The B.A. in Criminal Justice is designed to give you the skills and knowledge necessary to explore the impact of crime, as well as effective strategies that can be implemented to reduce it. As a criminal justice major, you’ll gain key communication, research, and analytical skills essential to working in complex criminal justice occupations.
Whether you take this degree in criminal justice online or on-campus, you’ll learn to conduct the appropriate research, develop theories, investigate crime scenes, and compose reports from the facts you collect. With this Bachelor in Criminal Justice degree, you’ll be confident you have what it takes to enter the field with your acquired training and skills.
Coursework for HIU’s Criminal Justice degree focuses on communication, behavior, and justice studies. You’ll explore topics ranging from criminal justice policy and systems to gender, race, and crime.
Our program also provides students with opportunities to collaborate with classmates through a wide range of projects, discussions, and case studies.
Popular electives include:
As a graduate with a criminal justice degree, you’ll have a wide range of careers to choose from. Criminal justice jobs are found in many fields, including corrections, homeland security, law enforcement, the court system, and criminal justice case management.
The law enforcement public sector encompasses multiple careers, including:
With a B.A. in Criminal Justice degree, you can also select from a variety of relevant occupations in the public and private sectors. After graduation, you’ll be qualified to apply for security and loss prevention roles, as well as openings for private detectives and probation officers. Additionally, you can use your undergraduate degree as the foundation for your pursuit of post-bachelor education in related fields.
Want to learn on your own schedule? HIU’s online B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice provides maximum flexibility! Access classes when it is convenient for you.
Financial aid is available.
See Application Requirements for complete information.
Are you ready to take the next step toward your bright future?
Apply for the B.A. Degree in Criminal Justice Today!
By definition, criminology is the interdisciplinary study of delinquent or deviant behavior. This social science analyzes the where, how, and why of criminal behavior, as well as its impact on society.
A criminology major’s course load includes introductions to criminology and criminal justice and may include courses related to sociopolitical aspects of crime, such as the death penalty, deviance and social control, and public policy analysis.
Criminology majors may want to focus on courses like crime analysis, which examines how biology, psychology, and social issues impact crime. Examples of these courses include everything from abnormal psychology to cognitive neuroscience. Students in this major can also expect to take a handful of classes to hone their research skills, such as statistics, field methods for sociological research, and data science.
Criminal justice concentrates on the individuals who investigate crimes and bring criminals to trial. A secondary role of criminal justice refers to those who monitor inmates within correctional facilities and who supervise individuals released to pretrial services, which can include parole, probation, and community supervision.
Both criminology and criminal justice professionals fill key roles throughout the legal system. They work as law enforcement officers, take on key responsibilities in courts and prisons, and engage in a variety of related private sector occupations. By working to ensure compliance with legal standards and to diminish crime, criminology degree graduates are an essential part of our society.
As is the case with all majors at HIU, Criminal Justice majors have a number of opportunities to take their studies off campus. Each student works closely with an academic advisor who helps identify opportunities for research, grants, and internships based on the student’s individualized study plan. In addition, we highly encourage you to take advantage of our study abroad programs, which will provide you with an opportunity to experience different world cultures.
