Northern Arizona University

   

The Department of Criminal Justice at NAU has developed a unique curriculum relative to most other criminal justice departments in the nation. It recognizes that the issues of crime and justice are complex, controversial topics that are open to a number of different interpretations and approaches. Consequently, the department is committed to an open intellectual environment that encourages teaching and scholarship from a diversity of theoretical perspectives and research methodologies.

The department delivers a Bachelor of Science degree program in Criminal Justice, a BAILS concentration in Criminal Justice, a B.A.S. in Justice Systems Policy and Planning, a minor in Criminal Justice, and a Masters of Science degree in Criminal Justice.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in Criminal Justice exposes students to contemporary social science knowledge regarding the relationship between law and society, the patterns and causes of crime, the operations of the justice system in a multi-cultural environment, and the public debates and ethical issues surrounding justice policies and practices. In addition to regular classroom courses the department provides opportunities for students to develop their skills through service-learning internships, undergraduate research, and independent studies.

The Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice is an integrated program of study designed to provide graduate students with the skills to undertake independent, critical investigation of issues related to crime and justice policy. The program’s core is designed to ensure that students acquire a graduate level understanding of advanced theory and methods in criminology, justice system processes, and contemporary policy debates regarding crime and crime control.

The MS degree program also provides opportunities for students to explore the impact of social factors such as race, ethnicity, class, and gender on the crime problem and the administration of justice, to examine the influence of politics, culture, economics, media, theory, and ideology on our understanding of crime and our images of justice, and to develop skills in the implementation and evaluation of criminal justice policies and the management of criminal justice institutions.