Students of criminal justice will begin with required general education courses in advance of the courses for a major. In both the Bachelor of Science and the Bachelor of Arts degree programs, students take courses such as English, statistics, communications, natural sciences, humanities, foundational social science and psychology. The Bachelor of Arts degree also usually requires both foundation and advanced courses in a foreign language.
Once students move on to the major requirements and electives, they will take a number of courses in behavioral science to include abnormal psychology, criminology and victimology. In these courses, students learn about criminal behavior and its causes, the different types of crime, abnormal psychological behavior and its roots. Students will explore how crime evolves in an individual in response to internal and external influences, as well as the role of victims in crime.
Under the social science curriculum, students will learn about research methods used in criminal justice, social diversity, intercultural studies, the sociology of crime, social problems, and the impact of different types of crime in society. The courses prepare students to examine crime from a societal perspective and understand the function of justice in relation to criminal behavior.
This part of the curriculum focuses on the different parts of the criminal justice system and how they function individually and cohesively. Students will study the fundamentals of criminal law, the criminal court and correctional systems, along with police science, systems and practices. The objective with these courses is to provide students with a solid foundation for a a public service career.