will complete their 100 hours. It could be at their current job, or a volunteer/intern experience with a local or online agency. The student is responsible for finding placement, but Professor Leduc is available to help.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Students will master the necessary communication skills to thrive in any business or professional area. They’ll become proficient in everything from phone etiquette, e-mail and memos, to proposals and presentations. They’ll get out of the classroom, partnering with an organization to apply what they’ve learned.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Considers the processes by which individuals interact with others, influence and are influenced by others, and are shaped by society. Includes topics such as the self, attitudes, prejudice, stereotypes, interpersonal attraction, group dynamics, and persuasion.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Provides multicultural and global examinations of the relationship of the self to society. Introduces students to the systematic study of human society through sociological perspective and method. Emphasizes analysis of problems of social order and change. Includes socialization, social class and inequality, race and ethnicity, gender, social movements, social institutions, community, globalization, and deviance.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course provides an introduction to the sociological study of crime and its attempted control. Specifically, issues such as definitions of crime, theories of crime, crime and the media, formal and informal reactions to criminal behavior, and the political economy of the U.S. criminal justice system will be explored within both historical and critical perspectives. Pre-requisite: SOC 100.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Emphasis on the study of theory as a vehicle for developing critical thinking skills. A focus on contemporary theories of crime including Marxism; Left Realism; Feminism; Peacemaking; Postmodern and Cultural Criminology. Each theory is evaluated for actual and potential criminal justice policy consequences

Choose 2 of the following 4 courses

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

This course explores the discourses, representations and responses to drug use by the Criminal Justice System. A history of changing policy regarding various types of drug use is combined with an examination of current micro, mezzo and macro criminal justice responses to drug crises in both the US and other countries.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Examines American constitutional theory treating the separation and division of government powers, and civil rights and civil liberties. Extensive treatment is accorded the implied powers of the federal government. Prerequisite: POS 101.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

Course covers the Constitution in relation to criminal justice, focusing on law enforcement and the courts. Includes probable cause, the exclusionary rule, electronic surveillance, arrests and stops, the right to counsel, interrogation and the law of confessions, the Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendments, identification of suspects, entrapment, and the pretrial process.

Duration: 8 weeks | Credit Hours: 3

The course focuses on restorative justice tenets and policy implications. The history of probation, parole and other community-based sentencing options are examined relative to their potential for increased use of restorative justice practices.

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Email us at umpi-yourpace@maine.edu

Or call 207-768-9433

for help with any questions you have.

*Tuition and fees are subject to change.

**Time to completion varies by student and is based on several factors including prior college coursework, relevant work experience, amount of time dedicated to studying, and the number of courses completed each session.