Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois cover all the fundamentals and knowledge that students need when working in different positions. Depending on the program you choose, you may learn how to become a police officer in your town, go to work for a major government department or agency or become skilled in forensic work. You’ll also learn the valuable skills necessary for success at the graduate level. When looking over the top programs in the state, it’s important to think about things such as where you want to work in the state and what you’ll do with your degree.
American Intercontinental University Online
Criminal Justice
American Intercontinental University is a school system that includes several campuses in major cities like Houston as well as an even larger online campus. When designing its criminal justice system, AIU decided to include a number of different specializations to provide students with skills relating to their own career goals. While there is a generalist program for those who want to look at all areas of the CJ field, other specializations focus on subjects like forensic science and corrections. You can use your AIU degree to enroll in a graduate program later or to go right to work in the field.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Specialization in Corrections and Case Management
The Corrections and Case Management specialization is just one of five that AIU offers. Designed for those who want to work as corrections officer and in similar roles, it requires that students take and complete 180 credits of work. You’ll need to take eight courses from your specialization that include aspects of forensic psychology, criminal investigation, forensic biology, death investigation and cyber crimes. AIU also requires that all CJ students do a capstone project in their final year, which is a project based around a criminal justice subject that interests you and applies to your specialization.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Specialization in Generalist Specialization
One of the top Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois for students who want general information without gaining specialized knowledge is the AIU generalist specialization. Though this program also features 180 credits of classes, it gives students the chance to learn more about criminal justice as a whole rather than asking that they focus their attention on just one subject. It has a capstone requirement at the end. Courses generalist students take include juvenile justice and delinquency theories, foundations of corrections, theories of crime causation, introduction to law enforcement, introduction to criminal law and crime victim studies.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Specialization in Forensic Science
If you want to work as a crime scene technician and actually investigate crimes in the field, the forensic science specialization that AIU offers can help you land the job of your dreams. The forensic science specialization looks at the techniques that investigators use in the field and how they gather evidence to prove that specific people committed those crimes. You’ll take 100 hours of electives and general education courses and then take both upper and lower division CJ classes. It includes courses on the theories behind CJ, but you can also take a few classes from within the law enforcement specialization.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Specialization in Homeland Security and Crisis Management
The Department of Homeland Security is one of the largest government agencies in the United States. AIU now has a specialization that prepares you for working in a position within that agency. You’ll need to take the same general education courses and electives as other students and some of the same CJ classes too. This specialization includes eight required classes too that focus more on the tasks you would do in the field when working for a government agency. Those courses may include offender rehabilitation, advanced topics in corrections, prison law and addiction intervention in the justice system.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Specialization in Law Enforcement
American Intercontinental University also offers a law enforcement specialization for those who want to work for a police department or any other law enforcement organization. The eight specialization classes that you take can help you learn the fundamentals of investigating crimes and also teach you how to act around criminals and suspected criminals. You’ll take a course on terrorism that teaches you how to identify potential threats and a course on security and loss prevention that can help you when working for a security agency. The program requires that you take classes on administration of criminal justice and crime and substance abuse too.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
231 N. Martingale Road, 6th Floor
Schaumburg, IL 60159
(877) 701-3800
Argosy University-Chicago
Argosy University offers a number of programs for working professionals. Started as a school that offered higher level psychology programs, it later added more programs to its curriculum and began merging with other campuses to offer even more programs. Though the university still offers programs that professionals can work in around their schedules, it also provides opportunities for traditional students who recently graduated. Argosy has a large and active online community that features hundreds of students or more taking classes each semester, but the university also has a full campus in Chicago that appeals to local students and those from neighboring states.
Chicago Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice
One of the top options for students looking at Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois is this Argosy program. The main program allows you to take classes from different CJ disciplines and related disciplines, but you can also pick a concentration in a field that you enjoy. Concentrations are available in forensic psychology, corrections, security management, police, substance abuse, homeland security and police. You’ll need to take 12 credits of electives, 12 credits from your concentration, 42 general education classes and 33 credits of required CJ courses like criminal court system and criminal justice research methods.
Accreditation
WASC Senior College and University Commission
Contact
225 North Michigan Ave.
Suite 1300
Chicago, IL 60601
(866) 680-1637
Aurora University
Criminal Justice
Aurora University has its main campus in Aurora, Illinois and a campus in Orchard Center, but the university also allows students to take classes at the Woodstock Center or through George Williams College. The Woodstock Center has a convenient location near the highway that makes it easier for students who have commitments and obligations to get to their classes. Aurora also has an online system that allows students to take some classes and earn their degrees. It has a criminal justice degree program that mimics the one offered on its campus for those who want to study online.
