The Online Education Database and National Center for Education Statistics selected the top online colleges of 2009 based on acceptance rate, graduation rate, financial aid, peer Web citations, retention rate, years accredited, scholarly citations, and student-faculty ratio.

Top Online Colleges of 2009

1. Nova Southeastern University
2. Regent University
3. Champlain College
4. Upper Iowa University
5. LeTourneau University
6. Liberty University
7. Grand Canyon University
8. Dickinson State University
9. Western Governors University
10. Salem International University
11. Keiser University
12. Fisher College
13. National University
14. Walden University
15. Tiffin University
16. Westwood College
17. Post University
18. ITT Technical Institute
19. Colorado Technical University
20. Everglades University
21. Everest University
22. Kaplan University
23. Capella University
24. Rasmussen College
25. Devry University
26. Berkeley College
27. Granite State College
28. University of Phoenix
29. Peirce College
30. Herzing College
31. South University
32. City University
33. Florida National College
34. York Technical College
35. Western International University
36. Darton College
37. Franklin University
38. Northcentral University
39. Ashford University
40. Baker College
41. Bellevue University
42. National American University
43. Jones International University
44. American InterContinental University

OnlineDegreeReviews.org also provides a list of what they consider to be the top 10 online colleges. Their list, however, is based on student generated reviews. Current and former students were asked to rate schools based on their opinion of the quality of materials, institution, value, teachers, support and technology. Schools with the highest ratings made the top of the list. While this is a much more subjective way of ranking the top online colleges, their list does allow for an interesting comparison between the two lists of schools.

Top Online Colleges as Ranked by Current and Former Students (2009)

1. Andrew Jackson University
2. Boise State University
3. Seton Hall University
4. Norwich University
5. Columbia Southern University
6. Henley-Putnam University
7. TUI University
8. University of Massachusetts (UMass Online)
9. Grand Canyon University
10. American Military University

Can’t find the school you are looking for? Fill out some basic information and let us help you find an online accredited school!

Criminal justice degrees are considered to be among the top 10 most useful online degree programs available today. Because of this, it is not surprising that criminal justice online degree programs are in high demand.

According to a recent blog post on Online Degree Finder, there are 6 main reasons why e-learning is becoming more and more popular. These include:

1. Personalized learning environments allow students to control their education in a way that they are not able to in a classroom setting. This includes choosing when and where they do their coursework and the pace at which they complete it. For busy professionals who are earning degrees while on the job, the flexibility of e-learning can be very beneficial.
2. Students who are enrolled in online degree programs use a combination of multimedia technology and instructional study which can be accessed at all times via the Internet. This enables improved retention of the information and skills learned in coursework, because students are able to reference information at other times if needed.
3. Real-time access also enables students to access coursework whenever and wherever they need it. For police officers who are looking to increase their credentials, online degree programs allow them to complete their studies in their off-duty time.
4. E-learning encourages students to explore and test their ideas because they are able to participate in classroom discussions and ask questions freely with the sense of being anonymous.
5. Online learning uses more technology and less paper from actual books, handouts, and papers being printed. If you are online taking courses, then you are not commuting back and forth to school in a vehicle – therefore not using gas, and producing fewer emissions.
6. With online learning, students have to share information in forums with peers. This adds value to everyone’s overall learning experience since students are actively engaging and participating, and numerous ideas and opinions are being thrown around.

Online criminal justice degrees are an excellent choice for people who have families, full-time jobs, and other responsibilities that make it hard for them to attend campus courses. They can also be particularly helpful for those who don’t have access to transportation. Online students also have the ability to spend more quality time with their families, remain fully committed to their jobs, save money on tuition, and earn the degrees that will take their careers to the next level.

Most importantly,  e-learning programs are convenient, flexible, student centered, and less expensive than traditional university programs.

Find a Criminal Justice Online Degree Program Today.

Douglas Maifeld is a Police Corporal and D.A.R.E. Officer in Maine. He has been in this line of work for over 21 years.

How did you become interested in criminal justice?

