Program overview
The Criminal Justice degree program is offered as a bachelor of arts or bachelor of science degree.
The Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree programs in Criminal Justice provide students with the skills critical to succeed in criminal justice and related careers.
Faculty strive to equip students to pursue graduate study in criminal justice or related disciplines, and prepare them to become effective problem-solvers as professionals in the field of criminal justice.
Our program focuses on both the theoretical and the practical aspects of crime control and the administration of justice. The required core courses introduce students to the three branches of the criminal justice profession: policing, courts and corrections.
Students are also trained to understand the importance of research methodology and the role of statistical analysis in the creation of public policy, as well as the role of racial, ethnic, gender, and status group inequality in the creation and enforcement of the law.
Students may round out their studies focusing on various aspect of criminology and criminal justice, including, but not limited to victimology, deviance, law and society, juvenile justice, theories of crime and the law and ethics. Students cap their academic experience with an internship in criminal justice or related fields.
Career and internship opportunities
Potential careers available to graduates of this program could include:
- FBI
- U.S. Secret Service
- U.S. Marshal's Office
- U.S. Immigration Office
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Sheriff's offices
- Municipal and state police departments
- Security and loss prevention programs
- Private security firms
- Border and highway patrol
- Prison security
- Court administration
- Delinquency prevention programs
- Youth shelters and other juvenile residential institutions
- Women's shelters
- Animal welfare organizations
- Drug and alcohol recovery programs
- Code enforcement
