Criminal Justice Online Program

Did you know…

Boise State offers a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice that can be completed from anywhere. We partner with the Online Degree Pathway at Boise State to ensure that all lower-division foundation courses are available to our online students.

Degree Requirements

Getting Started

Our program is designed to make sure that you have developed the skills necessary to successfully complete your degree. To do this, we have a 2-tiered system (lower-division and upper-division/admission to the major). Whether you have not yet completed college courses or if you have some credits to transfer, you will want to see how those fit in with our lower-division required courses. If you are missing some of these requirements, you can work with the Online Degree Pathway program to find online offering that meet these requirements. For help transferring credits, applying to the program, or other academic pathway questions, reach out to an SPS Advisor: spsadvising@boisestate.edu.

Apply to the Program

Once you have completed each of the lower-division requirements, you will be ready to apply for admission to the major. Upon acceptance of your application stating that all requirements are met, you will officially become a Criminal Justice major and be able to complete your upper-division course work.

Once Admitted

Simply register for online courses. If you will be completing your degree completely online, please let us know as soon as possible so we can ensure there are seats in the online courses available for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I complete my Criminal Justice major online?

Yes, all courses required for the CJ major are available online.

What classes will I take in this program?

View degree requirements here.

Will my diploma look different if I complete the online program?

The education you receive is equal to that of our traditional program, your degree will not be marked as an online degree on your diploma.

Is there a difference between being an “online-only” student and just taking classes online?

Yes, but only insofar as registration goes. If you let us know that you will be completing your degree completely online, we make special allowances for you to have a “seat” in our online courses. While students who are not “online-only” can register for the same classes, they do not have access to these special reserved seats.

I’m an online-only student but the classes I need to register for are full. What can I do?

Since there are special seats for online-only students, you should reach out to the program to see if any of these seats are still available and for a registration permission number (crimjust@boisestate.edu).

I started as an online-only student but want to take face-to-face classes now. Can I do that?

Yes. Please contact the program and we will remove your online-only status.

I started as a face-to-face student but want to move fully online. Can I do that?

Yes. Please contact the program and we will add your online-only status.

I am a face-to-face student but want to take some online classes or maybe a full semester online, what should I do?

You can simply register for classes as you normally would. If you will be online-only for a short time, you don’t need to alert us.

Can I transfer credits from another college or university?

Boise State accepts a wide range of credits from other colleges and universities. Please contact the registrar’s office to discuss whether your specific credits will transfer.

I have some college or university credits but I was not a CJ major. Does this matter?

Only partially. Many of your previous credits are likely to apply to our foundational, lower-division requirements.

I heard that online degrees are not as good as face-to-face degrees. Is this true?

The standards of our online program are equal to those of our traditional face-to-face degree.

Will my career prospects be lower for getting my degree online?

At Boise State, due to the rigor of our online program, your degree will not indicate that you completed your studies online.

Can I take courses online and face-to-face in this program?

Absolutely. The flexible format is designed to help you learn in whatever format is best suited to your life and learning style.