Bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia can take your love of true crime to the next level. These programs look at the theories behind criminal behavior, including how environmental conditions can impact the way people act and which punishments work best to keep people from behaving in these ways. You’ll also learn about the government agencies and both private and public organizations in this field and how you can apply for jobs working for any of those organizations and agencies. Whether you hope to move to Georgia for school or are a resident of the state, you’ll find CJ programs accepting applications today.
Albany State University
Department of Criminal Justice
The Department of Criminal Justice at Albany State University offers several degree programs that might interest you. One of those is a master’s degree program designed for those who studied CJ in an accredited undergraduate program. You can also get an associate’s degree in paralegal studies that lets you gain some experience working in a law firm, which helps you develop a better understanding of the criminal justice system before you work on a bachelor’s degree. Once you enroll in the bachelor’s program, you can take courses from different disciplines and departments, including sociology, psychology, social work, education and even business.
Criminal Justice
ASU requires that all of its bachelor’s in CJ students take 18 credits of major foundation courses that include introduction to criminal procedure and law, introduction to corrections and report writing and research skills. You’ll have the opportunity to pick the electives that you want to take from classes like urban social problems, juvenile delinquency, community based corrections and treatment and evaluation in corrections. If you hope to earn a graduate degree later, you should think about doing an internship and/or an independent study project. As one of the top bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia, this program awards you up to 12 credits for internships.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
504 College Drive
Albany, GA 31705
(229) 430-4600
American Intercontinental University – Atlanta
Founded overseas in 1970, American Intercontinental University started as a university that catered to professional students. Those students often had few options regarding where they went to school and whether they could go back to college because so many colleges catered to more traditional students. AIU believed in offering classes on the weekends and at night that fit around the schedules of students and later added a number of online options to its curriculum. The university later established two campuses in Texas and one in Illinois, but many of its current students prefer taking classes online.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
AIU offers four different bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia that include this basic BS in criminal justice. The university designed this program for students who want more general knowledge about corrections and related subjects. This program requires that you complete 180 credits, but there is an open admissions policy that lets you apply at any point during the school year. You can then start classes at the beginning of the next session. Some of the general courses that you will take include foundations of corrections, introduction to the American court system, crime victim studies, introduction to law enforcement and theories of crime causation.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Specialization in Corrections and Case Management
This program prepares students for working in treatment and rehab centers with patients addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, for working with individual clients in a social work setting and for helping those in need. You will need to take eight courses in your specialization that include prison law, offender rehabilitation and case management and treatment planning. The university offers a course on prescription medication treatments too.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Specialization in Forensic Science
Criminal investigation technicians are the ones who gather evidence in the field, analyze the evidence in laboratory settings and present the evidence to others including in front of the jury in courtrooms. AIU offers a specialization in forensic science for those who want to work in labs or the field. Two of the courses that you take will go over the scientific techniques that you will use in the lab, but you’ll also take a class on criminal investigation and one on forensic biology. AIU also requires that you take courses on death investigations. This course goes over some of the ways in which professionals determine the cause of death.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Specialization in Homeland Security and Crisis Management
If you want to work for the Department of Homeland Security or one of the other government agencies, the best specialization for your BS degree is this Homeland security and crisis management program. Not only will the classes you take prepare you to investigate crimes, interact with criminals and gather evidence, but you’ll also learn how to conduct your own research. Completing this specialization requires that you take eight courses that include communication and crisis planning, critical infrastructures and foundations of crisis management.
Accreditation
American InterContinental University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. (www.hlcommission.org)”Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
500 Embassy Row NE
Atlanta, GA 30328
(404) 965-6500
Argosy University – Atlanta
Argosy University is a chain of for-profit colleges with a number of campuses in the United States. It grew from a single campus to include campuses in 13 states like Georgia, Texas, Utah, Washington and Virginia. Many of its campuses are in major cities and have convenient locations that students can reach from home or work. The university started a distance education program for students living outside of these cities that now includes an online campus. No matter where you live or where you go, you can still enroll in the university’s CJ program.
