California Criminal Justice Schools

Looking for a criminal justice program or degree? Our list of programs in California should get you started. We've also gathered some useful information on a career in criminal justice at the bottom of the page.

A   B   C   D   E   F   G   H   I   J   K   L   M   N   O   P   Q   R   S   T   U   V   W   X   Y   Z  

A

Argosy University

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Locations: Santa Ana (Orange County), CA / San Diego, CA

  • Criminal Justice (Associate's Degree)

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B

Bryan College of Court Reporting

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Locations: Los Angeles, CA

  • Court Reporting (Diploma)
    Official court reporters are employed by local, state, or federal court systems. They are responsible for capturing all the action in court and producing transcripts of the trial to all who request it.

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C

Chapman University College

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Locations: Palmdale, CA / Palm Desert, CA / Edwards AFB, CA / Fairfield, CA / Folsom, CA / Hanford, CA / Irvine, CA / Lemoore, CA / Salida, CA / Moreno Valley, CA / Ontario, CA / Roseville, CA / San Diego, CA / Santa Maria, CA / Travis, CA / Victor Valley, CA / Visalia, CA / Walnut Creek, CA / Yuba City, CA

  • Criminal Justice (Master's Degree)
  • Criminal Justice (Bachelor's Degree)

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E

Everest College

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Locations: San Bernardino, CA / San Francisco, CA

  • Homeland Security Specialist (Diploma)
    The Homeland Security Specialist program includes: Civil & criminal justice, emergency planning and security measures, principles, planning and procedures of safety, tactical communications, domestic and international terrorism, emergency medical services and fire operations and business and ethics for security specialists.

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H

Heald College

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Locations: Concord, CA / Fresno, CA / Hayward, CA / Rancho Cordova, CA / Roseville, CA / Salinas, CA / San Francisco, CA / San Jose, CA

  • Business Administration - Criminal Justice (Associate's Degree)
    The program helps develop social awareness, provides familiarity with the courts and corrections systems, introduces laws that affect criminal justice jurisdiction, and explores law enforcement issues. It teaches valuable skills specific to the language and culture of the criminal justice profession, and it also helps provide a solid foundation in business, general education, computer software applications, and oral and written communication.
  • Business Administration - Criminal Justice (Diploma)
    The program helps develop social awareness, provides familiarity with the courts and corrections systems, introduces laws that affect criminal justice jurisdiction, and explores law enforcement issues. It teaches valuable skills specific to the language and culture of the criminal justice profession, and it also helps provide a solid foundation in business, general education, computer software applications, and oral and written communication.

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I

ITT Technical Institute

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Locations: Anaheim, CA / Lathrop, CA / Oxnard, CA / Rancho Cordova, CA / San Bernardino, CA / San Diego, CA / Sylmar, CA / Torrance, CA / West Covina, CA / Clovis, CA / San Dimas, CA

  • Criminal Justice (Bachelor's Degree)

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K

Kaplan College

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Locations: San Diego, CA / Vista (North County), CA / Modesto, CA / Sacramento, CA / Stockton, CA / Bakersfield, CA / Clovis (Fresno), CA

  • Criminal Justice (Associate's Degree)
    We'll give you a solid foundation in criminal justice and a liberal arts knowledge base you'd get at a traditional university, but with Denver Career College, you can complete the program in less than 18 months.

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N

Northwestern College

Locations: Gold River, CA

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S

San Joaquin Valley College

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Locations: Bakersfield, CA / Fresno, CA / Rancho Cucamonga, CA / Visalia, CA / Rancho Cordova, CA

  • Corrections Officer (Associate's Degree)
    SJVC's Corrections program stretches beyond the minimum training required by law with an in depth combination of classroom instruction and hands-on experience. Coursework includes criminal law, evidence collection and preservation, report writing and criminal procedures.
  • Emergency Services and Safety Management (Associate's Degree)
    Our Emergency Services and Safety Management (ESSM) program opens the doors to a world of security systems for the protection of individuals, businesses, organizations, and properties. Training includes guidelines for Cal/OSHA compliance, techniques to identify and control assault behavior in the workplace and risk management.

Santa Barbara Business College

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Locations: Santa Maria, CA / Bakersfield, CA / Ventura, CA / Palm Desert, CA

  • Criminal Justice (Associate's Degree)
    As a multifaceted program of study, students will be prepared for entry-level employment or advancement in law enforcement, corrections, probation, immigration, security services and comparable types of employment. Students preparing for a career in criminal justice and security will study private, industrial, and retail security. This is not a training program for police or corrections officers. However, it will provide a broad understanding of the criminal justice system in the United States and a fundamental knowledge of the social and behavioral sciences.

