Criminal Justice, Public Administration and Government Degree Programs

If you are interested in starting a career or positioning yourself to potentially advance your opportunities in a criminal justice, public administration, government or history related field, Grand Canyon University can help you get there. With offerings at both the bachelor’s and master’s level, our qualified faculty members strive to prepare students with the skills and knowledge base to pursue their professional goals. GCU offers these criminal justice, social science and political science degree programs both on campus and online.

23,800

The number of new jobs estimated to open for police and detectives from 2022 to 2032 1

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Bachelor’s Degree Programs

a student throwing up the Lopes in front of the Arizona Historical Society

Choose from a large selection of bachelor programs and tailor your social science or justice studies degree to your interests. History, government and sociology are just a few of our many degrees and emphases available to students interested in becoming a political science major.

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Master’s Degrees

a master's student works with Phoenix police officers

Set yourself up to potentially advance your career and gain specialized field knowledge with a criminal justice, public administration or government master’s degree. Prepare to implement your degree into your career by gaining relevant skills.

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Criminal Justice, Public Administration and Government Degrees FAQs

Career opportunities for criminal justice degree majors may allow you to make a positive impact in your local community, nationally or on a global scale. Many criminal justice careers are involved in law enforcement, corrections, the judicial process, and prevention and intervention programs. Common careers in criminal justice public administration include:

  • Detectives and criminal investigators
  • First-line supervisors of police and detectives
  • Police and sheriff’s patrol officers
  • Bailiffs
  • Criminal justice and law enforcement educators (postsecondary)

As a political science major, you may benefit from studying how laws are made and how public policy impacts the general population, both socially and economically. Many different career fields can benefit from the skills learned in political science and government degree programs, including strong analytical, research, writing and verbal communication skills. Possible careers for political science majors include:

  • Political scientists
  • Political science educators (postsecondary)
  • Public relations specialists
  • Broadcast announcers
  • Media and communications workers
  • Writers and authors

Generally speaking, social science degree students study human behavior and relationships within a variety of settings in order to unveil common trends and their impact on individuals and the community. Degrees in sociology and psychology fall into the social science field and can prepare you for careers in many industries, including politics, marketing and business. Depending on your education level, social science majors may find careers as:

  • Social and community service managers
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Counselors
  • Child, family and school social workers
  • Healthcare social workers
  • Mental health and substance abuse social workers
  • Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists

In a government public administration degree program, you will study, in-depth, state and local governance, political theories, municipal government and public policy analysis. At GCU, you can gain knowledge in the American Constitution, qualitative and quantitative research methods for politics, the impact of policy creation, and contemporary topics that affect local and state communities, such as healthcare, homeland security and environmental protections.

Grand Canyon University's online and evening programs offer the flexibility you need in today's complex world.

COVID-19 has adversely affected the global economy and data from 2020 to 2022 may be atypical compared to prior years. Accordingly, data shown is effective September 2023, which can be found here: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Police and Detectives retrieved on Dec. 4, 2023.

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