Online Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree in Criminal Justice
As long as you have a high school diploma, passed the GED or completed a home school program and took an equivalency exam, you can enroll in the online BS program that Argosy University offers in criminal justice. This program features just 42 credits of general education courses that most students complete within two years or less. You take 33 credits of required CJ classes and 12 credits of electives. Argosy offers concentrations in Homeland security, corrections, forensic psychology, police, security management and substance abuse. Classes include emergency management, criminal court system, adult corrections and police organizational structure and operations.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
980 Hammond Dr NE #100
Atlanta, GA 30328
(888) 671-4777
Armstrong State University
Criminal Justice, Social & Political Science
Armstrong State University is home to some of the best bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia as well as some of the top associate’s and master’s degree programs. It offers an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree that gives you a broad overview of criminal justice concepts and an MS program that you can enroll in right after finishing your bachelor’s degree and complete online. ASU also offers a certificate in cyber crime that you can take online, which looks at some of the crimes taking place over the internet today and how law enforcement professionals investigate those crimes.
BS in Criminal Justice
The ASU BS in Criminal Justice program is available in two track options. One is a general option that is suitable for those who want to look at various areas of criminal justice and plan on enrolling in graduate school. The second is a cyber crime track that looks at cyber crimes. This track requires that you take some courses on computer applications and internet security before taking 33 credits of classes that include criminal justice administration, research methods, law and legal processes and criminal evidence and procedures. The general CJ track requires that you take a seminar class and do an internship.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
11935 Abercorn Street
Savannah, Georgia 31419-1997
(912) 344-2593
Sara.Jennings@armstrong.edu
Atlanta Metropolitan State College
The Division of Social Sciences
The Division of Social Sciences at Atlanta Metropolitan State College is the department responsible for all social sciences classes and programs, including the degree programs the college offers in psychology, social work and teacher education. This college has a convenient location in Atlanta that is easy to reach and actually started as a college that catered to local students who didn’t want to leave the city for school. Though the majority of its students still come from Atlanta and work or live nearby, the college welcomes students from all across Georgia and even from some other states.
Bachelor’s Program: Criminal Justice
AMSC only offers one bachelor’s degree through its Division of Social Sciences, which is a degree in criminal justice. Many of the students in this program actually earned an associate’s degree in education, social work, psychology or criminal justice through the college before transferring to the bachelor’s program. The college is home to the Law Enforcement Leadership Academy, which allows students to earn a certificate before, after or while completing a degree. This is one of the only bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia that can help you gain practical law enforcement experience before you finish your degree.
Accreditation
American InterContinental University is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (www.hlcommission.org).
Contact
1630 Metropolitan Parkway SW
Atlanta, GA 30310
(404)756-4000
Augusta University
When you enroll in Augusta University, you can do more than just enroll in one of the top bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia. This university also offers an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Criminal Justice that gives you a good understanding of CJ subjects like criminal procedures and deviant behavior. Augusta also offers a Master of Public Administration with a Concentration in Criminal Justice that lets you study some more advanced topics in the field. The university is one of the few in Georgia with a CJ program that allows students to study abroad and learn more about criminal law and law enforcement in other countries.
Criminal Justice
Like many colleges in Georgia, Augusta University requires that you take both general education courses and electives in addition to some required CJ courses. You will need to take some core courses that act as foundation courses and ensure that you develop a solid understanding of topics like statistics and that you know how to do research work on your own and write papers based on the work of others. The program lets you speak to your adviser to talk about getting credit for an internship as well as how to find one of those opportunities.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
1120 15th St.
