Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Nashville, TN (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Nashville, Tennessee has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs, with tuition ranging from $4,498 to $17,698 per year for indexed programs. Nashville has a population of about 1,065,078. In the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area, the top-earning criminal justice-related role is Judge or Magistrate at a median $218,190 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Criminal Justice Schools to Nashville

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

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Nashville. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Fisk University

Nashville, TN 1.1 miles from Nashville BOC Score21.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Tennessee State University

Nashville, TN 2.4 miles from Nashville BOC Score34.1
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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#3

Lipscomb University

Nashville, TN 4.6 miles from Nashville BOC Score62.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

#4

Nashville State Community College

Nashville, TN 4.7 miles from Nashville BOC Score39.5
Published tuition$4,498 - $17,698
Online programsYes

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#5

Trevecca Nazarene University

Nashville, TN 8.1 miles from Nashville BOC Score52.2
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

Visit website

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

Criminal Justice Wages Near Nashville

Nashville is part of the Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN metro area (BLS area code 34980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Tennessee statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Attorney$142,540Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$148,017
Judge or Magistrate$218,190Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$226,573
Police Supervisor$94,420Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$98,048
Detective or Criminal Investigator$78,460Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$81,475
Police or Sheriff’s Patrol Officer$68,780Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$71,423
Correctional Officer$50,940Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$52,897
Probation Officer$58,010Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$60,239
Forensic Science Technician$78,480Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$81,495
Paralegal or Legal Assistant$60,800Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN$63,136
Information Security Analyst$115,430TN statewide$119,865

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.

Nashville at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Regional Price Parity (US=100)96.3 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Nashville-Area Cities With Criminal Justice Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited criminal justice schools are near Nashville, TN?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering criminal justice programs near Nashville. The closest is Fisk University in Nashville, TN (1.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Trevecca Nazarene University (8.1 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying criminal justice-related roles near Nashville are: Judge or Magistrate ($218,190), Attorney ($142,540), Information Security Analyst ($115,430). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Tennessee statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Brentwood instead of Nashville?

Brentwood, TN is 12.4 miles from Nashville 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.

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

Other Programs Available in Nashville

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

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.

Back to Best Online Criminal Justice Programs in Tennessee (2026)

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