- /_resources/images/program-heroes/21_0008_hybrid_police_cars12.jpgCriminal Justice DegreeBachelor of Science (B.S.)Contribute to a more just and safer world with a degree in Criminal Justice.UNT's Criminal Justice degree empowers students with the knowledge and skills they need to create just and safe communities. Our students prepare for challenging careers in public sector law enforcement, corrections, court-related employment, nonprofits and private sector loss prevention, and corporate security and investigative work.College of Public Affairs and Health SciencesDepartment of Criminal JusticePublic ServiceUndergraduateMajorOn Campus,OnlineDenton,OnlineBachelor of Science (B.S.)4 years120https://catalog.unt.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=37&poid=18565&returnto=4292https://hps.unt.edu/scholarshipshttp://admissions.unt.edu/https://online.unt.edu/programs/undergraduate/criminal-justiceWhy Earn a Criminal Justice Degree?
The Department of Criminal Justice is committed to excellence in teaching, research and service. Our faculty is comprised of nationally recognized scholars focusing on interdisciplinary solutions to the complex problems of crime and disorder, and contributing to a just and safe community.
Our curriculum educates you in the theoretical, practical and empirical aspects of criminal justice in preparation for your potential career or graduate studies. The coursework addresses a wide variety of subjects such as:
- Criminal justice and public policy
- Criminal law and procedure
- Criminological theory
- Ethical and diversity issues in criminal justice
- History of crime and justice in the United States
- Police, courts and correctional systems
- Research methods
- Leadership ability
- Oral and written communication
- Law and policy awareness
- Information collection, analysis and interpretation
- Teamwork
Our faculty members have extensive relationships with area agencies and include nationally recognized experts in policing, juvenile justice, corrections, criminological theory, victims' issues and sentencing. Their books and articles are used in classrooms across the nation, and some have been cited as landmark research efforts.We sponsor student chapters of Alpha Phi Sigma (the national criminal justice honor society), Lambda Alpha Epsilon (the criminal justice pre-professional society), and many other student organizations..Our Criminal Justice Internship Program allows you to complete an internship for academic credit and gain practical experience.Electives focus on alcohol and drug misuse, community corrections, corporate security, juvenile justice, offender behavior and organized crime.The Department of Criminal Justice in UNT’s College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences offers scholarships to students each year, including: J. Edgar Hoover Scholarship and Jacob Andrew Fritsch Memorial Scholarship.Some courses incorporate experiential activities in jails, prisons or courtrooms, or require completing service-learning activities. Other electives and seminars allow you to focus your studies on a particular interest, and study abroad opportunities also are available.Pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas can lay the groundwork for becoming a:
- Law enforcement officer
- Court administrator
- Probation or parole officer
- Crime and intelligence analyst
- Correctional treatment expert
- Victim's advocate
- Policy analyst
- Social service provider
- Loss prevention officer
- Fraud investigator
- Corporate security administrator
Many of our alumni are serving in agencies throughout the North Texas region as:
- Police chiefs, supervisors and officers
- Special agents at federal agencies
- State law enforcement officers
- Supervisory staff at community corrections agencies
Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice (3 hrs)This course critically examines race, gender and other diversity issues within the U.S. criminal justice system. Topics of emphasis include the importance of diversity issues in the development, organization and operation of the criminal justice system.Police Systems (3 hrs)This course focuses on the role and function of police in contemporary society, the problems arising between citizens and police from the enforcement of laws, the limitations of police in a democratic society and the methodologies used by the police to be a more effective component of the justice system.Correctional Systems (3 hrs)This course focuses on prisons and jails, and examines the goals and history of punishment; the death penalty; the composition and social organization of jail and prison populations; bail, detention, sentencing and classification; and institutional management and the conflicts between rehabilitation and punishment.Criminology (3 hrs)This course provides an overview of the major criminological perspectives and an examination of the social, political and intellectual milieu within which each developed and focuses on the multi-disciplinary nature of criminological thought.Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice (3 hrs)Students will study ethical issues facing the criminal justice system and problems confronting police, the courts and the juvenile and correctional systems.Crime and Justice in the United States (3 hrs)This course examines the societal responses to people and organizations that violate criminal codes; discusses the history, development, organization and philosophy of the justice process; and analyzes the complex inter-relationships between the major components of the criminal justice system (police, courts and corrections).JOS32KdRpzQLearn More About UNT
Watch this video to learn more about what makes UNT great!College of Public Affairs and Health Sciences
Criminal Justice Policy and Administration M.S. (link to M.S. program page)
Criminal Justice Theory and Research M.S. (link to M.S. program page)
Criminal Justice Grad Track Program (link to G.T. program page)
Similar Majors (link to corresponding subject page)
Department of Criminal Justice
940-565-2562
D'Ann.Hammett@unt.edu
Chilton Hall 265
Related Programs
Criminal Justice Policy and Administration M.S.
Criminal Justice Theory and Research M.S.940-565-2562D'Ann.Hammett@unt.eduChilton Hall 265https://maps.unt.edu/https://www.unt.edu/academics/undergrad/criminal-justice220241113715295