Clarion University’s online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration
program received the No. 19 national ranking by Best College Reviews.
It is the only university in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to be included on the list and one of two Pennsylvania schools to be recognized.
"To compile this ranking, our editors began with an initial pool of over 50 online Bachelor's Degrees in Criminal Justice programs offered by colleges and universities across the US. We then narrowed the pool to include only those schools that ranked in the top 200 (according to US News & World Report) and below $35,000 (out-of-state) tuition per year," according to Best College Reviews on its website.
Finally, the organization applied a rating and ranking methodology to get the top 25 online programs for a BA/BS degree in criminal justice.
"We used affordability to break any ties, listing the more affordable program higher in the ranking," the website stated.
Clarion's programs are unique and uncharacteristic of other criminal justice programs. First, all criminal justice courses are taught by academically credentialed practitioners, who are either still working in the field or have worked in the field at some time during their professional careers. Thus, the program boasts a sense of practical application of real world experience — not just theoretical driven ideologies that have limited application.
Second, Clarion's criminal justice programs provide a unique clinical-based co-op experience in the field, where the students are able to amass up 240 hours of field experience with various federal, state and local agencies. The co-op is a high-impact practice that has become the hallmark of both the A.S. and B.S. in CJ programs, since those students who complete these co-op experiences usually transition successfully and directly into careers within those fields in which they have interned.