Grand Canyon University's Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies degree prepares students to enter careers in a variety of fields. A typical career path of an individual interested in the justice studies degree is law enforcement. Others choose to pursue jobs in governmental and private agencies, research, social work and political science. Some graduates of this degree program elect to pursue law school.
Students in the justice studies degree program will study the components of the justice system and examine theories of crime causation, including psychological and social, and theories of punishment. Issues relating to justice policies and perspectives will be examined, as well as relationships of both the court and correctional agencies. Students will also explore the historical and political impact of terrorism on emergency management, including examples of terrorist activity, a summary of federal government efforts, and media coverage of terrorism.
| Course # | Course Title | Course Description | Credits |
| JUS-104 | Introduction to Justice Studies | This course provides an introduction to the basic components of the criminal justice system in the United States today: corrections, courts, and law enforcement. | 4 |
| JUS-110 | Crime and Criminology | This course provides an examination of classic and contemporary theories of crime causation, including psychological and social causes of crime and theories of punishment. | 4 |
| JUS-250 | Critical Issues in Criminal Justice | This course provides an examination of issues relating to justice policies, perspectives, techniques, roles, institutional arrangement, management and administration, use of research, and innovative patterns. Prerequisite: JUS 104 and JUS 110. | 4 |
| PHI-305 | Ethical Thinking in the Liberal Arts | This course considers the role that ethical thinking plays in the liberal arts. Topics are set in historic, literary, artistic, political, philosophical, religious, social, and scientific perspectives. The impact and contributions of leaders in these fields are also considered. | 4 |
| JUS-320 | The Police Function | This course provides an examination of the objectives, strategies, tactics, programs, roles, perspectives, public perception, and interagency relationships of the police. | 4 |
| JUS-325 | The Adjudication Function | This is a writing-intensive course emphasizing the objectives, strategies, programs, roles, perspectives, and interagency relationships of the courts. | 4 |
| JUS-330 | The Correctional Function | This course provides an examination of the objectives, strategies, programs, roles, perspectives, and interagency relationships of correctional agencies. | 4 |
| JUS-430 | Criminal Law | This course provides an introduction to criminal liability with an emphasis on the elements of a crime and governmental sanctions of individual conduct as formulated by the legislature and the court system. | 4 |
| JUS-435 | Criminal Procedure | This course is a study of the procedural process from a constitutional perspective as it relates to due process in the context of crime control. | 4 |
| JUS-452 | Juvenile Delinquency and Justice | This course is an exploration of causes and responses to juvenile crime viewed through the prism of evolving societal perspectives on the criminal culpability of youth. Prerequisite: JUS 250. | 4 |
| SOC-400 | Social Research and Statistics | This course provides an explanation of the various methods used by social scientists to find answers to the questions posed by their subject matter, including basic terminology and concepts and practice using methods such as surveys, experiments, field research, and evaluation research, as well as some unobtrusive methods. An introduction to analysis of data obtained from research is also included. | 4 |
| EMM-442 | Terrorism's Impact on Emergency Management | This course examines the historical and political impact of terrorism on emergency management, including examples of terrorist activity, a summary of federal government efforts, and media coverage of terrorism. Also JUS 442. | 4 |
| Required Course Total Credit: | 48 | ||
| General Education Requirements: | 34 |
| Courses: | 48 credits |
| Open Elective Credits: | 38 credits |
| Total Degree Requirements: | 120 credits |
This program is offered in the following formats or locations:
An online education allows you the flexibility to fulfill your educational goals without distracting you from your career. Full-time faculty members support our online students while our dynamic tools allow for engaging and challenging discussions with classmates. Classes start every month.
Program Disclosure
| Program SOC | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
* Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Program subject to change.
Grand Canyon University © 2012 - All Rights Reserved. GCU is an accredited university founded in 1949. We are a Christian university and offer online degree programs and campus based classes. As a private university in Arizona, GCU has six colleges offering business degree programs including an Executive MBA, health science degrees, liberal arts degrees, doctorate degrees, nursing programs, and teaching programs. Our Performing Arts College offers fine arts and production degree programs. GCU is a military friendly school and offers military tuition rates.
