In today's security-conscious society, the need for trained criminal justice professional continues to grow. In fact, the U.S. Department of Labor predicts that employment of police officers and detectives, for example, will grow as fast as the average for all occupations through 2014. Yet competition for high-level positions will remain keen. Candidates with a college degree in police science, relevant professional experience, or both should have the best opportunities.
The AIU Bachelor of Science s in Criminal Justice is designed to help students acquire knowledge and abilities in criminal justice and juvenile justice processes, criminology, law enforcement, law adjudication and corrections. The primary goal of this program is to prepare students to become qualified criminal justice professionals.
The BSCJ degree program offers several career-relevant concentrations for students who wish to focus their education on a particular area of interest. The concentration in Forensic Science can help prepare students to enter a fascinating field that combines scientific and criminal justice techniques.
Career Opportunities
The BSCJ with a concentration in Forensic Science can help prepare students interested in developing and advancing a career as a:
- Criminal Science Technical Analyst
- Forensic Investigator or Specialist
- Police Identification Technician
- Evidence Technician
Challenging, Relevant Coursework
The BSCJ with a concentration in Forensic Science features industry-relevant coursework taught by faculty members with real-world experience in the field. The comprehensive curriculum covers the core topics in forensic science, including:
- Processing a crime scene.
- Documenting, packaging and securing evidence collected from the scene.
- Processing latent and patent evidence, including fingerprints, footwear impressions, and hair and fiber evidence.
- Identifying types of body trauma, stages of decomposition, and time of death.
- Notifying a victim's family of a death.
Students who successfully complete the program should be able to:
- Demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for a vital career in criminal justice and related professions.
- Demonstrate foundational knowledge of criminology, including the causes of crime, typologies, offenders and victims.
- Demonstrate appropriate knowledge of the criminal justice and juvenile justice processes.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of law enforcement principles, including police organization, discretion, subculture and legal constraints.
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of law adjudication, including criminal law, prosecution, defense, court procedures and legal decision-making processes.
- Demonstrate knowledge of corrections and parole, including incarceration, community-based corrections and treatment of offenders, as well as alternatives to traditional parole.
Concentration courses for this program include:
- Criminalistics
- Aspects of Forensic Psychology
- Medical and Legal Death Investigations
- Cybercrimes
