Penn State Greater Allegheny students can complete a 4-year criminal justice degree program at our campus.

Overview

Criminal justice is the study of the adult and juvenile justice systems, including law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. It is interdisciplinary and includes understanding the intersections of law, public policy, and behavioral science, in an effort to understand crime as a social problem and improve these systems for the good of society.

Degree Options

Penn State Greater Allegheny offers two degrees in Criminal Justice: a bachelor of arts and a bachelor of science. 

  • The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice provides a broadly based liberal arts background for the study of crime, justice, and the criminal justice system.
  • The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice offers an opportunity for educational enrichment in fields not traditionally considered part of the liberal arts.

Students receiving a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice should understand each of the three main components of the criminal justice system and their interrelationships, be able to evaluate critically both current and future crime control policy proposals and criminal justice research, and understand the complexity of the crime phenomenon and its relationship to individual, social, and cultural factors.

This major includes study in law enforcement, courts and corrections individually and as components of a system, plus work in theories of crime causation, and crime control policy. Students should expect reading, writing, and critical thinking skills to be rigorously applied and developed throughout the degree program.

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Career Opportunities    

Graduates in the Criminal Justice program can find an array of career opportunities that include, but not limited to: 

  • Law Enforcement  
  • Correction Agencies    
  • Probation and Prole Services    
  • Crime Prevention and Treatment Services    
  • Private Security   
  • Drug rehabilitation Counseling 
  • Recreation Programs    
  • Research and Policy Analysis 

Shared Program

Penn State Greater Allegheny, along with Penn State Beaver, DuBois, Fayette, Hazleton, New Kensington, Shenango, and Wilkes-Barre, share authorization to deliver the B.A. and B.S. in Criminal Justice. All courses needed for the degree will be offered at each campus. Students in the program should expect to take some courses via a combination of web-based and face-to-face technology.

Criminal Justice is a shared program offered collaboratively by the Commonwealth Campuses at Penn State. Please visit our shared programs webpage to watch student testimonials and learn more about the program.

Criminal Justice Shared Programs Webpage

The official course requirements for the Bachelor of Arts option of this degree can be viewed in the online Undergraduate Bulletin.

The official course requirements for the Bachelor of Science option of this degree can be viewed in the online Undergraduate Bulletin.

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