BA in Criminal Justice

Understand the justice system from a variety of viewpoints, from policing to advocating for victims to forensics. Our criminal justice degree is created and taught by criminal justice and legal experts.

Criminal Justice Degree Overview

Help your community and your career. UMass Global’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program explores real-life experiences and draws from the insight of our accomplished faculty. You will grow your skills by examining ethical and legal strategies for solving problems, using collaborative and other approaches. Our program is a good fit for students seeking a wide variety of law enforcement, court and justice careers.

Interested in adding a minor to your bachelor’s degree? A minor in criminal justice is available for students completing an undergraduate degree in a different area of study.

Our robust Criminal Justice degree explores:

  • Contemporary issues in criminal justice
  • Corrections
  • Courts
  • Evidence
  • Forensics
  • Gangs and gang behavior
  • Immigration and national security
  • Local, state and federal law enforcement

Next Session

Summer II (Jun 26, 2023)

Estimated Tuition

$500/Credit

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Ways to Learn

Online

Program Benefits that Benefit You.

Balanced Learning

Strengthen and grow your skills by studying ethical and legal challenges within the criminal justice system.

Real-World Knowledge

Explore real cases and scenarios taught by accomplished faculty who have worked in the field.

Practical Application

Our program provides you with valuable information about courts, corrections, forensics, evidence, gangs and the different types of law enforcement.

Ways to Get Started

Imagine Your Future In Criminal Justice

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    The distinguished faculty and their dedication to their students as well as the administration have made it possible for us students to overcome the challenges we faced and helped us bring our educational goals to fruition.
    Maribel L.
    B.A. Legal Studies
    The MPA program gives the learner what is needed to address real, important, public problems and it dives into what is means to be a successful, innovative & effective government organization.
    Chip M.
    Masters in Public Administration 
    There are definite financial advantages to getting a master’s degree. You have the ability to max out on the pay scale. Initially, this was a motivator for me, but once I got into my master’s program and saw how I could apply what I was learning in my classroom, it wasn’t about the money so much anymore.
    Steve L.
    MAE, Teaching

    Admission Requirements

    Applicants for this program must complete the formal application process and submit required documents. Documents required vary based on the number of transferable credits and include:

    0 - 11 TRANSFERABLE CREDITS

    • High school diploma or GED equivalent
    • Official high school transcript indicating the date of graduation

    12 OR MORE TRANSFERABLE CREDITS

    • A minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA
    • Provide official transcripts from ALL colleges and universities attended
    active military?

    Admissibility and minimum transfer credit awarded will be determined based on the Community College of the Air Force, SMART, AARTS or JST transcripts.

    Transcripts

    Only credits from regionally accredited institutions may be accepted in transfer. Failure to report any previous academic work at another college or university may be considered a violation of academic integrity.

    HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT UNDERGRADUATE REQUIREMENTS? Request more information>

    Curious how long it will take to get your degree and how much it will cost?

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    BA in Criminal Justice Program Curriculum

    • Bachelor degrees require students to complete a minimum of 120 semester units which include a combination of General Education requirements and program specific requirements. In the absence of sufficient transfer credit, students may need to take additional general electives to satisfy the 120 total units for the degree which a UMass Global Academic Advisor will help you evaluate.

       

      Basic Skills 12
      ENGU103 Writing Communication I: Writing and Rhetoric 3
      ENGU 104 Written Communication II: Writing About Literature 3
      Quantitative reasoning 3
      Oral communication 3
      Breadth Requirements 24
      Humanities Select from 3 different areas: Communications, English, Fine Arts, Foreign Languages, Humanities, Liberal Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies 9
      Natural Sciences Select 6 credits 6
      Social Sciences Select from 3 different areas: Criminal Justice, Early Childhood Education, Economics, History, Marketing, Organizational Leadership, Political Science/Legal Studies, Psychology, Social Sciences, Social Work, Sociology 9
      Liberal Education Foundations 6
      LBSU 302 Information Fluency and Academic Integrity 3
      LBSU 304 Liberal Arts Core Foundations 3
      Total Credits 42
    • CJCU 300 Contemporary Criminal Justice Applications

      3
      LEST 300 Foundations of Law

      3
      CJCU 380 Correctional Systems

      3
      SSCU 383 Spatial Social Sciences Communications and Visualization

      3
      CJCU 403 Police and Society

      3
      CJCU 411 Gangs and Gang Behavior

      3
      CJCU 415 Ethics in Criminal Justice

      3
      CJCU 416 Domestic Violence ( or CJCU 418 Victim Advocacy)

      3
      CJCU 425 Evidence

      3
      CJCU 430 Applied Criminology

      3
      CJCU 432 Communication and Conflict Resolution for Criminal Justice

      3
      CJCU 434 Diversity, Conflict, and Crime

      3
      CJCU 435 Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice

      3
      CJCU 450 Homeland Security

      3
      CJCU 460 White Collar Crime (or CJCU 414 Organized Crime)

      3
      CJCU 495 Criminal Justice Capstone Course

      3
      Core Requirements Subtotal

      48
      Criminal Justice Electives (3 upper credits)

       
      Choose one of the following upper division course from:

      3
      Criminal Justice (CJCU), Legal Studies (LEST), Organizational Leadership (OLCU), Political Science (POSU), Psychology (PSYU), Social Science (SSCU), Social Work (SOWK), Sociology (SOCU) and LBSU 492 (Experiential Learning) 

       
      Total Credits

      51
    • CJCU 300 Contemporary Criminal Justice Applications

      3
      CJCU 380 Correctional Systems

      3
      CJCU 403 Police and Society

      3
      CJCU 430 Applied Criminology

      3
      LEST 300 Foundations of Law

      3
      Minor Core Subtotal

      15

       
      Students choose one remaining upper division elective course in criminal justice

      3
      Total Credits

      18
    WSCUC

    University of Massachusetts Global is accredited by the WSCUC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

    Meet Our Faculty

    David Long SAS

    arts-sciences

    David Long, J.D.

    Professor of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies

    Specialty

    Criminal Justice

    Legal Studies
    _Femalefaculty_1

    arts-sciences

    Karin Storm, Ed.D.

    Associate Professor of Criminal Justice

    Specialty

    Criminal Justice

    Legal Studies
    All arts & sciences faculty

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