Criminal Justice Degree Online

The graduate program in criminal justice was launched in September 2002 and offers a curriculum in the administration of criminal justice, leading to the Master of Arts. The program is designed for those seeking career opportunities or advancement in justice-related fields in addition to those who seek preparation for doctoral study. Students take courses in public management and budgeting and acquire a broad understanding of the criminal justice system, including contemporary issues affecting it and the analytic skills required to conduct and apply research and to assess public policy. The nationally-recognized faculty is multidisciplinary. The public administration faculty offers courses that equip students with the skills to oversee complex public agencies. The criminal justice faculty emphasizes social science theories and methods to impart a comprehensive understanding of crime and the justice system. Faculty members in the School of Law, social work, history and liberal studies provide a wide array of electives. Evening classes meet the needs of students who work or have other obligations during the day.

See information for prospective students and the links on the sidebar for more information about our program.

The Major
Requirements are subject to change. Degree-seeking students will be
subject to the requirements in effect at the time that they are admitted
or re-admitted.
Prerequisites
POL 101 (Intro to American Government);
SOC 200 (Understanding Society) or 201 (Contemporary Social
Problems); and, PSYC 170 (Introduction to Psychology as a
Natural Science) or 171 (Intro to Psychology as a Social Science).
Required Courses
Thirty additional criminal justice (CRJ) credits at the 300
level or above are required. (PHIL 240, however, will count
toward this requirement.). At least 15 credits must be taken at
UM–Dearborn. Internship, co-op, and internship-related directed
studies are limited to three hours toward the 30-hour total.
Cognates
An additional six hours of cognates from the approved course
list of 300-level or above. For the list of courses that qualify as
cognates, consult a program advisor.
Minor/Area of Focus
Criminal Justice Studies is available as a minor, or as an area focus
in General Studies or Liberal Studies. The minor or area of focus
requires successful completion of a minimum of 15 hours of
upper-division criminal justice coursework, including CRJ 468 and
two courses from CRJ 363, 470, or 469.
Evening and Saturday Offerings
The CRJ faculty are committed to offering both a day and
evening/weekend program. Evening students should watch for
infrequently offered courses and take them when available. If a
required course is not offered during a reasonable period, a fulltime
evening student may petition to substitute another course.
Internships
An internship or co-op experience of three hours is required.
Students may opt out of this requirement if they already have had
comparable experience in the criminal justice field.

Required Courses
CRIM 101 Crime and Justice Systems, 3 credits
CRIM 102 Survey of Criminology, 3 credits
CRIM 401 Contemporary Issues in Criminology, 3 credits
CRIM 403 Dilemmas in Criminology and Criminal Justice, 3 credits

Two additional CRIM electives, one chosen from Controlled Electives Group B and one from Group C (4, 5), 6 credits
Must have formal Criminology Department approval to be admitted to minor in Criminology.
Must have an overall 2.5 GPA to declare the minor.
Meets Liberal Studies Social Science requirement.
For students in the Computer Science Information Assurance major, CRIM 321 may be substituted for Group B elective.
For students in the Computer Science Information Assurance major, CRIM 323 may be substituted for Group C elective.

The graduate program in criminal justice was launched in September 2002 and offers a curriculum in the administration of criminal justice, leading to the Master of Arts. The program is designed for those seeking career opportunities or advancement in justice-related fields in addition to those who seek preparation for doctoral study. Students take courses in public management and budgeting and acquire a broad understanding of the criminal justice system, including contemporary issues affecting it and the analytic skills required to conduct and apply research and to assess public policy. The nationally-recognized faculty is multidisciplinary. The public administration faculty offers courses that equip students with the skills to oversee complex public agencies. The criminal justice faculty emphasizes social science theories and methods to impart a comprehensive understanding of crime and the justice system. Faculty members in the School of Law, social work, history and liberal studies provide a wide array of electives. Evening classes meet the needs of students who work or have other obligations during the day.

See information for prospective students and the links on the sidebar for more information about our program.

Undergraduate Information

You may pursue the following academic plans in NAU’s Department of Criminal Justice:

B.S. in criminology and criminal justice

B.A. in Interdisciplinary Studies: criminology and criminal justice (extended major)

B.S. in Interdisciplinary Studies: criminology and criminal justice (extended major)

B.A.S. in justice systems policy and planning

minor in criminology and criminal justice

We offer these plans to prepare you to think critically as a citizen about the problems of crime and justice and to perform effectively as a professional in the criminal justice arena. The goal of our curriculum is to offer you a social science curriculum that focuses on the nature of crime and injustice as social problems and on the purpose, operations, and consequences of justice systems in the United States and other nations.

Whether you major in criminal justice or in some other field, our liberal studies offerings can contribute to your ability to make informed judgments about contemporary policy debates related to the nature of crime and the meaning of justice in the contemporary world.

Click here for more information about Criminology Criminal Justice undergraduate courses and faculty.
Graduate Information

You may pursue the following programs in criminal justice:

M.S. in applied criminology

The overarching goal of the master’s plans in criminal justice is to provide you with a graduate-level understanding of the meaning of justice in an increasingly diverse society in a continually shrinking world.

Our master’s degree in criminal justice provides two pathways to completion—a comprehensive exam plan and a thesis plan.

Our faculty represent specializations encompassing the full range of social, legal, and criminal justice topics. The curriculum also provides flexibility for you to pursue interdisciplinary coursework related to criminal justice.

Click here for more information about Criminology and Criminal Justice graduate courses and faculty.