Criminal Justice, B.A.
NLU’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree is designed for those wishing to enter the field of criminal justice or advance within it. The program, along with the fulfillment of additional federal, state, county or municipal requirements, prepares graduates to serve in law enforcement, courts or corrections systems, or to work in related private industries. The coursework offers a thorough overview of criminal justice and allows students to select a concentration in either criminal justice administration or forensic mental health. The program is conveniently offered in both online only and face-to-face formats.
This degree requires:
- 180 QH
- Student must select a concentration in either Criminal Justice Administration OR Forensic Mental Health
- A minimum grade of "C" in Core Courses and concentration courses
- ECT – English Competency Test OR completing LAE 101 and LAE 102 at NLU with a grade of “C” or better
Required Courses
Communications
Two college-level writing courses and a speech course. The below courses are strongly recommended.
| LAE101 | English Composition I | |
| and | |
| LAE102 | English Composition II | |
| or | |
| LAE120 | Essentials of Composition | |
| and | |
| LAE125 | Fundamentals of Research Writing | |
| LAT210 | Effective Speaking | |
Humanities
One
Humanities course. The course below is strongly recommended.
| LAH120 | Logic and Effective Thinking | |
Fine Arts
One
Fine Arts course
Quantitative Reasoning
One college-level
Mathematics course. The course below is recommended.
| LAM115 | Quantitative Methods in Criminal Justice | |
Physical and Life Sciences
One
Science course. The course below is recommended.
| LAN235 | Introduction to Forensic Science | |
Social Sciences
One course in American government and two additional
Social Science courses. The below are recommended.
| LAS120 | Introduction to American Politics | |
| and | |
| LAS105 | Introduction to Sociology | |
| or | |
| LAS110 | Introduction to Cultural Anthropology | |
| or | |
| LAS118 | Introduction to Politics | |
| or | |
| LAS203 | U.S. History and Culture: 1898-Present | |
| or | |
| LAS204 | Culture in Chicago | |
| or | |
| LAS255 | Microeconomics | |
| or | |
| LAS300 | Contemporary World Cultures | |
| or | |
| LAS302 | Asian History and Culture | |
| or | |
| LAS303 | Sub-Saharan African Cultures | |
| or | |
| LAS304 | Middle and South American Cultures | |
Behavioral Science
Introductory Psychology and one additional
Psychology course.
Additional General Education
Additional
General Education courses to reach 60 QH, if necessary
Core Courses
| LAS205 | Criminology | |
| LAS107 | Criminal Justice System | |
| LAS106 | Law Enforcement | |
| LAS206 | Criminal Law and Procedure | |
| LAS207 | Punishment, Prisons and Corrections | |
| LAS352 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | |
| LAS353 | Criminal Investigations | |
| LAS354 | Sociology of Deviant Behavior for Criminal Justice Practitioners | |
| HSM405 | Juveniles and the Law | |
| LAS208 | Courts and Criminal Justice | |
| LAS355 | Ethics, Diversity and Professionalism in Criminal Justice | |
| LAS209 | Constitutional Law and Criminal Justice | |
Criminal Justice Administration Concentration
| LAS356 | Criminal Justice Administration | |
| LAS465 | Human Resource Development in Criminal Justice | |
| LAS210 | Community Policing | |
| LAS466 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | |
| LAS211 | Police Organization | |
| LAS357 | Probation and Parole | |
Forensic Mental Health Concentration
| HSC202 | Theory and Techniques of Crisis Intervention | |
| HSM406 | Human Services and the Law | |
| HSM407 | Violence and Aggression in the Family | |
| HSM417 | Child Abuse | |
| LAP306 | Theories of Personality | |
| LAP307 | Abnormal Psychology | |