SHSU College of Criminal Justice

What SHSU College of Criminal Justice does

The SHSU College of Criminal Justice is an academic college within Sam Houston State University, a public university in the Texas State University System based in Huntsville, Texas. It delivers undergraduate and graduate education across four departments — Criminal Justice and Criminology, Forensic Science, Security Studies, and Victim Studies — and operates from the George J. Beto Criminal Justice Center. Programmatic reach extends beyond the on-campus base through SHSU Online, Premium Distance Learning, and Competency-Based Education (CBE) formats, the latter serving working professionals who complete courses at a self-directed pace.

The college's core offerings span four degree departments plus several specialty pathways: a top-ranked online master's in criminal justice (No. 5 nationally per U.S. News & World Report 2026), an online master's for veterans (No. 3 nationally), the BAAS in Criminal Justice with law enforcement focus, the BAAS with corrections focus offered in partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, and pipeline programs including the High School Criminal Justice Instructor Training Conference and the Criminal Justice Summer Camp. Its regional public safety training arm, STAFS, and partnerships with public and private agencies add applied-research and workforce-development dimensions.

Revenue is generated primarily through tuition and fees paid by enrolled students across on-campus and online modalities, with pricing administered at the university level. Enrollment draw comes from prospective criminal justice, forensics, security, and victim-studies students seeking career credentials, supplemented by working law enforcement and corrections professionals who leverage competency-based and technical-credit pathways to advance their degrees while remaining in service. There is no disclosed headcount, revenue figure, or proprietary technology stack, consistent with a state-funded academic unit rather than a commercial enterprise.

Name

SHSU College of Criminal Justice

Legal name

College of Criminal Justice (Sam Houston State University)

Website

https://cjcenter.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The SHSU College of Criminal Justice is an academic college within Sam Houston State University that delivers undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice, forensic science, security studies, and victim studies. It serves prospective and working professionals through on-campus, online, and competency-based delivery modes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education - Criminal Justice

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Law Enforcement & Police Academy Training (EDAOAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Corrections, Detention & Probation Officer Training (EDAOAMAE)

Keywords

• Criminal justice education
• Forensic science programs
• Law enforcement training
• Criminology studies
• Homeland security education

Headquarters

HQ city

Huntsville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: The college generates revenue through tuition and fees charged to enrolled students across its undergraduate and graduate programs, including online and distance learning options.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The College of Criminal Justice delivers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in criminal justice, criminology, forensic science, security studies, and victim studies through on-campus instruction, online distance learning, and competency-based education. It also operates partnership-based BAAS programs for working law enforcement and corrections professionals and conducts criminal justice research across its four departments.

Product overview

The SHSU College of Criminal Justice is an academic college within Sam Houston State University, not a technology product company. It offers a unified portfolio of educational programs across four academic departments: Criminal Justice and Criminology, Forensic Science, Security Studies, and Victim Studies. The college provides undergraduate degrees (BAAS programs with law enforcement and corrections tracks), graduate programs including ranked online master's programs (No. 5 nationally for general online criminal justice graduate programs and No. 3 for veterans per U.S. News & World Report 2026), competency-based education options, and professional development programs including summer camps and instructor training conferences. Programs are delivered through on-campus instruction, premium distance learning, partnerships with law enforcement and corrections agencies, and specialized centers like STAFS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Criminal Justice and Criminology Department Department offering undergraduate and graduate programs in criminal justice and criminology studies for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, corrections, policy, and the justice system.
• Forensic Science Department Department providing education in forensic science disciplines and laboratory techniques for students pursuing careers in forensic analysis, crime scene investigation, and digital forensics.
• Security Studies Department Department offering programs focused on security studies and homeland security for students pursuing careers in national defense, security management, and strategic security policy.
• Victim Studies Department Department focused on victim advocacy, victim studies, and related support services for students pursuing careers in crisis intervention and victim services.
• Online Master's in Criminal Justice Online graduate program providing advanced criminal justice education through distance learning, ranked No. 5 nationally per U.S. News & World Report 2026.
• BAAS in CJ: Law Enforcement Partnership Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice with law enforcement focus, offered through partnerships to enable active-duty law enforcement personnel to earn a degree while working in the field.
• BAAS in Criminal Justice: Focus in Corrections Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences in Criminal Justice with corrections focus, offered in partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) to provide competency-based education and technical credit pathways for corrections personnel.
• Competency-Based Education Programs Self-paced, competency-based criminal justice education programs including the corrections/TDCJ partnership program providing technical credit pathways.
• Premium Distance Learning Premium distance learning option for criminal justice education with enhanced features and support services for online learners.
• STAFS Regional Public Safety Training Regional public safety training center providing collaborative training opportunities for law enforcement and emergency services personnel in Southeast Texas.
• Criminal Justice Summer Camp Summer camp program for high school students interested in criminal justice careers, serving as a youth outreach and pipeline program.
• High School Criminal Justice Instructor Training Conference Professional development conference for high school criminal justice instructors, supporting educator pipeline and curriculum advancement.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• STAFS (Southeast Texas Area Regional Public Safety Training Site)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTAFS is a center within the College focused on regional public safety training, providing collaborative training opportunities for law enforcement and emergency services personnel in the Southeast Texas region.
• Law Enforcement Agencies (BAAS Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BAAS in Criminal Justice with focus in Law Enforcement partnership provides educational pathways for law enforcement personnel to earn degrees while working in the field.
• Corrections/TDCJ (BAAS Partnership)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe BAAS in Criminal Justice with focus in Corrections partnership with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) offers competency-based education and technical credit pathways for corrections personnel.
• Public and Private AgenciesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrong partnerships with public and private agencies support the college's mission to advance knowledge, shape policy, and promote justice through collaborative education and research.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Penn State - Crime, Law and Justice Program: Penn State offers criminal justice as part of its larger College of the Liberal Arts rather than as a standalone college. Comparable on program content and online delivery scale but with broader institutional resources and brand.
• University of Maryland - Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice: UMD's CCJS is a high-research-activity program embedded in a larger public university. Comparable on academic rigor and graduate training, and a competitor for top-tier applicants and faculty.

Direct peers

• Michigan State University - School of Criminal Justice: One of the oldest and most prominent criminal justice schools in the U.S., offering undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs with strong research output. A leading direct competitor for faculty reputation, online programs, and graduate student recruitment.
• John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY): A standalone senior college within CUNY dedicated entirely to criminal justice, forensics, and public safety education. It is the closest institutional analog to SHSU's College of Criminal Justice in mission, naming, and academic structure, and competes directly for students interested in CJ-focused higher education.
• University of Cincinnati - School of Criminal Justice: Long-established UC School of Criminal Justice is consistently ranked among the top U.S. criminal justice programs and operates both on-campus and online graduate offerings. It is a direct competitor in rankings, research reputation, and online master's market.
• Florida State University - College of Criminology and Criminal Justice: Top-ranked criminology and criminal justice college with research strengths across the discipline and a substantial graduate program. Comparable to SHSU in scale of graduate offerings and competitive positioning in U.S. News rankings.
• Northeastern University - College of Criminal Justice: Northeastern's criminal justice programs are co-located with its broader university and emphasize experiential learning and co-op placement. Overlaps with SHSU on the career-readiness value proposition and competes for graduate student enrollment.

Others

• Sam Houston State University (Parent Institution): The parent public university provides shared infrastructure, branding, online learning platform, and accreditation that enables the College of Criminal Justice. Not a competitor but a structural enabler of the college's operations and reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shsu-cj

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SHSU College of Criminal Justice