Bachelor in Political Science - Concentration in Criminal Justice
Glendale, USA
Bachelor's degree
DURATION
4 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Key Summary
Criminal justice studies at ACU trains the next generation of law enforcement leaders to live out their calling to law enforcement, grounded in the biblical worldview and ethics, equipped with skills and knowledge for professional success, and ready to enter one of the fastest growing career fields in the country. Classes are taught by experienced active-duty law enforcement personnel, who guide students through rigorous coursework that combines criminal justice theory and scholarship, with practical, hands-on training. Our criminal justice faculty are not only teachers, they are mentors who help students combine their passion for law enforcement with excellent training and the benefit of their experience. Our unique criminal justice coursework grounds students in the biblical worldview, while training them in biblical ethics and challenging them to live out their faith with compassion and God’s truth in the criminal justice profession.
Housed within ACU’s bachelor’s degree in Political Science, the program requires a minimum of 18 credit hours of criminal justice course work, as well as broad training in areas of law, public policy, research and analytical writing, American government, and Constitutional law. This combination of criminal justice and traditional political science coursework prepares students for a career that keeps pace with this dynamic field, whether in law enforcement and community policing, careers in law and legal work or work in public policymaking or serving in government.
Students who complete a bachelor of arts or a bachelor of sciences in Political Science-Criminal Justice are prepared for significant Christian influence in government, law enforcement, law, and politics. Students explore the intersection of faith and politics while being grounded in the ideas, values, and institutions of the American system of government and politics more generally. Learn to integrate the biblical worldview into a deep understanding of government as you thoughtfully consider and address the political opportunities and challenges facing today’s culture. By integrating faith and scholarship, political science graduates translate their passion for political transformation into significant Christian leadership and influence in their communities, the nation, and the world.
Why Political Science-Criminal Justice at ACU?
In addition to a faculty-to-student ratio of 17:1 and a rigorous and biblically-integrated curriculum, ACU’s Criminal Justice program offers several unique advantages.
- The ACU Political Science – Criminal Justice curriculum prepares you to transform government, law enforcement, and politics with God’s Truth.
- Develop, formalize, and integrate the biblical worldview into all aspects of government, law enforcement, and politics.
- ACU digs deeply into the idea of American Exceptionalism and what makes our nation’s history, institutions, political culture, and ideas ‒ especially liberty, limited government, the free market, and constitutionalism ‒ unique.
- Criminal Justice coursework is built on a foundation of biblical worldview understanding and ethics.
- You will be uniquely prepared to take your faith into the law enforcement profession.
- All students complete a course on the U.S. Constitution and other coursework emphasizes the origins and importance of the rule of law within the American justice system.
- Throughout the major, you’ll deeply explore the intersection of faith, the biblical worldview, and law enforcement, historically, in the contemporary context, and in future careers.
- The program emphasizes strategic, practical equipping of students for effective citizenship, public-minded service, and positions of influence in politics, law, public policy, and other related areas.
What will I study?
The Political Science-Criminal Justice program provides a biblical liberal arts foundation with an innovative approach to general studies that reclaims a Christian conception of the Liberal Arts, preparing students to be influential thinkers. Career-related Coursework focus areas will include:
- American Government, Institutions, and Ideas
- Faith and Politics
- Political Thought: Ancient, Contemporary, and American
- Constitutional Law
- Campaigns and Elections
- Public Policy
- International Relations and Foreign Policy
Emphases are available in Criminal Justice, Economic Liberty and Politics, or Healthcare Policy.
Academic Major Courses
Core requirements accumulate 30 credits, 15 credits of Biblical and Theological Studies, and 8 credits of foreign language courses. 3 credits of Upper Division Biblical and Theological Studies electives are required.
- POL 150 American Government 3
- POL 210 Political Ideologies 3
- POL 230 Law and Politics 3
- POL 300 Research and Writing 3
- POL 305 Faith and Politics 3
- POL 376 American Exceptionalism 3
- POL 450 Constitutional Law 3
- POL 497 Internship 3
- POL 490 Political Science Capstone 3
- CRJ 210 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
- CRJ 280 Criminology 3
- CRJ 310 Criminal Law and Procedures 3
- CRJ 330 Homeland Security 3
- CRJ 420 Criminal Justice Ethics 3
- CRJ 425 Faith and the Criminal Justice Profession 3
ACU’s Criminal Justice degree prepares students to pursue careers in:
- Government / Politics
- Law / Legal Field
- Law Enforcement
- Policy Research and Advocacy
- Public Administration
- Organizational Leadership
- Non-Profit Administration
- Public Service
- Education / Academia