Empower & serve with integrity
Criminal Justice Degree
Use a criminal justice degree to make a difference within the justice system. Expand your understanding of crimes, including robbery, theft, homicide, white-collar crime, cyber crimes, and terrorism. Studying criminal justice will teach you how society responds to and addresses these criminal activities.
Tomorrow's difference makers are starting right here.
Stand up for what’s right. Pursue a criminal justice degree and be a force for good.
We hear crime stories every day, whether we watch the news, stream content, or scroll the Internet. These stories are on social media, podcasts, movies, video games, and television dramas. They provide entertaining portrayals of the world of crime and its heroes and villains. The reality of crime and how we respond to it as a society are the focal points for the academic area of study known as criminal justice.
The Anderson University criminal justice degree prepares students to enter employment in fields related to law enforcement, courts and corrections, victim advocacy and assistance, and juvenile justice and provides a foundation for graduate study. Coursework in the criminal justice degree focuses on the social science of criminology and criminal justice.
EXPLORE THE PROGRAM
Anderson University’s criminal justice degree provides a combination of classroom and experiential learning opportunities through internships and specialized courses in law enforcement, victim advocacy, probation, corrections, juvenile justice, and related fields. The program offers small class sizes taught by full-time faculty with strong academic backgrounds and professional experience in the field.
Criminal justice is a rapidly changing field that offers a wide variety of careers. Our approach at AU is to help students find the match between their interest in criminal justice and their particular strengths and God-given talents. We work with students throughout their time at AU to help them discover and develop their skills, knowledge, and character to fulfill career aspirations in a criminal justice-related field.
Program Options
- Bachelor of Arts: Graduate with a Bachelor of Arts with a 33-hour major. You can choose a three-year or four-year path to graduation.
- Associate of Arts: The Associate of Arts criminal justice degree is a two-year program designed for students pursuing careers in criminal justice and for individuals already employed in the field. The curriculum provides foundational courses in criminal justice and approximately half of the hours for the four-year Bachelor of Arts program. View the courses required for the Associate of Arts degree in criminal justice.
- 17-Hour Minor: The criminal justice minor provides applied expertise through coursework in this area.
Adult Learning
If you are an adult that is 23 years or older, AU offers our criminal justice degree online. There are no applications and no pressure. Let AU help you get to where you want to go. Are you interested in learning more about the adult program option? Sign up for an info session.
Internships
A full semester internship experience allows students to experience firsthand the daily routine and challenges of working within the criminal justice system. Internships also provide opportunities for students to explore career options.
Classes
- The Nature of Crime & Social Deviance
- Criminal Law & Process
- Social Problems
- Introduction to Social Research
- View the courses required for the criminal justice major.
Careers
- Probation Officer
- Fish & Game Warden
- State Trooper
- Crime Scene Investigator
- Law Enforcement Officer (local, state, & federal)
- Conservation Officer
- Forensics
- Private Security
- Social Services
- Victim Advocate
- Paralegal/Legal Assistant
- Compliance Manager
- Teacher or Trainer
- Human Resources Generalist
- Corrections, Parole, or Probation Officer
- State & Federal Court Positions: Bailiff, Court Clerk, Criminal Law Supervisor, Court Manager, Case Administrator, Court Operations Specialist, Pretrial Services Officer, Family Law Mediator, Courtroom Assistant
Meet our criminal justice program faculty during your campus visit.
_ Criminal Justice Program
Dr. Dulce Maria Scott
Chair, Department of Social Work; Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice
The Anderson You
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