Criminal Justice Major
DURATION
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Mar 2025*
EARLIEST START DATE
06 Jan 2025
TUITION FEES
Request tuition fees
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* spring semester
Introduction
You’ll graduate equipped to enter a growing field, prepared for positions ranging from information security analyst, paralegal and legal assistant to private detective, gaming surveillance officer, and law enforcement officers. We’ll help you learn in real-world contexts through local prison tours, at-risk youth volunteering, and internships with local police departments, courts, and law offices. You’ll hear from professionals in the field at different stages of their careers. Ultimately you’ll be prepared to make society safer by learning the methods of reducing crime, advanced police practices, and improving prison, jail, and parole policies.
Program at a Glance
The School of Behavioral Sciences equips students for compassionate leadership in fields like physical therapy, social work, and psychology, guided by experienced faculty and hands-on learning.
Program Information
- Program Units: 51
- Location: Azusa (Main Campus)
Gain Hands-on Experience
- Critique how major components of the justice system respond to crime, criminals, and victims.
- Use data and social science research to respond to contemporary criminal justice systems.
- Illustrate ways in which social inequalities are linked to criminal justice systems.
- Demonstrate a Christian worldview in recognizing, understanding, and applying ethical reasoning skills.
Program Details
You’ll analyze methods of reducing crime; advance police practices; improve prison, jail, and parole policies; and make society safer.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
2024-25 Academic Scholarships
Scholarships | Amount | Class Standing | Renewability |
Trustees’ Scholarship | Full Tuition | Incoming Freshman | Up to four years |
President’s Scholarship | $24,000 per year | Incoming Freshman or Transfer | Up to four years |
Provost’s Scholarship | $21,000 per year | Incoming Freshman or Transfer | Up to four years |
Deans’ Scholarship | $20,000 per year | Incoming Freshman or Transfer | Up to four years |
Directors’ Scholarship | $18,000 per year | Incoming Freshman or Transfer | Up to four years |
Mary Hill Award | $14,000 per year | Incoming Freshman | Up to four years |
Curriculum
Core Courses
- Introduction to Statistics or Mathematics in Society
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Police and Society
- Introduction to Corrections: Jails and Prisons
- Juvenile Justice
- American Court System
- Criminological Theories
- Victimology
- Race, Ethnicity and Crime
- Writing 2: Criminal Justice Research Methods
- Writing 3: Criminal Justice Research Design
- Senior Capstone in Criminal Justice
Elective Courses
- Criminal Justice, Civic Engagement and Social Responsibility
- Criminal Law or Introduction to Criminal Law
- The Criminalization of Youth
- Criminal Procedure or Constitutional Law: Fundamental Freedoms
- Gender and Crime
- Sex Crimes
- Forensic Psychology for Criminal Justice Professionals
- Criminal Justice Internship
- Special Topics in Criminal Justice
- Terrorism and Counterterrorism
- Family Violence or Intimate Relationship Violence: Assessment and Intervention
Total Units 51
Program Outcome
Program Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate comprehension of traditional and contemporary criminology theories.
- Critique how major components of the criminal justice system respond to crime, criminals, and victims from theoretical and practical perspectives.
- Employ data and methods of social science research to respond to contemporary criminal justice issues.
- Illustrate ways in which race and ethnicity are linked to differential justice within criminal justice systems.
- Students will be able to apply relevant Christian principles to the delivery of justice within the Criminal Justice system.
Career Opportunities
- First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives - Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.
- Regulatory Affairs Managers - Plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of an organization to ensure compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.
- Compliance Managers - Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.
- Loss Prevention Managers - Plan and direct policies, procedures, or systems to prevent the loss of assets. Determine risk exposure or potential liability, and develop risk control measures.
- Wind Energy Operations Managers - Manage wind field operations, including personnel, maintenance activities, financial activities, and planning.
- Wind Energy Development Managers - Lead or manage the development and evaluation of potential wind energy business opportunities, including environmental studies, permitting, and proposals. May also manage construction of projects.
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers - Plan and direct cleanup and redevelopment of contaminated properties for reuse. Does not include properties sufficiently contaminated to qualify as Superfund sites.
- First-Line Supervisors of Correctional Officers - Directly supervise and coordinate activities of correctional officers and jailers
- Detectives and Criminal Investigators - Conduct investigations related to suspected violations of federal, state, or local laws to prevent or solve crimes.
- Police Identification and Records Officers - Collect evidence at crime scene, classify and identify fingerprints, and photograph evidence for use in criminal and civil cases.
- Intelligence Analysts - Gather, analyze, or evaluate information from a variety of sources, such as law enforcement databases, surveillance, intelligence networks or geographic information systems. Use intelligence data to anticipate and prevent organized crime activities, such as terrorism.
- Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers - Maintain order and protect life and property by enforcing local, tribal, state, or federal laws and ordinances. Perform a combination of the following duties: patrol a specific area; direct traffic; issue traffic summonses; investigate accidents; apprehend and arrest suspects, or serve legal processes of courts. Includes police officers working at educational institutions.
- Customs and Border Protection Officers - Investigate and inspect persons, common carriers, goods, and merchandise, arriving in or departing from the United States or between states to detect violations of immigration and customs laws and regulations.
- Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary - Teach courses in criminal justice, corrections, and law enforcement administration. Includes both teachers primarily engaged in teaching and those who do a combination of teaching and research.
- Correctional Officers and Jailers - Guard inmates in penal or rehabilitative institutions in accordance with established regulations and procedures. May guard prisoners in transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other point. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in correctional institutions.