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U

University of Phoenix

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Locations: Bakersfield, CA / Gardena, CA / Lancaster, CA / Ontario, CA / Oxnard, CA / Pasadena, CA / Sacramento, CA / San Bernardino, CA / San Diego, CA / San Francisco, CA / Woodland Hills, CA / Diamond Bar, CA / La Mirada, CA / Costa Mesa, CA / Murrieta, CA / Laguna Hills, CA / Culver City, CA / Chula Vista, CA / Imperial, CA / Palm Desert, CA / San Diego, CA / San Marcos, CA / San Diego, CA / Beale AFB, CA / Elk Grove, CA / Fairfield, CA / Lathrop, CA / Modesto, CA / Chico, CA / Rancho Cordova, CA / Roseville, CA / Sacramento, CA / Fresno, CA / Fresno, CA / Visalia, CA / Pleasanton, CA / Concord, CA / Fremont, CA / Livermore, CA / Novato, CA / Oakland, CA / San Jose, CA

  • Administration of Justice and Security (Master's Degree)
  • Criminal Justice Administration (Bachelor's Degree)

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W

West Valley College

Locations: Saratoga, CA

Western Career College

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Locations: Emeryville, CA / San Jose, CA / Antioch, CA / Pleasant Hill, CA / San Leandro, CA / Citrus Heights, CA / Stockton, CA

  • Criminal Justice (Diploma)
    The Criminal Justice program, with emphasis in Criminal Investigation/Loss Prevention Security, can prepare you to work in a variety of positions in the law enforcement field, security, loss prevention and emergency medical care in the public or private sectors.

Westwood College

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Locations: Anaheim, CA / Torrance (South Bay), CA / Los Angeles, CA / Inland Empire (Upland), CA

  • Criminal Justice (Bachelor's Degree)
    This program covers topics such as: Introduction to Criminal Justice, Criminology, Criminal Procedure, Criminal Investigation, and Juvenile Justice. This program also includes critical courses that cover such topics as Interpersonal Communication,Victimology, and Ethics in Criminal Justice.

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An Introduction to Criminal Justice Careers

It is an unfortunate but very real fact of modern society that crime rates generally increase from year to year. While some of this increase corresponds with an increase in population, the rise is disproportionate. As a result, it is likely that there will be a consistent demand for those within the criminal justice umbrella of careers.

Criminal justice careers range from the police officer to the popular CSI agent. With more and more crime shows on television it is understandable that a greater number of people are choosing to pursue a career in criminal justice.

Employment and Earnings Statistics

It is virtually impossible to give salary and employment figures for every criminal justice career available because of the huge scope that a criminal justice education covers. We will cover some of the more popular professions:

Police officers can expect to earn an average of around $25,000 when they first start their career. This can be as low as $18,000 in some areas and more in others. After six years of service, the average salary for a police officer rises to $35,000 per year.

Typically, criminalists can expect to earn $40,000 or higher depending on experience and area. Forensic scientists earn anything from $24,000 to $36,000 with comparatively little forensic experience. Experienced forensic scientists are able to earn $50,000 and possibly more.

Current Criminal Justice Requirements

The fact that crime rates are rising is a difficult fact to avoid, however, limited budgets and increased competition for positions means that criminal justice careers can be difficult to come by. It is important to fully research the particular area that interests you and take the most appropriate courses and advance along the most relevant career paths to reach your final destination. It is also important to remember that many television shows and common views regarding criminal justice careers are exaggerated; a real-life criminal justice career is often much more mundane and slow-paced than what is depicted on television.

The Best Course of Education

While it is possible to step into the police force without a degree, the amount of people vying for the available police officer and other roles means that getting a degree is considered one of the most successful routes into a criminal justice career. In the case of criminalists and similarly technical roles it is certainly a wise choice. Certificates do exist for some branches of criminal justice but these are usually attained once you have a job. As well as studying criminal justice, many employers and government agencies like to see a good understanding of, or a reasonable education in, other areas. Typically law, business, and finance are particularly helpful when trying to progress a criminal justice career.

Criminal Justice Jobs

  • Government agents are employed in the various agencies including the CIA, FBI, ATF, DEA, Customs and INS. These jobs are generally geared around desk-based research work with only very few highly gifted and skilled agents ever seeing action similar to that in the movies.
  • Police and law enforcement is an obvious area of interest to anyone that has studied criminal justice. As well as becoming a police office or a detective, you could progress to become a sheriff, coastguard or a US Marshall. The type of work associated with these jobs will vary. However, it can range from very physical work to desk-based work.
  • Scientists and scientific investigators. This is a fairly broad group of potential careers that encompasses various specialties in the forensic and investigation aspects of criminal science. Other potential jobs include the criminal profiler and crime scene investigator.
  • The private sector. Not everyone wants to work for government agencies or as a law enforcement officer. For these people there are a number of potential careers within the private sector. Private detective and private security are among the posts to consider.

Criminal Justice Program Details

It is widely accepted that the quickest way to progress in any criminal justice career is through first obtaining a criminal justice degree. Potential candidates that are also able to display an aptitude for finance, business or law are more likely to gain the more coveted roles. Other degrees may also prove to be just as good. Psychology or psychiatry experts are always needed, especially for profiling criminals. Legal assistants and, indeed, solicitors and lawyers will generally require a degree in law over a degree in criminal justice.

Additional Resources

For more information about being a crime scene investigator (CSI), read our article The Real-Life Role of a CSI.

For criminal justice degrees and diploma programs outside of California, please visit our partner site which lists criminal justice programs across the United States and Canada.

Have we forgotten a California criminal justice school?

If you know of a criminal justice program in California that we don't have listed here, please let us know by emailing us at info@california-vocational-schools.com.

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