BA Criminal Justice

From serving society to solving cases, criminal justice professionals work in a dynamic field that requires a constant influx of well-trained leaders to keep the public safe and to address complex duties such as modeling accountability and working to end systemic racism.

This major explores every dimension of criminal justice, from the sociological issues that lead to crime to the evaluation of public policies. We prepare you for a career in law enforcement, social work, international peacekeeping and other related areas.

With a curriculum focused on theories and research in criminal justice, you will study criminal behavior and learn how to navigate the legal system. Courses focus on various topics, including crime typologies and criminal justice in practice, with advanced elective options such as ethics, impact on society and counseling. You will also examine how qualitative and quantitative research methods apply to social science research and learn about investigative techniques, forensic technology and digital security risks such as cybercrime, a growing global problem.

Real-world experience takes our program to the next level. A full-time internship coordinator helps you reach your career goals. Our criminal justice majors have interned with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the Connecticut Juvenile Justice Alliance and the federal witness protection program, among others.