Criminal Justice, B.A.

The B.A. in Criminal Justice prepares students to understand and engage the justice system in a complex, data-driven, and digitally mediated world. Grounded in a Catholic tradition of service and human dignity, the program emphasizes ethical decision making, human rights, and systems-level analysis across policing, courts, corrections, and global justice. Students learn to analyze crime and justice using data, research methods, and develop practical skills in communication, problem solving, and evidence-based reasoning. Coursework addresses contemporary challenges including digital culture, misinformation, mental health, victimization, and institutional accountability. Small class sizes and close faculty mentorship support active learning and applied engagement. Faculty and instructors bring experience from law enforcement, corrections, legal practice, victim advocacy, and research, connecting classroom learning to professional realities. Students may pursue concentrations in cyber crime, law enforcement and corrections, or global justice, and can engage in internships, police academy partnerships, and accelerated graduate pathways.

Departmental Honors: Criminal Justice

To be eligible the student must have an earned GPA in criminal justice major courses of 3.5 and an overall GPA of 3.5, and have completed at least 5 courses in the major.

To remain in the program the student must maintain an overall GPA of 3.5; attend one conference, seminar, or external event in their senior year or before; and complete an independent research project under the supervision of a faculty member to be submitted for presentation and/or publication.

Articulation Agreement with Ocean County Police Academy

Graduates of the Ocean County Police Academy (OCPA) will be eligible to receive a maximum of 21 credits for the courses indicated below by meeting the following criteria:

1. Complete the OCPA's Basic Course for Police Officers (BCPO) and submit certification provided by OCPA documenting evidence of completion. 
2. Apply for admission to GCU and matriculate at GCU.
3. Enroll in and complete at least 12 credits of GCU college-level (i.e., not skills development) courses with a C or better.

Graduate School Partnership with Salve Regina University's M.S. in Criminal Justice & Cybersecurity Program

Georgian Court University has a partnership with Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island, that enables senior GCU undergraduate students to enroll in up to two graduate-level courses in Salve Regina's Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Cybersecurity program. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher at GCU and meet the admissions criteria for conditional acceptance into the graduate program at Salve Regina. Students must apply and be accepted as conditionally admitted to Salve Regina before enrolling in any Salve Regina graduate courses. Required supporting application materials include a completed online graduate application form, a personal statement, and official transcripts from all degree-granting institutions attended. Upon conferral of the undergraduate degree from GCU, successful completion of the Salve Regina graduate courses with a 3.0 minimum GPA, and matriculation into the Salve Regina graduate program, the student will receive credit at Salve Regina for the courses completed and be fully admitted as a Salve Regina graduate student.  Students may take no more than two Salve Regina graduate courses per semester, and no more than two Salve Regina graduate courses in total, while maintaining their undergraduate status at GCU. Students will pay their regular undergraduate tuition and fees to GCU, with no additional tuition charges for the two graduate courses taken at Salve Regina, except any course-specific fees (books, materials, etc.).  If a student chooses not to matriculate into the graduate program at Salve within one year of conferral of their undergraduate degree, the courses taken will be treated by Salve Regina as non-matriculated credits. If the student does matriculate into the Salve Regina graduate program within this one year period, the credits earned will be applied toward their graduate degree at Salve Regina.

Upon successful completion of studies for Criminal Justice, the student will receive a B.A. in Criminal Justice and will have given evidence of the following outcomes and goals.

• Students will demonstrate knowledge across required content areas: administration of justice, corrections, criminological theory, law adjudication, law enforcement, research methods, and sociological theory and principles through course exams and papers evaluated by a common rubric.
• Students will demonstrate an ability to present work and to collaborate in course presentations evaluated by a common rubric.
• Students will identify and apply ethical decision making as it applies across theory, research, practice, and/or policy in program courses. Students will evidence competency in socially responsible and equitable behavior in case study responses evaluated by a common rubric.