Criminal Justice Degrees
Prepare for a career with community impact
About the Campbell Adult and Online Education (AOE) Criminal Justice Degrees
Acquire the knowledge and critical thinking skills necessary to launch a career in the criminal justice field at any level or prepare for law school and graduate studies. Whichever career path you choose within the far-reaching field of criminal justice, you can be sure of one thing: it will be a career with an impact. The criminal justice field touches every aspect of creating and maintaining the greater good and provides many options for those who want to pursue a career that can affect their community, public policy, public safety, and our system of justice in direct and measurable ways.
Criminal Justice Degree Options
Campbell Adult and Online Education offers a number of options to earn a criminal justice degree that fits your professional goals, whether you want to prepare for a career practicing law, or working in law enforcement, security, government, or within the judicial system.
The Campbell AOE criminal justice degree options are designed to develop a thorough understanding of the criminal justice system from beginning to end and help you focus your personal career goals within the field of criminal justice. The degree programs explore emerging issues in criminal justice and introduce students to a wide range of topics including criminology, victimology, and political policy analysis.
Degree Program Learning Outcomes
- Understanding, analyzing, and discussing criminal justice policy with an informed perspective.
- Examining and understanding issues surrounding the police use of force and social justice in the context of identifying improvements and needed changes.
- Understanding the framework and strategies for criminal justice reform.
- Developing a strong sense of ethical behavior and thinking within the context of criminal justice.
- Gaining familiarity with research methods used to measure and understand the analysis of crime, societies’ response to crime, and policies that impact the administration of justice.
Why Choose the Campbell AOE Criminal Justice Program?
The Adult and Online Education criminal justice program provides a broad knowledge base in several core areas to prepare you with the skills to be successful in a variety of criminal justice careers. As a criminal justice major you can:
- Leverage the flexibility of taking your criminal justice degree online or, depending on the degree option, at our Raleigh or military base campuses — in a program specifically designed for the needs of online and adult learners.
- Benefit from accelerated 8-week terms that allow you to complete your degree sooner and put your new skills to work faster.
- Learn from instructors who are professionals in the field and can provide career and post-graduation guidance.
- Get a more personal experience with smaller class sizes, allowing greater connection/interaction with your instructors.
- Participate in events such as the annual Career Fair to get access to many agencies in the criminal justice field.
- Participate virtually or in person at events such as the annual Women in Criminal Justice forum.
- Complete a career readiness internship in law enforcement agencies, law offices, and related organizations. ( An internship is required in the online program.)
Criminal Justice Degree Tracks - AOE
AOE offers criminal justice AA, BA, BA-Pre Law, BAS, BAS Pre-Law, and BS-Social Science degree tracks.
The Associate in Arts (AA) in Criminal Justice introduces students to a broad range of subjects including: criminology, courts, and procedures, criminal law, ethics in government, and correctional philosophies. It is a stepping stone to entry-level jobs or transfer to a bachelor’s degree program.
Locations:
Online | Fort Liberty | Camp Lejeune | Raleigh
Credit Hours: 62
Explore the AA Curriculum PlanPrepare for a career in a growing field by exploring emerging issues in criminal justice. Students engage in a wide range of topics including criminology, victimology and political policy analysis and research methods used to measure and understand the analysis of crime and policies that impact the administration of justice. Graduate with a skill set for employment in law enforcement, government, and correctional personnel positions.
Locations:
Online | Raleigh
Credit Hours: 124
Explore the BA Curriculum PlanThe Pre-Law concentration includes a set of core classes that prepare students to be strong law school applicants. Students explore a wide range of topics including criminology, victimology, and political policy analysis and research methods.
Locations:
Online | Raleigh
Credit Hours: 124
Explore the BA - Pre Law Curriculum PlanThe Bachelor of Applied Sciences concentration in Criminal Justice consists of courses that provide graduates with skills for employment opportunities in law enforcement, government, and correctional personnel positions.
This degree is designed for students who already hold an associate in applied science degree in a criminal justice-related field or eligible students who have completed a criminal justice-related military program.
Locations:
Online | Fort Liberty | Camp Lejeune | Raleigh
Credit Hours: 124
Explore the BAS Curriculum PlanThe Bachelor of Applied Sciences concentration in Criminal Justice -Pre-Law prepares students with a deep understanding of criminal justice in preparation for application to law school.
This degree option is designed for students who already hold an associate in applied science degree in a criminal justice-related field or eligible students who have completed a criminal justice-related military program.
Locations:
Online | Raleigh
Credit Hours: 124
Explore the BAS - Pre Law Curriculum Plan
The Criminal Justice Curriculum
Campbell AOE’s criminal justice degrees provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills to understand criminal law, the criminal justice process, issues in criminal justice, ethics in government, and public administration. The Pre-Law concentration includes a set of core classes that will make students strong law school applicants. Courses vary from semester to semester. Please consult the academic catalog in each degree option for the most up-to-date information on courses offered.
Courses You Will Take
AOE are courses designed in eight-week accelerated terms to allow flexibility for adult learners. The AOE Criminal Justice degree options introduce students to a broad range of core subjects, including:
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Introduction to Criminology
- Courts and Procedures
- Introduction to Law Enforcement
- Ethics in Government
- Correctional Philosophies and Issues
Depending on which program you choose or which area of criminal justice fits your professional goals, you make take additional courses such as logic, constitutional law, advanced writing, crime scene investigation, community policing, American political thought, world regional geography, and state and local government.
Skills You Will Learn
The Criminal Justice curriculum teaches you to analyze and think critically within the context of criminal justice policy and practice. Among the specific skills you will develop:
- Critical thinking
- Communication
- Logic
- Criminal justice system processes and procedures
- Problem-solving
- Analysis and evaluation
- Ethical thinking
Related Degrees
Criminal Justice Jobs
What can you do with a criminal justice degree? The criminal justice field is far-reaching and presents opportunities for employment across industries and at many levels depending on your qualifications. Some entry-level positions may only require an associate degree; others may specify that a bachelor’s degree is necessary. Specific career options like lawyer, FBI agent, or court reporter will require advanced degrees and/or specialized training.
If you want to pursue education beyond a bachelor’s degree, a bachelor’s in criminal justice degree can be a stepping stone to graduate work in public administration, business administration, criminal profiling, psychology, or counseling. Graduate degrees will open up other career options and opportunities for advancement.
Criminal Justice Career Opportunities
Career options for graduates with criminal justice degrees include:
- Clerk of Court
- Magistrate
- Probation or parole officer
- Legal assistant/paralegal
- Private security
- Game warden/ park police
- State trooper
- Juvenile intervention
- Victim assistance programs
- Court administrator
- Law enforcement
- K9 officer
- State and Federal law enforcement
