Which Colleges in Louisville, KY Have Criminal Justice Degrees?

Career Info for Criminal Justice Professionals in Louisville, Kentucky

A degree program in criminal justice would prepare you for a variety of careers. For instance, you could work as a police officer or detective. Police officers and detectives work to prevent crime and solve cases by collecting evidence. Duties might include responding at the scene of a crime, collecting evidence, conducting interviews, arresting suspects and testifying in court. In order to become a police officer or detective, you will need at least a high school diploma, and a college degree is often preferred. In addition, you will be required to graduate from a police training academy and complete on-the-job training.

Salary and Job Outlook Info

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) predicted that employment of both detectives and police officers will grow at a slower-than-average rate of seven percent from 2010-2020 (www.bls.gov). About 200 detectives worked in the Louisville-Jefferson County area in 2011, while about 2,000 police and sheriff's patrol officers worked there that year, according to the BLS. In May 2011, the BLS reported that detectives and criminal investigators in the Louisville-Jefferson Country area earned an annual mean wage of about $71,000, while police and sheriff's patrol officers earned a mean annual salary of about $46,000.

Criminal Justice Associate's Degree Programs in Louisville, Kentucky

Jefferson Community and Technical College

• Program Name: Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice
• Specialization Areas: Criminal justice, law enforcement, corrections and security and loss prevention
• Program Length: Two years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $3,000 per year for residents and $11,000 per year for non-residents (2011-2012 costs)
• Requirements: Completion of the COMPASS assessment test (unless minimum ACT scores have been met)
• School Type: 2-year, public, approximately 15,000 undergraduate students
• Address: 109 East Broadway, Louisville, Kentucky 40202-2005
• Phone: (502) 213-4000

The curriculum of this criminal justice program allows you to tailor your studies by choosing from four options, including law enforcement, loss and prevention, corrections and a traditional criminal justice program. With the criminal justice option, you can choose your electives from any of the four concentrations. Subjects you might study in this program include computer forensics, juvenile justice issues, prison administration, technology and physical security systems and police patrol and supervision.

Elizabethtown Community and Technical College

• Program Name: Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice
• Field of Study Options: Security and loss prevention, criminal justice, law enforcement and corrections
• Program Length: Two years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $3,000 per year for residents and $11,000 per year for non-residents (2011-2012 costs)
• School Type: 2-year, public, approximately 8,000 undergraduate students
• Address: 600 College Street Road, Elizabethtown, Kentucky 42701-3081
• Phone: (270) 769-2371

The core curriculum for the criminal justice degree program includes courses in subjects like criminal law, procedures and investigations. If you are planning to focus solely on criminal justice, you will be expected to complete electives in asset protection, criminalistics, the juvenile justice system, terrorism and financial fraud. The law enforcement option requires electives in computer forensics, courtroom procedures and police supervision. If you would rather focus on corrections, then you will need to complete electives in jail administration, parole and the legal aspects of corrections. Finally, you could choose to specialize in security and loss prevention, which would require courses in liability, security technology and industrial security. All programs require an internship and technical elective.

Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree Programs in Louisville, Kentucky

Bellarmine University

• Program Name: Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies
• Program Length: Four years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $32,000 for the 2011-2012 academic year
• Prerequisites: Minimum SAT score of 990 or minimum ACT score of 21, minimum cumulative high school GPA of 2.5, coursework in English, math, social science, natural science and a foreign language
• School Type: 4-year, private not-for-profit, approximately 3,000 students (about 2,600 undergraduate)
• Address: 2001 Newburg Road, Louisville, Kentucky 40205-0671
• Phone: (502) 272-8263

Bellarmine University offers a major and minor in criminal justice, as well as the option to double major in criminal justice and psychology. The curriculum for the bachelor's degree program in criminal justice studies requires courses in criminology, corrections, criminal profiling and justice systems. You will be required to complete an internship and an independent study to earn the bachelor's degree.

University of Louisville

• Program Name: Bachelor of Science in Administration of Justice
• Program Length: Four years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $9,000 per year for residents and $22,000 per year for non-residents (2011-2012 costs)
• Prerequisites: Minimum high school GPA of 2.5 or higher, an ACT score above the national average and the completion of pre-college curriculum
• School Type: 4-year, public, approximately 21,000 students (16,000 undergraduate)
• Address: 2301 South 3rd Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40292-0001
• Phone: (502) 852-5555

Through the bachelor's degree program in administration of justice, you can either attend classes on campus or earn your degree through a distance-learning program. Both options allow you to participate in internship programs with federal, state and local criminal justice agencies. The Bachelor of Science program features courses in courtroom procedure, American crime and justice, the juvenile justice system, crime prevention, violent crime profiling, serial murder and criminal justice ethics. The school also offers a minor in criminal justice.

Criminal Justice Master's Program in Louisville, Kentucky

University of Louisville

• Program Name: Master of Science in Administration of Justice
• Program Length: Two years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $10,000 per year for residents and $20,000 per year for non-residents (2011-2012 costs)
• Prerequisite: Bachelor's degree
• Requirements: Two letters of recommendation, original essay, scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
• School Type: 4-year, public, approximately 21,000 students (16,000 undergraduate)
• Address: 2301 South 3rd Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40292-0001
• Phone: (502) 852-5555

The Master of Science program is designed to give you advanced skills and a comprehensive understanding of the criminal justice system. You'll be allowed to choose some of your electives from other related disciplines, such as business, public administration and law, which complement your major field of study. This program is offered in collaboration with the National Crime Prevention Institute and the Southern Police Institute.

Criminal Justice Ph.D. Program in Louisville, Kentucky

University of Louisville

• Program Name: Doctor of Philosophy in Justice Administration
• Program Length: 4-5 years, full-time
• Tuition: Approximately $10,000 per year for residents and $20,000 per year for non-residents (2011-2012 costs)
• Prerequisite: Master's degree, minimum graduate GPA of a 3.25
• Requirements: Three letters of recommendation, writing sample, personal statement, minimum GRE scores
• School Type: 4-year, public, approximately 21,000 students (16,000 undergraduate)
• Address: 2301 South 3rd Street, Louisville, Kentucky 40292-0001
• Phone: (502) 852-5555

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program in justice administration is designed to prepare you for an academic or public sector career. Core courses include criminal justice planning, crime prevention, delinquency and statistical analysis. You will also need to complete field research and a minimum of 15 credit hours with justice administration electives, such as the history of the police, emergency management and constitutional issues. You will also need to complete 12 credit hours of dissertation research.