Many state criminal justice departments are able to provide a list of state-approved security training programs. The New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services' Security Guard Program, for instance, provides an online list of approved security training schools and colleges in New York state. Schools appearing on this list are approved by the New York Division of Criminal Justice Services as providing the courses mandated by New York's General Business Law section 89-n.
To pursue a bachelor's degree in security management or criminal justice, a high school diploma or GED is required, among other requirements specified by each institution. DeVry University, for example, offers both online and classroom-based courses at locations around the country as of 2011. The university offers bachelor degrees in areas such as criminal justice and security management.
The University of Phoenix offers an online associate's degree in criminal justice, bachelor's degrees in organizational security and management, and criminal justice administration, as well as master's degrees in administration of justice and security. Similarly, Strayer University offers an associate degree and several bachelor degrees in criminal justice, as well as in computer security and homeland security. Ashford University offers bachelor degrees in similar areas, and prospective students must be at least 22 years old to apply as of 2011.
Kaplan University offers numerous online programs for degrees in areas such as applied science in criminal justice, criminal justice administration and management, and leadership and executive management. American InterContinental University offers online and classroom-based associate's and bachelor's degree programs in criminal justice, with concentrations in the areas of law enforcement, forensic science, and corrections and case management. Grand Canyon University offers bachelor's degrees in areas such as safety administration and justice studies.
For those wishing to take their training to the doctoral level, Colorado Technical University offers degree programs ranging from an associate's degree in paralegal studies to a bachelor degree in criminal justice, to master's and doctoral degrees in homeland security, among other studies. Walden University offers doctorates in public policy and administration in the area of criminal justice. Many other college degree programs exist in the area of security, among the 30 or more U.S. colleges and universities that offer programs of study in security.