Why study criminal justice at BGSU?
- A career builder. Adding a four-year degree to your resume typically leads to pay increases. Most larger municipal, county and state agencies prefer employees to have four-year degrees and almost always require one for promotions.
- Flexibility for working professionals. Online classes are asynchronous. That means you can keep working and log in when it’s convenient for you.
- Strong reputation. The BGSU program is one of the oldest in the nation and one of the top criminal justice programs in Ohio. It has a long-standing reputation for producing leaders in the field.
- Expert faculty who have a wealth of experience in law enforcement, corrections, juvenile justice and the criminal justice system. The majority have doctorates and are active in research.
- Earn your master’s in one extra year. Save money and time in our accelerated bachelor’s to master’s degree program.
- Nationally ranked master’s program. Stay at BGSU for graduate school. Our online criminal justice master’s program is one of the top online programs in the country and ranked No. 1 among Ohio public universities.
BGSU’s online criminal justice master’s program is ranked No. 1 among Ohio public universities and in the top 10 in the U.S.
Sources: U.S. News and World Report
Career opportunities
There continues to be strong job growth in the criminal justice field. Completing your bachelor’s degree can lead to a higher salary in your current position or a promotion. Larger municipal, county and state agencies prefer four-year college degrees and almost always require one for career advancement.
BGSU graduates work at the local, state and federal levels in the three branches of the criminal and juvenile justice systems – law enforcement, the court system and the corrections system. They also go on to graduate school and law school.
Career paths
- Law enforcement
- Private investigator
- Juvenile counselor
- Corrections/probation officer
- Attorney
- Victim services advocate
- Criminologist
- Corporate loss prevention
Quick Facts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Internships
One of the hallmarks of BGSU’s criminal justice program is experiential learning. Students are required to complete 400 internship hours.
If you are already working in the field, you will most likely be able to use your previous training and/or current employment to fulfill the requirement. We will review your experience and may offer credit for training, including certified police academy credit, military training in law enforcement and other types of related education.
If you have no approved training that qualifies for credit, an advisor will assist you with course planning that includes an experiential component.
Curriculum
Integrate your own real-world experiences while also gaining practical insights and skills directly applicable to the field. Our program is designed to bridge theory and practice. It ensures you are well-prepared for the challenges of the evolving criminal justice landscape.
Our comprehensive curriculum explores the latest advancements in law enforcement, legal systems and correctional programs and policies. It is focused on social and behavioral sciences with courses that build on your previous education in government, psychology and sociology. You will learn to look at problems from many perspectives since you’re able to take courses across disciplines.
You will be able to study at your own pace as an online student. This flexibility allows you to balance your career while advancing your knowledge in criminal justice.
Sample courses
- Law Enforcement in American Society
- Investigations
- Introduction to Forensic Science
- Digital Crime and Criminal Justice
- Law, Evidence and Legal Issues in Forensic Science
- Criminal Courts
- Juvenile Justice Subsystems
- Institutional and Community Corrections
BGSU is the only university in Ohio and one of just nine in the nation to earn the Quality Matters Online Learner Support certificate for all of our seven-week online programs. The certificate recognizes that our programs provide the critical services needed for student success and that we use student feedback to continuously improve those services.
The criminal justice program is part of the Department of Human Services in the BGSU College of Health & Human Services.
Updated: 04/22/2024 12:24PM