I have always wanted to become a police officer even since I was 6 years old.

What type of training or education prepared you for your work in this position?

I have an associate’s degree in law enforcement from the Maine Criminal Justice Academy.

What is an average day at work like for you?

We work 12 hrs days and each day varies. I am a patrol supervisor, and I do a lot of youth related functions being the DARE officer. I am also responsible for the police department’s web site, Facebook account, and all computer related issues.

What do you like most about your job?

I really enjoy the D.A.R.E. program.

What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in this field?

Don’t get into Law Enforcement for the wrong reasons. It can be exciting and rewarding, but it can also be tedious patrolling and dealing with the same individuals day after day. This might sound corny, but you need to want to do the job because you want to help serve and protect the community.

Last week a press release went out announcing the Criminal Justice School Guide to the rest of the world. This is big news for us, and we are very excited to share everything that we have to offer with an even larger audience.

The press release highlights some of the features on the site, such as the degree program directory and our “How to Become” articles. Be sure to check these sections out if you have not already!

Thanks to our followers from early on! You guys have helped us get off to a great start!

Last Saturday was both an interesting and informative day for potential criminal justice students in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. On February 20, 2010, Colorado Technical University hosted its annual CSI Day, which demonstrated to participants that real forensic work is not nearly as glamorous as it appears on TV.

CSI Day is a program offered by Colorado Technical University that introduces people to the school’s crime scene investigation program. It’s a free program and is open to everyone who is interested in the field. Participants learned about crime scene investigation, toured the CTU crime lab, collected evidence from mock crime scenes, and watched finger printing demonstrations. These activities are all part of what CTU’s crime scene investigation degree programs have to offer.

Events like CSI day are a great way to find out if crime scene investigation is really the career path you wish to take. Colorado Technical University will most likely hold similar events in the future.

How did you become interested in this field?

When I was a kid I loved creative story writing about fictional detectives. They sparked my interest for criminal justice.

What type of training or education prepared you for your work in this position?

My undergraduate degree, the police academy, and real world experience as an officer best prepared me for my work. Formal education builds the foundation, but, the craft of the practitioner fortified the rest of the construction.  You can’t sit in the ivory towers of academia and truly understand what you’re talking about.  It happens every day though, and people, who think they know what they’re talking about, write textbooks. The real practitioners are out there every day dealing with real people, applying the classroom to see if it works.

What is an average day at work like for you?

Interacting with students who feel they have a calling to a career in criminal justice, debating, researching and writing to advance the field of criminology.

What do you like most about your job?

Criminal justice students and researching the craft of criminology; interacting with other practitioners; avoiding the theorists!

What advice do you have for those who are interested in working in this field?

Work hard, study hard, be creative, become a critical thinker, think for yourself, loosen up and question things, develop a serious affinity for the investigative process; get that degree and go to the police academy, then walk in the shoes of the practitioner!

• In Bozeman, Montana, a law prohibits all sexual activity from the front yard of a home after sundown.
• In Salt Lake County, Utah, it’s illegal to walk down the street carrying a violin in a paper bag.
• In Devon, Texas, it is against the law to make furniture while you are nude.
• In Florida men seen publicly in any kind of strapless gown can be fined.
• In Pennsylvania, it’s against the law to tie a dollar bill on a string on the ground and pull it away when someone tries to pick it up.
• In France, it is against the law to sell an “E.T” doll, because of the law forbidding the sale of dolls that do not have human faces.
• In Switzerland, it is illegal for a man to relieve himself while standing up after 10pm.
• In Florida, it is illegal to fart in a public place after 6 P.M. on Thursdays.
• In Samoa, it’s a crime to forget your own wife’s birthday.
• In Athens, Greece, a driver’s license can be taken away if the driver is thought to be either “poorly dressed” or “unbathed”.
• In Wilbur, Washington, it is illegal to ride an ugly horse.
• It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.
• In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon.
• In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.
• In Florida, unmarried women who parachute on Sundays can be jailed.
• In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
• In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.
• In the English city of Liverpool a woman is prohibited by law to walk around topless, unless she is selling exotic fish at the market.