Augusta, GA 30912
(706) 721-0211
Clark Atlanta University
Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Clark Atlanta University offers one of the best bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia because this program looks at the field of criminal justice through several different lenses. Instead of just taking CJ classes, you will take sociology and psychology courses that focus on criminal and deviant behaviors as well as abnormal behaviors. The university will only accept students who scored at least 19 on the ACT or a minimum of 900 on the math and reading portions of the SAT. You must also write a letter of intent or statement of purpose, submit a letter of recommendation and have a high school GPA of at least 2.0.
Criminal Justice Undergraduate
The CJ degree that CAU offers features 24 credits of core courses and 24 credits of electives as well as general education courses that bring the total number of credits completed up to 120. If you double major in both CJ and sociology, you’ll need to take some courses from the sociology department that count towards your electives, including social statistics, social problems and introduction to anthropology. The core CJ courses that all majors must take include law enforcement, criminal investigation, judicial process, juvenile delinquency and criminal law.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
223 James P. Brawley Dr, SW
Atlanta, GA 30314
(404) 880-8000
info@cau.edu
Clayton State University
Criminal Justice
Clayton State University is home to one of the most popular bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia because it’s also home to the Clayton State Justice Society. This club meets once a week and provides students with a place to talk about CJ topics, the corrections system and law enforcement. They can find about job openings, get help applying for some of the top internships and just chat about their classes. Students in this major will take courses from other social science fields like psychology and must complete all general education requirements before they can graduate.
BS in Criminal Justice
CSU designed a degree plan that most students follow, which helps them stay on track while finishing their degrees. This plan requires that you take 60 credits of work over the course of your freshman and sophomore years. You’ll take 42 credits of general education courses and 18 credits of introduction and lower level criminal justice classes. The university offers courses like criminal investigations, domestic security, law enforcement, corrections and cybercrime law. Most students take one less class during the first or second semester of their final year to do an internship at a law firm, government department or similar organization.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
2000 Clayton State Boulevard
Morrow, GA 30260
(678) 466-4000
Columbus State University
Though Columbus State University does not have any admissions requirements for those enrolling in its criminal justice program, you will still need to complete the application packet, submit all verifying documents or information and pay an application fee. The university may ask that you take just one or two introduction classes as a freshmen and spend the rest of the year working on general education courses. Those general education classes include English composition, history, some type of lab science course, a fine arts class and at least one humanities course.
Bachelor of Science Criminal Justice
As you pour over some of the bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia, you may find that the BS in Criminal Justice that CSU offers includes courses that you find interesting. Social problems, police operations and organizations, survey of corrections and criminal justice ethics are just some of the classes in this program. You must also take 24 credits of electives from courses that include correction law, violent crime, juvenile justice, deviant behavior and criminal behavior. CSU is one of the only colleges in the state that requires students take a physical education or wellness course too.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
4225 University Ave
Columbus, GA 31907
(706) 507-8800
Dalton State College
Dalton State College wants students to feel confident in choosing their campus for college, which is why it hosts open houses each month and campus tours every week. Taking one of these tours is the best way to get a look at the campus through the eyes of a student. Not only can you sample food in the dining halls and see what the dorm rooms look like, but you can check out some of the top clubs and even sit in on a few classes. DSC offers some career certificates that you can earn while in one of its degree programs.
Criminal Justice Bachelor of Science
One option for those looking at bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia is the program that DSC offers. DSU wants to ensure that you develop all the skills needed for college and for your future career, which is why it requires that you take courses that teach you how to communicate with others, solve math equations and work with others. These courses all make up the required general education classes that you need to take. You will also take around 30 courses that include research methods in criminal justice, corrections, juvenile delinquency and justice and ethical issues in criminal justice.
Accreditation
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
Contact
650 College Dr
Dalton, GA 30720
(706) 272-4436
Whether you want to find out what makes criminals act in the ways they do, what agencies and organizations do in the field or how you can research different topics, criminal justice programs can make you an expert. Once you look at the top bachelor’s in criminal justice degree programs in Georgia, you can easily find the program that is just right for you.
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