Criminal Justice

Overview

Intended for the working professional in criminal justice, students can complete this degree totally online and within two years.

Courses include topics such as criminology theory, justice statistics, research methods, crime policy analysis, leadership, ethics, and more.

The curriculum addresses social justice topics including race, class, gender, and their impact on the criminal justice system – from arrest through sentencing.

In addition to coursework, the Criminal Justice program from Saint Ambrose University  culminates with the creation of a portfolio that consists of term papers, exams, and class presentations which document all that you've achieved.

Key facts:

• Students regularly submit their thesis work to conferences, for publication, or as evidence for a PhD application. Recent thesis titles include: "How Virtual Visitation Effects Criminality" and "Baselines for Racial Profiling."

• Students can design their own course of study – within structured guidelines – for achieving a Criminal Justice master's degree. This personalization allows students to tailor their education and meet career goals.

• A capstone class provides you with guided review of areas that will be covered on the comprehensive exams, including a review of statistics, methods, theory, and practice.

• Best of all, our faculty share their experience in the classroom. They have extensive backgrounds in corrections, law, criminology, sociology, education, human services, and law enforcement. Many do consulting and conduct grant-funded research. Past research projects have focused on the treatment of women in the criminal justice and the prison systems; counseling and offender treatment; recidivism and treatment at halfway houses; gender issues and treatment; and the effect of race and gender in decision making.