Did you know any of these extreme laws existed? I sure didn’t!

Television can profoundly impact the way we view the world. As criminal justice becomes an even more popular theme for television series, experts are wondering how it effects our society’s perception of the real world criminal justice system.

The CSI Effect refers to the ability of popular television shows, such as the CSI franchise, to raise crime victims’, jury members’, and criminals’ expectations of forensic science, crime scene investigation, and DNA testing. This is troublesome because television show writers glamorize the criminal justice field, overstate the accuracy of certain techniques, and exaggerate the abilities of forensic science. As a result, the public perception of real world forensic science is often skewed. This can cause:

• Courtroom prosecutors to feel more pressure to deliver more forensic evidence.
• Forensic practitioners to face unreasonable expectations.
• Jurors to be more critical of forensic science testimony and less persuaded by it.

Criminal behavior can also be altered by the CSI Effect. Experts have seen an increase in cases where criminals try to clean up the crime scene by burning or tampering with evidence.

Another interesting point to be made is that criminal justice education has been affected by shows like CSI. Because television has heightened the public’s interest in the field of criminal justice, more students are demanding degree programs related specifically to forensic studies. This has changed the educational background of many new forensic scientists coming into the field.

While each study conducted on this topic has produced different results, the fact that around 100 million people tune into criminal justice television shows weekly leads me to believe that the CSI Effect is something to keep an eye on!

See Also:

• Forensic Science Degree Programs
• Quiz: How much have you learned about forensic science from TV?

Based on average salary statistics, the top paying criminal justice careers include:

1. Detective – $89,354
2. Criminal Investigator – $86,012
3. FBI Agent – $79,648
4. Police Officer – $74,464
5. Secret Service Agent – $68,288
6. Police Detective – $64,518
7. Private Investigator – $62,400
8. Substance Abuse Counselor – $59,850
9. Insurance and Fraud Investigator – $56,449
10. Legal Secretary – $54,000

If you are interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice it is recommended that you earn a college degree. If you already work in the field, most federal and local agencies will subsidize tuition to help you go back to school.

See also: Police Pay Incentives

1. Unsolicited or random emails offering scholarship assistance
2. If the scholarship requires you to send money upfront, but you see nothing in return – scholarships don’t ask students for money, they are supposed to give students money!
3. You’re told that you’ve won a scholarship, but it requires you to pay taxes or fees before you can receive it. You have to apply to scholarships in order to receive them, so if you don’t remember doing so, it is a scam.
4. If you receive a check in the mail for a scholarship, but are required to send a different check back paying for taxes or fees.
5. If a scholarship search service or database charges you to register to look through their information. Scholarship information is free to the public.
6. Companies that claim to fill out scholarship applications for you, if you pay them a fee. Applying for scholarships requires lots of time, work, personal information, and writing samples that outsiders cannot do thoroughly. Most likely they will pocket the cash, and never fill out any applications for you.
7. Scholarship matching services that claim you’ll win a scholarship, or they will refund your money. These scholarship matching services do not have anything to do with, or have a final say in which students receive scholarships by the sponsored organizations.
8. Some scholarship scams try to copy legit education, government, and grant-giving foundations by using official-sounding names. Look out for those that include national, administration, federal, or foundation – just because it is in their name, doesn’t mean they are official organizations!
9. If you are requested to attend a free seminar for financial aid advice or assistance, watch out! These are usually sales pitches for financial aid consulting services, pricey student loans, or scholarship matching services.
10. Some education loan scams will offer you a low-interest loan, but require that you must pay a fee before receiving it. Real loans are issued by banks or recognized lenders, and do not require a payment upfront.

Things to Keep in Mind

Many colleges, universities, nonprofit organizations and private companies award scholarships to outstanding students each year. Scholarships are awarded for merit so an application, essay, or nomination are usually required to be considered.

See Also:

College Scholarships for Criminal Justice Majors

Private Scholarships