Northern Arizona University
Northern Arizona University has earned a solid reputation as a comprehensive university with a personal touch. The personal attention comes in many forms, including small classes with full-time professors who know their students' names and a caring and committed staff whose goal is to help every student succeed.
The Department of Criminal Justice
The mission of the Department of Criminal Justice is to provide undergraduate and graduate students with an education in criminal justice that meets the highest national standards, prepares them to think critically about the problems of crime and justice as citizens, and will enable them to perform effectively in the criminal justice arena as workers. Pursuing this mission involves four interconnected activities: education, scholarship, service and assessment.
The Department of Criminal Justice recognizes that the issues of crime and justice are complex, controversial topics that are open to a number of different interpretations and approaches. Consequently the department is committed to an open intellectual environment that encourages teaching and scholarship from a diversity of theoretical perspectives and research methodologies.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Our program in criminal justice is designed to provide you with a social science education concerning the nature of crime and the purpose, operations and consequences of the various components of the justice system in both the United States and other nations.
If you are interested in pursuing a career in one of the three major areas of the criminal justice system (the courts, corrections or law enforcement), or if you wish to pursue further education in law school or graduate school, the BS in Criminal Justice will provide you with the knowledge and analytical skills to do so.
Whether you major in criminal justice or in some other field, our department can also contribute to your ability to make informed judgments about crime and justice issues through our liberal studies offerings.
Master of Science in Criminal Justice
The goal of the MS in Criminal Justice is to provide you with graduate level skills to understand the challenges of achieving justice in an increasingly diverse society located in a continually-shrinking world. The MS in Criminal Justice provides two pathways to completion, a thesis path and a comprehensive examination path.
The thesis path provides you with the theoretical, methodological and communication skills necessary to work effectively in research or policy positions related to justice, or to pursue further graduate education.
The comprehensive examination path will provide you with a graduate-level understanding of criminology and criminal justice, as well as specialized knowledge in one or more focus areas.