Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Tampa, FL (2026)

Tampa, Florida has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs. Tampa has a population of about 393,389. Median household income is $71,302 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 44.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $196,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Tampa

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer criminal justice programs near Tampa. Distances are calculated from Tampa city center.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Florida schools on the Florida criminal justice page.

Criminal Justice Wages Near Tampa

Tampa is part of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL metro area (BLS area code 45300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Florida statewide.

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Tampa at a Glance

Other Tampa-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

• Temple Terrace, FL – 5.4 mi away (26,515 pop)
• Pinellas Park, FL – 18.5 mi away (52,137 pop)
• Saint Petersburg, FL – 19.3 mi away (260,999 pop)
• Clearwater, FL – 19.4 mi away (114,361 pop)
• Plant City, FL – 19.9 mi away (38,200 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Tampa, FL?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Tampa. The closest is Aparicio-Levy Technical College in Tampa, FL (0.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of South Florida (5.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying criminal justice roles near Tampa?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Tampa are: Judge or Magistrate ($196,890), Attorney ($127,490), Information Security Analyst ($118,970). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Florida statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Temple Terrace instead of Tampa?

Temple Terrace, FL is 5.4 miles from Tampa and has its own set of local criminal justice programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Tampa an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Tampa’s median household income of $71,302 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Tampa while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Florida public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Criminal Justice Programs

• Criminal Justice accreditation: what to look for
• Criminal Justice concentrations and specializations
• Is a Criminal Justice degree worth it?
• Main Criminal Justice degree guide
• Online Criminal Justice programs in Florida
• Criminal Justice programs by state

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Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.