The study of criminal justice encompasses the policies of the criminal justice system, behavioral characteristics of victims, offenders, and practitioners, and the legal framework within which each operates. The department, through the criminal justice curriculum, provides instruction to students interested in careers in law enforcement, corrections, and associated fields as well as to students interested in graduate school or law school.
The program is designed to empower graduate of the program to cultivate their unique potential and talents as well as to promote mastery of the knowledge, skills and aptitudes necessary for effective leadership. Leighton University believes that this balance enables graduates to make a difference by creating new opportunities and providing workable solutions to current and future 21st century dilemmas.
The employment outlook is very good with job growth expected to continue over the next decade. Graduates can be employed by municipal, county, state or federal law enforcement, juvenile and adult correction facilities, private and corporate security/investigation firms. Successful employment in many positions – particularly law enforcement positions – is dependent upon passing competitive entrance examinations, meeting various medical requirements, and passing background investigations. Good performance and additional training can enhance opportunities for advancement.
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
Program Length: 120 credit hours
Accepted Transfer Credits: 90 Credit hours
Program Goals and Objectives
Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:
- Evaluate federal and state constitutions and their respective criminal codes.
- Apply basic theories of police operations and management.
- demonstrate an understanding of the major criminological theories and an ability to apply them to practical examples.
- Communicate effectively within the criminal justice system.
- Effectively communicate with the public and respond to various problems many of which may not be criminal in nature.
- Fairly enforce the laws which regulate public conduct.
- Properly identify, collect and preserve evidence.
- Conduct preliminary traffic and criminal investigations, report findings and testify effectively in court.
- Promote security through appropriate application of standard patrol practices and police interventions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the roles that class, race, and gender play in the workings of the criminal justice system.
- Understand and apply concepts of community-oriented policing.
Critical Graduation Information:
To earn a degree, all students must:
- Earn a minimum total of 120 credits, excluding credits below the 100-level
- Meet the general education requirements referenced here.
- Earn a minimum of 30 credits from Leighton University.
- Have earned a grade of ¨C¨ or better in order to apply transfer credit an accredited institution.
- Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in order to graduate.
- Must have paid in full all current debts to the University.
ADMISSION
Program Admission Requirements
To gain admission to the Program, an applicant must first complete the University’s Application for Admission form, along with the required $18.00 application fee (an additional $35.00 fee is assessed for applicants seeking transfer credit). All payments submitted for tuition and fees must be payable in U.S. dollars. Payments may be made in US dollars by check , money order, or credit card. Applicants must provide verification of High School graduation, GED, or the equivalency
Foreign Applicants and Applicants with International Credentials
Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not earned a degree from an appropriately accredited institution where English is the principal language of instruction must receive a minimum score of 500 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL PBT), or 61 on the Internet Based Test (iBT), or a 6.0 on the International English Language Test (IELTS).
Transcripts not in English must be evaluated by an appropriate third party and translated into English or a trained transcript evaluator fluent in the language on the transcript. For more information on TOEFL visit the website: www.ets.org/toefl
Foreign Degree Evaluation
Applicants wishing to transfer in credits or degrees earned at institutions located outside the United States must have their academic transcripts evaluated and certified by World Education Service (WES) or any organization recognized the by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc.(NACES). Applicants will be assessed a fee by the certifying organization and should request that the report be sent directly to Leighton University.