With a Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice, you will study the social, cultural, and political forces that define crime, explain offending, shape societal reactions, and influence policies. You will also learn to understand the structure and philosophy of the American criminal justice system.
This interdisciplinary program may suit those hoping to work in law enforcement, juvenile justice, courts or corrections, loss prevention, or private security. It provides a broad education and develops vital “soft skills” like communication, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making.
General Education Requirements
Many programs offer concentration options that allow you to build specialized expertise within your criminal justice degree. While pursuing a concentration adds additional credits to your program, it also helps you build subject-matter knowledge that makes you more competitive in the job market.
As part of the general coursework for a bachelors in criminal justice, you will study law enforcement, courts, and corrections individually and as parts of a system, theories of crime causation, and public and corporate responses to crime. You may also be required to take courses focusing on the relationship between crime and culture and individual and social factors.
In addition, you’ll take general education courses to develop a well-rounded liberal arts education. These courses help you understand societal influences on crime and improve your critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills. You’ll also be able to select a psychology and sociology minor. A minor can be helpful if you work as a police officer, giving you additional insight into how people think and act.
Core Courses
A bachelor’s degree in criminal justice gives students a well-rounded education that benefits just about any career related to law enforcement or the courts. The curriculum typically includes general courses, like English composition and communication, math, history, and the humanities, as well as social science and natural sciences classes.
These general education classes at this portal provide a solid foundation to prepare aspiring criminal justice professionals for more focused, career-specific coursework. For example, students might take courses focusing on police and the courts, as well as criminology and crime analysis.
They might also take comparative criminal justice courses, which would help them better understand how different regions use their respective systems to investigate and hold offenders accountable. Depending on the program, students might also be required to take courses focusing on victim studies, criminal procedure, and juvenile justice theory.
Electives
A degree program in criminal justice is a broad, interdisciplinary study that requires a combination of general education classes, specialized courses in your major, and electives. Depending on your concentration, you could take criminology, sociology, and philosophy courses or study the impact of social justice and public policy on law enforcement, crime control, and corrections.
Suppose you want to work in a domestic or international context. In that case, a course in comparative criminal justice provides an overview of how other countries address crime prevention and societal response to it. You may also be required to take courses that examine the legal and societal responses to issues such as hate crimes, crime in popular culture, and racial injustice.
Electives are your chance to explore other topics that interest you and might be relevant to your future career. Some undergraduate programs require a certain number of these courses. In contrast, others allow you to choose from various topics, including the biology of the crime scene, courtroom oratory, and crisis communication.
Major Requirements
Students who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement, criminal justice management, or a related service career may find this significant an excellent choice. Criminal justice courses examine the root causes of crime and focus on developing critical thinking and analytical skills.
Other course topics include juvenile justice and the legal issues surrounding policing, probation, parole, and courts. The program also allows students to develop leadership, supervision, and management content that prepares them for supervisory positions within the criminal justice system, including federal and state agencies and correctional facilities.
Conclusion
Students who wish to apply for a criminal justice bachelor’s degree must submit standardized test scores like the SAT or ACT in addition to any other college admission requirements. Many schools take a holistic approach to applicant review. When deciding, they may also consider a student’s prior academic work, internships, volunteer experience, job, or other relevant professional experiences.