Programs

The University Without Walls Bachelor's degree with Criminal Justice focus is designed to help meet the growing demand for professionals working in public safety, judiciary, corrections, policing, homeland security, victim services, social services and a host of other related fields.  Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree while focusing on an area of study in Criminal Justice.  All classes are offered online.

Design and Complete Your Own Degree

You now have the opportunity to design your own degree and focus in several Criminal Justice areas while completing your first bachelor's degree. Here are some highlights:

• Up to 75 credits may be accepted through our transfer credit policy – no matter how long ago you took them
• Get credit for life experience. Receive up to 30 UMass credits for learning you’ve gained from your life, work and training experiences
• Enjoy top faculty in your online courses, who can be reached by email, phone or in person
• Access to the UMassOnline help desk 24x7

Courses

All courses forming the UWW Criminal Justice focus are made available to students in a schedule they can use to complete their degree and are offered fully online. Students can select from a wide array of courses to form their focus area. Some of these include Criminology; Sociology of Law; Drugs and Society; Gender and Crime; Race, Class and Crime; Crime and Forensics; White Collar Crime; and Domestic Violence. Criminology and the Sociology of Law are recommended core courses in this Criminal Justice focus Bachelor of Arts. Courses are offered online across the year in seven, eight week sessions.

Watch a detailed, 20 minute, online information presentation about the UMass UWW program anytime and anywhere that is convenient for you - just click here to sign-up!

Learn more about this program:

To receive more information and connect with the program manager, please click on inquire now to the right.

Sample a Course

Click here for more information on the UWW Bachelor's degree with Criminal Justice Focus. 

Registration is administered through UMass Amherst Continuing & Professional Education. Please see Fee Schedule below.

Click here to browse our course listings.

Did you know?

University of Massachusetts has earned several awards for its distance learning programs, faculty and technology including:

• University of Massachusetts Ranked Among Top 28 Best Value in Online Education for Human Services & Psychology Professionals, 2009 by Get Educated
  
• Ranked Top 10 Online Degrees Colleges- September 2009 (Online Degree Reviews.com)
  
• UMassOnline Awarded Public Sector of the Year by Mass Technology Leadership Council , 2008
  
• Most Outstanding Online Teaching and Learning Program, UMass Lowell’s Online Graduate Behavioral Intervention in Autism Program, Sloan Consortium Excellence Awards, 2008
  
• ‘Excellence in Online Teaching’ Award, Dr. Jeannette E. Riley, Sloan Consortium Excellence Awards, 2008
  
• 21st Century Best Practices Award, United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA)
  
• Program of Excellence, University Continuing Education Association (UCEA)-Journalism Certificate
  
• Excellence in Faculty Development, Sloan-C Excellence Awards
  
• Excellence in Online Programming, Sloan-C Excellence Awards
  
• Excellence in Online Teaching, Sloan-C Excellence Awards
  
• UMass Amherst Isenberg MBA, Top 10 national rankings, #4 Best Professors (2005, 2006, 2007 Princeton Review: Best Business Schools rankings)
  
• 4th in Primary Care Education, U.S. World Reports
  
• Ranked 45th Best University System in the World - London Times
  
• Excellence in Distance Teaching Education - United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA) 

Your past credits count no matter how long ago you took your courses. UMass Amherst allows up to 75 transfer credits from other accredited institutions toward graduation as long as the course grade is C- (2.0 grade point average) or better. All UMass Amherst general education requirements, except junior year writing, may be satisfied by courses from other institutions, and students can take courses at other schools and transfer those credits into UMass Amherst even after being admitted into UWW.

UWW students are accepted in both the fall and spring, with application deadlines for fall on May 15 and for spring, October 1.  Minimum admissions requirements are: 12 credits of college course work (a composition course is strongly recommended) and a 2.00 grade point average. Application forms are located at www.umass.edu/uww/admissions_aid/index.html and must include:

• Signed, dated and completed UMass Amherst application form.
• Official transcripts from any and all colleges ever attended.
• Résumé.
• A personal statement essay 2-3 pages. 
• Non-native English speakers proof of either TOEFL or two non-ESL composition courses graded B or better.
• Applicants raised in a non-English speaking country must also have official results of the TOEFL exam mailed to UWW by the application deadline. Applicants who have received a grade of “B” or better on two composition courses in an American college or university may be exempt from the TOEFL requirement. The exemption is not automatic, but based on a complete review of the academic history.

Click here to download all UWW application materials.
 

Financial Aid, Grants and Scholarships

All students are eligible for federal and state financial aid. Financial aid comes in the form of loans, grants and scholarships, details at http://studentaid.ed.gov. to find specifics about costs and fees please go to UWW's website -www.umass.edu/uww.

Availability of financial aid varies depending on matriculation and course status. Please check with your program manager or advisor to determine your eligibility. Generally, if you are matriculated in a degree program and are enrolled in a minimum of 6 credits each semester, you may qualify for financial aid. Please review our Financial Aid Checklist below.

1. www.fafsa.ed.gov.
2. University of Massachusetts Amherst school code number 002221.
3. For more information please click here.