Utah Criminal Justice Degree Programs

Overview

Home to almost 3.1 million residents, Utah boasts an exciting mix of cultural attractions and outdoors opportunities. Urban hubs like Salt Lake City – the State capital – offer museums, fine dining, art galleries and more. Utah is also known for the, Sundance Film Festival, undoubtedly the state’s most star-studded event.

Criminal Justice Education in Utah

There are several Utah schools offering criminal justice degree programs of some kind. These include both two-year, associate (AA) programs and four-year bachelor’s (BA or BS) programs. Master’s programs in criminal justice education are also offered by several schools in the state. To see our school listings, click on the button below and request information from multiple schools to get your search started!

Below, CriminalJusticePrograms.com speaks with Professor Daniel Swanson, Chair of the Criminal Justice Program for Broadview University about the challenges and rewards of earning a degree in Criminal Justice.

If you have previous experience in criminal justice, a master’s Degree could allow you to successfully seek management and administrative jobs across a range of criminal justice specialties including law enforcement, probation and parole, criminal investigations and forensics. Otherwise, you can look at enrolling in a bachelor’s program. Like other bachelor’s degrees, you will usually find your studies built around a core curriculum such as science, math and English. Beyond those courses, you will have the freedom to choose electives during your junior and senior years. Specialized criminal justice curriculum may include the following:

• A History of U.S. Criminal Justice
• The American Criminal Justice System
• Research Methodologies in Criminal Justice
• The Courts in the U.S. Legal System
• Criminal Justice Ethics
• A History of Race Relations in the U.S.
• Legal Research and Writing

During your criminal justice education one semester of field work is normally incorporated into your junior year. In the final year of criminal justice studies, most institutions require you to complete an off-site internship during your senior year.

If you pursue a criminal justice degree in Utah, the following funding opportunities might be of interest to you: the Robert C. Byrd Honors scholarships, the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnership (LEAP) scholarships, the Utah Centennial Opportunity Program for Education (UCOPE), and the State of Utah New Century scholarships. You can also find criminal justice scholarship opportunities by clicking here.

Outlook for Criminal Justice in Utah

As one of the fastest growing states in the country, Utah has the potential to offer expanding criminal justice career opportunities throughout the rest of the decade. Business expansion may yield additional opportunity in the private sector. Security guards and private investigators could find ample opportunity in their respective fields.

Below, we listed a few popular occupations and the average annual salary for each pulled from the Bureau of Labor Statistics from 2022.

Federal job opportunities in Utah can be found in several agencies, including the Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept. of Justice, U.S. Marshals and The Treasury Dept. Those with criminal justice degrees can pursue careers as criminal investigators, transportation security inspectors and federal corrections officers.

2022 US Bureau of Labor Statistics salary and employment figures for Utah contained here reflect national data, not school-specific information. Conditions in your area may vary. Data accessed November 2023.

Contact the Utah colleges with criminal justice degree programs listed below to get program details and information about how to apply and enroll.