Criminal justice is a quickly growing field of study in online and continuing education, and students at all levels can benefit from free open courseware classes to gain experience and training. Students and professionals who aren’t sure if they want to invest in a total major or industry switch can take open courseware classes to introduce them to the field without having to pay for a more traditional program. Those already working in criminal justice can further explore their field by searching for courses that cover new topics in criminal justice, like human rights, law enforcement or the United States political system. Schools like MIT, The Open University and Weber State University have uploaded syllabi, coursework, lecture notes and study materials for their criminal justice classes so that busy students and professionals can further their education on a more flexible schedule.

Some criminal justice related classes can also be found by searching through a university’s political science, pre-law or law open departments. This selection features classes like Justice, Human Rights and Law, Law and Society, Introduction to Security, and Making and Using Rules. Courses are taught from both the U.S. and the British perspective, allowing students in many different countries the opportunity to study criminal justice through open courseware. Additional topics covered in these classes include the nature of liberty and equality, public opinion, The Red Cross and The European Convention, the U.S. political process, physical security, loss prevention, and more.

• Justice [MIT] – Discover what principles and practices make up a just society, and learn about topics like liberty and equality in this class.
• Human Rights and Law [The Open University] – This UK-based course considers international human rights, The European Convention, The Red Cross, slavery and more.
• Law and Society [MIT] – This class “emphasizes the relationship between the internal logic of legal devices and economic, political and social processes.” Students explore public opinion of the legal system and criminal justice processes.
• Introduction to Security [Weber State University] – Learn about loss prevention, physical security, and other types of security in this course.
• Making and Using Rules [The Open University] – Law enforcement and security personnel get an insight into the nature of rules and legal policy.