Understanding the Criminal Justice Bachelor Degree Curriculum

Obtaining a criminal justice bachelor degree will vary slightly depending on the program you choose to attend. While the degree requirements may vary somewhat, students should expect the requirements to be rather similar and should be wary of programs that promote significantly less work than others.

The general requirements for obtaining a bachelor degree in criminal justice should include completing approximately 120 credit hours and taking courses such as public policy, behavioral science and general education. This is usually in addition to core course in the curriculum, which will likely focus on aspects of criminal justice such as history, practice and the science of criminal justice. In general, these core courses are taken early in pursuit of the degree and more specialized courses are taken after these core courses are completed.