Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Philadelphia, PA (2026)

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $22,082 to $62,110 per year for indexed programs. Philadelphia has a population of about 1,582,432. Median household income is $60,698 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 34.6% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $204,160 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Philadelphia

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

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Philadelphia

Philadelphia is part of the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro area (BLS area code 37980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania 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.

Philadelphia at a Glance

Other Philadelphia-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

• Camden, NJ – 5.1 mi away (74,420 pop)
• Norristown, PA – 13.5 mi away (34,370 pop)
• Chester, PA – 16.9 mi away (33,988 pop)
• Trenton, NJ – 24.6 mi away (293,697 pop)
• Wilmington, DE – 28.2 mi away (71,442 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Philadelphia, PA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Philadelphia. The closest is Temple University in Philadelphia, PA (1.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Thomas Jefferson University (4.3 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Philadelphia are: Judge or Magistrate ($204,160), Attorney ($170,660), Information Security Analyst ($132,560). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Camden instead of Philadelphia?

Camden, NJ is 5.1 miles from Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia an affordable place to study criminal justice?

Philadelphia’s median household income of $60,698 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Philadelphia while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Pennsylvania
• Criminal Justice programs by state

Other Programs Available in Philadelphia

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Philadelphia:

• Nursing programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Business Administration programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Computer Science programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Psychology programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Education programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Engineering programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Technology programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Liberal Arts programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Healthcare programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Cybersecurity programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Accounting programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Healthcare Administration programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Social Work programs in Philadelphia, PA
• Counseling programs in Philadelphia, PA

Related from Our Editorial Library

• Best Accredited Online Colleges (2026)
• Best Online Colleges Ranking
• Effective Learning Strategies for Online Students

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.