Briar Cliff University - The Catholic Franciscan Learning Place

Criminal Justice

Bachelor of Arts

The study of criminal justice at Briar Cliff is a special interdisciplinary program drawing from the disciplines of sociology, political science, psychology and social work. It is designed to prepare a generalist at the undergraduate level for such career options as community policing and community corrections, juvenile diversion and monitoring, court administration, correctional institutions, probation and parole, victim reconciliation and mediation programs, security administration, investigation and research.

Upon graduation, students majoring in criminal justice will be able to understand the core areas in the field of criminal justice: crime, law enforcement, adjudication and corrections; understand human behavior, social interaction processes, and social institutions and policies; apply ethical standards to situations and practices that arise in positions of public trust; think logically and critically in the process of applying formal knowledge and principles to practice in the criminal justice field; communicate clearly and effectively in oral and written form; and process and apply information reliably through the use of appropriate information resources, research methodology, statistics and computer tools.