The economic downturn exposed many instances of economic crime among wealthy and powerful individuals. In response, many campus-based and online schools are beginning to tailor their criminal justice degree offerings to this emergent trend.

For instance, a New York-based school currently offers a variety of online college degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate levels that are intended to train students to combat white-collar crime. Enrollees may choose to major in economic crime, identity theft, cyber security or fraud management.

Furthermore, the school has created research centers that serve as platforms for studies on economic crime, identity management and information protection. Their findings aim to help businesses and government organizations find more effective methods to fight economic crime.

College officials say that these offerings are intended to help criminal justice professionals prepare for emerging careers in both the private sector and the government.

Individuals who complete similar online college degree programs could see favorable job prospects over the next eight years. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the demand for police and detectives - particularly those who are well-versed in modern forms of crime - is expected to increase by 8 percent during this time period.