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What is the typical curriculum for a criminal justice degree?
By Jim Greenberg
The criminal justice degree program produces graduates who can critically assess issues and use that ability to impact the criminal justice system. The criminal justice degree program places emphasis on academics, oral and written communication and research potential. The curriculum is largely concentrated in social and behavioral sciences with core courses in government, law, psychology and sociology. Students take courses in other departments, as well as in criminal justice, giving them the ability to look at a problem from many viewpoints. This system exposes students to a wide diversity of faculty to explore different ideas and issues. Along with academics, the typical curriculum for a criminal justice degree grooms students to look at issues critically, make informed judgments and decisions, have an understanding about human nature and social arrangements, recognize cultural diversity, understand basic research, and communicate effectively.
Candidates undergoing criminal justice degrees must typically complete the core curriculum listed below:
1. Introduction to Criminology and Criminal Justice
2. Theories of Crime
3. Criminal Law
4. Criminal Justice Policy
5. Research Methods in Criminology and Criminal Justice
6. Statistical Analysis in Criminology and Criminal Justice
7. Seminar in Criminology and Criminal Justice
Beside this core curriculum, in most criminal justice programs, candidates may also have to complete any two courses from the following four :
a) Crime Prevention
b) Policing
c) Corrections
d) Juvenile Justice
In the next level, candidates may be required to take two courses from the following ones:
i. Communities and Crime
ii. Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice
iii. Computers in Criminal Justice
iv. Ethics in Criminology and Criminal Justice
v. Forms of Criminal Behavior
vi. Gender, Crime, and Justice
vii. History of Crime and Justice
viii. Probation and Parole
ix. Race, Crime, and Justice
x. Rights of the Offender
xi. Victimology
xii. Special Topics in Criminology and Criminal Justice
A typical criminal justice degree curriculum may also include the following elective courses:
a). The City
b). Alcohol, Drugs and Society
c). Urban Law: Poverty and the Justice System
d). Internship in Criminology and Criminal Justice
e). Special Readings
In a typical criminal justice degree curriculum, an intense internship requirement is one of the program's strengths. There are numerous agencies that accept interns on a regular basis. Internships may be arranged with law enforcement agencies, correctional institutions, probation/parole authorities, private security operations, prosecutors' and public defenders' offices, the local courts and some federal agencies. Feedback from both the agencies and the interns has consistently verified the value of "in-the-field" study to a well-rounded education.
Besides these core courses on criminal justice/criminology most degrees will also require completing some courses in communication, humanities and social sciences.
About the Author
Jim Greenberg recommends you visit the Online Criminal Justice Degree Guide for more information on what an online criminal justice program is like. See http://www.ocjdg.com/2006/02/the_abcs_of_enr.html for more information.
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