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
As an Aurora University CJ student, you can declare a major in criminal justice and then take 20 semester hours of classes to complete a minor in homeland security. All the credits that you take towards your minor will count towards the required credits needed to graduate. The 40 credits of CJ courses that you take include 28 credits of traditional classes. All remaining credits come from the electives that you take. You can also take an internship, which will count towards those credits. Aurora can help you find an internship in a corrections agency, parole/probation organization or in a shelter.
Online Criminal Justice (BA)
One of the top online Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois is the one that Aurora University offers. All faculty members working in this program have years of experience working in the field and will provide you with knowledge that you won’t gain anywhere else. Aurora encourages students to talk with their advisers about their interests and about their career goals to get help deciding which electives to take. Though the university doesn’t offer specializations or concentrations, it does give you access to classes on criminal justice theories, research methods, criminal investigations and deviant behaviors in adults and juveniles.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
347 S. Gladstone Ave.
Aurora, Illinois
60506-4892
(630) 892-6431
Benedictine University
College of Liberal Arts
Benedictine University has its own Department of Psychology, Sociology and Criminal Justice, which is a branch of its College of Liberal Arts. One of the more unique aspects of this department is that it requires students take courses from all disciplines available. This helps you learn more about how economic factors and other aspects of society can lead some to commit criminal acts and how criminal justice changed over the years. You’ll have the opportunity to take anthropology courses to learn more about people who come from cultures and backgrounds that are different from your own too.
Criminal Justice Major
Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois that are close to Chicago are extremely popular today, and Benedictine has a convenient location near Chicago. This makes it easier for students to do field placements and work on internships in the city and in its suburbs. Though some of the graduates from this program go on to law school, others work in law enforcement or work as parole and probation officers. You have the option of working with police officers and lawyers while doing an internship. Some of the top minors for students in this program include anthropology, social work, sociology and psychology.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
5700 College Rd.
Lisle, IL 60532
(630) 829-6000
Blackburn College
Criminal Justice
Blackburn College believes that criminal justice should focus on three key things: the best way to respond to criminal acts, how to control crime in a specific area and the top ways to study crimes. More than 95% of its graduates found work in the CJ field, and many of those who did not went on to either law school or graduate school. The college offers one of the best Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois because its graduates work for major government agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Federal Bureau of Investigations, Central Intelligence Agency and Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Blackburn offers support for students seeking jobs too.
Criminal Justice
Like other colleges, Blackburn College has some general education requirements that students must meet. You’ll take classes on history, philosophy, communications, math and science as a freshman and sophomore. The program has 10 required classes that all students must take, including introduction to law enforcement, criminology, criminal law and statistics for the social sciences. You must also take a senior seminar and do an internship. Though Blackburn requires that you take 18 hours of electives, it offers plenty of options like human development across the lifespan, public administration, the nature of language, special topics in psychology and topics in political science.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
700 College Ave.
Carlinville, IL 63626
(800) 233-3550
Bradley University
Bradley University developed a core curriculum to help students succeed in all their later classes. No matter what major you declare, you will still need to take the same group of classes. These courses not only prepare you for working in your classes but also prepare you for working in the field and with others. Core learning outcomes include teaching you how to communicate effectively, think about problems critically, apply the skills you learned in classes in the real world and become more aware of other groups and people. Bradley takes a multidisciplinary approach to learning that features classes that address multiple topics.
Criminal Justice Studies
The CJ program that Bradley University offers is one of the top Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois. It will pair you with an adviser as a freshman. That adviser will develop a course sequence that you’ll follow in the future to ensure that you take all general education courses and that you meet the requirements of the CJ program itself. Students typically take 15 credits every semester. Some of these courses include theories of crime and deviance, state and local government, criminal law, introduction to criminal justice, introduction to government and history of crime and punishment.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1501 W. Bradley Ave.
Peoria, IL 61625
(309) 676-7611
Chicago State University
Criminal Justice Department
One of the top Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois for students who live or want to live near Chicago is the one offered by Chicago State University. Also known as CSU and Chicago State, this university offers a number of opportunities for students who want to gain practical experience in a CJ field before graduating. You can do an internship for a restorative justice nonprofit organization, sign up to spend a day working in the field with a police officer or forensic investigator or do a study project on your own. Chicago State offers a CJ graduate program too.
Undergraduate Program
Chicago State offers an undergraduate program in criminal justice for those just starting out as well as those who want to go back to college. It includes 12 credits of core courses that help you learn more about criminal justice before you move up to the more advanced classes in the program. Introduction to law covers how ideas become laws, introduction to criminology serves as an introduction to all the subjects you’ll study and survey of the criminal justice system focuses on the system as a whole. You must also take a course on research methods for criminal justice students.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
9501 S. King Drive
Chicago, IL 60628
(773) 995-2000
Elmhurst College
Elmhurst College has a campus that combines elements of both urban and suburban living. Though it’s just a few minutes away from Chicago, this campus has a quiet and peaceful feel that makes you feel like you’re back home. Elmhurst offers more than 60 majors for undergraduate students and around 15 programs for graduate students. The college has a number of activities for students and clubs and organizations that you can join too. Elmhurst offers campus tours for those who want to learn more about the college before enrolling, and it has a virtual tour that you can take online also.
Major in Criminal Justice
The CJ program at Elmhurst requires that you take two cognate courses and eight core courses. Cognate courses include one on statistics and one on either race relations or social problems. The core classes you will take include introduction to the criminal justice system, criminology, criminal law, criminal procedure and corrections. You’ll also need to take classes on juvenile delinquency, policing and social science research methods. Elmhurst offers a number of electives that will compliment your degree and your studies, including public speaking, gender and crime, criminal investigation, philosophy of law and public policy and administration.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
190 Prospect Av.
Elmhurst, IL 60126
(630) 279-4100
Eureka College
Social Science & Business
Eureka College believes that the time you spend outside the classroom is just as important as the time that you spend inside, which is why it requires that students do some fieldwork. The college also provides students with other learning opportunities that include lectures given by visiting professors and police officers as well as demonstrations that show you some of the things those professionals actually do on the job. You can also sign up for experiences that let you shadow professionals on the job and do some on the job training to feel more prepared for those positions before graduating.
Criminology/Sociology
One of the only Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois and in the United States that gives students course credit for attending the National Forensics Academy is Eureka College. This academy is part of the University of Tennessee and includes learning and education opportunities not available anywhere else. Eureka gives students up to nine credits for the work they do at the academy over a three-week program. You will need to take a minimum of 40 credits of classes, including corrections, criminal law and procedure, principles of sociology and general psychology. Eureka offers an optional concentration in crime scene management too.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
300 East College Ave.
Eureka, IL 61530
(309) 467-3721
Governors State University
Governors State University is one of several college campuses within driving distance of downtown Chicago. It also has a convenient location near several stops that allow students to take public transportation further into the city. Located in the Southland neighborhood of Chicago, the campus gives students a safe place to study and take classes, but this neighborhood was once one of the more dangerous in the city. You’ll learn about how citizens and law enforcement helped improve the reputation of the neighborhood and how it changed over the years. The university has both an undergraduate and a graduate program in CJ.
Criminal Justice Degree
Many students call the Governors State University CJ program one of the top Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois because it has three concentration options. It offers a law enforcement concentration for those who want to investigate crimes, a corrections and punishment concentration for those who want to work in corrections systems or as probation/parole officers and a concentration in community-based and restorative justice for those who want to help at the local level. GSU encourages students to do at least one internship and can place you in a local police station, shelter or organization.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
1 University Parkway
University Park, IL 60484
(708) 534-5000
Greenville College
Greenville College offers one of the top Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois because it’s one of the only programs that requires students actually do fieldwork. This allows students to learn more about different fields and to gain experience that they can put on their resumes. You can work with the college to select the best place to work. Many students work with addicts living in rural or urban areas, but you can also work for a parole agency, in a shelter for battered women or with children who were victims of abuse and/or neglect.
Criminal Justice Major
The college offers a basic criminal justice program for students who live nearby and those planning to move to the city for school. Called the Criminal Justice Major, this program requires that you take 27 credits of core CJ courses, including crime and social deviancy, research methods, introduction to criminal justice, social psychology, statistics, social theory and principles of sociology. You’ll also take a practicum. Students will also need to take a course on law enforcement and at least one on another culture. The university believes that this will help students work with others from different backgrounds in the field.
Criminal Justice Administration Online
Greenville offers a Criminal Justice Administration degree for those already working in law enforcement who want to move up through the ranks and students who want to take on leadership roles within different agencies and organizations. As so many of its students are working professionals, this program is only available online. In addition to completing all general education requirements, students must take 24 credits of CJ and administration classes that include human behavior and deviance, values and ethics in criminal justice, research methods in criminal justice and police and community relations. You will also do a senior research project before graduating.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission
Contact
315 E. College Avenue
Greenville, IL 62246
(800) 345-4440
Criminology and criminal justice degree programs go beyond teaching you about law enforcement and the CJ system. You’ll also learn how to work in corrections systems and how to communicate with both other professionals as well as criminals. Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice degree programs in Illinois will better prepare you for working in top positions.
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