Criminal Justice

Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice

Discover your full potential through the challenging and rewarding Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in criminal justice from the University of Mount Union. This interdisciplinary program combines your pursuit of knowledge and determination to improve your community through safety and security.

Our expert faculty will prepare you for a variety of career options while focusing on those best suited to your passion and skillset. Featuring four relevant tracks in law enforcement, community corrections, forensic studies, and criminology, your educational experience is personalized to the dynamic future within your reach.

About the Program

The criminal justice degree program at Mount Union puts knowledge into practice instantly. You will work through impactful test scenarios – including car crashes and crime scenes – alongside local law enforcement officials while utilizing industry equipment like fingerprinting kits and ballistics data in our Crime Office.

Securing relevant internships is often made possible through our dedicated and well-connected faculty, ensuring you get the necessary experience to stand out in competitive fields. No matter your area of interest, our criminal justice major will prepare you to make an immediate difference in the world.

Criminal Justice Quick Facts

50 credit hours within the criminal justice degree program
32 credit hours in the well-rounded Integrative Core
Experience mock traffic and crime scenes
Learn from officials currently in the field
Intern with local agencies

Learn more about the Degree in Criminal Justice

Influence the world around you with the Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice degree program at Mount Union. Pair your drive to succeed with the important technical knowledge needed to be a thoughtful leader in one of several criminal justice fields.

Curriculum

As an interdisciplinary study, criminal justice combines sociology, psychology, forensic science, legal studies, philosophy, political science and urban studies, and tries to identify and explain patterns of criminal behavior. As a criminal justice major, you have the opportunity to pick between one of four tracks:
- Law Enforcement
- Community Corrections
- Forensic Studies
- Criminology
The law enforcement concentration is for students who wish to pursue a career in a variety of state and local law enforcement agencies. You will study topics ranging from juvenile delinquency to criminology to family violence. The applied criminal justice concentration is designed for those interested in pursuing a career in corrections, probation, or parole. Those who choose this track will take courses involving drugs and crime, behavior and society, among a variety of others.

PROGRAM LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will demonstrate effective. . .
- Oral communication through the presentation of an academic research project in the major;
- Research design based on acceptable standards of the discipline;
- Analysis which takes into account the interdisciplinary nature of the work in criminal justice;
- Written communication as demonstrated in the senior culminating project paper;
- Synthesis of disciplinary theory and perspectives into the research project.
Experiential Learning

Experiential Learning

Being a criminal justice major at the University of Mount Union, students have an opportunity to study Crime Investigation. This is a course specifically designed to enable students to experience the role they may have as first responders when they enter the professional world.

The course makes use of a number of practical assessments to examine the student’s knowledge and understanding. These experiences have included:
Criminal justice majors also have the chance to participate in internships to gain “real world” experience and allow them to apply their learning beyond the classroom.
Careers

What can you do with a criminal justice major? As the criminal justice system continues to grow and become more sophisticated, opportunities for meaningful work, including graduate study, are projected to be abundant in the years to come. Mount Union’s criminal justice program can prepare you to join any number of branches that exist within this interesting and growing field.

RECENT EMPLOYERS

Stark County Sheriff's Office
U.S. Military
International Association of Chiefs
of Police

RECENT GRAD SCHOOLS

University of Maryland
Elon University
University of Akron
Cleveland State University

COMMON CAREERS

Government and public safety
Law enforcement and corrections
Private security
Criminology
Social service administration

Criminal Justice Spotlights

Avery Wengerter '24 Criminal justice and psychology double major

Shawn O'Neil

Shawn O'Neill '12 Corrections Officer

Kayla Martin '25 Criminal Justice Major

koken

Gretchen Koken ‘23 Psychology and criminal justice major

bethany dudones

Bethany Dudones '23 Theatre and criminal justice major

Michael Stash Associate Consultant, Optima Partners

Avery Wengerter '24

Criminal justice and psychology double major

It is hard to achieve that sense of family on campus; Mount Union does just that.

Shawn O'Neill '12

Corrections Officer

I really enjoyed the classwork at Mount Union and I feel like that helped prepare me for my job. Also, the professionalism and the way faculty and staff handled themselves prepared me on how to present myself for future opportunities.

Kayla Martin '25

Criminal Justice Major

I chose Mount because I grew up in Alliance, so I’ve known about it my entire life. My older sister also attends Mount, so it was only right to also continue my education here. Although, Mount has become a second home because of the many friends I’ve made throughout my involvement while a student here.

Gretchen Koken ‘23

Psychology and criminal justice major

Get comfortable being uncomfortable. There’s a lot of different things to do on campus and if you get over the mental aspect of being uncomfortable, you’ll have so much more fun!

bethany dudones

bethany dudones

Bethany Dudones '23

Theatre and criminal justice major

Mount Union feels like a second home because of the friends that have turned into family!

Michael Stash

Associate Consultant, Optima Partners

I chose UMU because from the moment I stepped on campus I felt like I belonged there. The campus was beautiful, the people friendly, and they offered a liberal arts education that I desired.

bethany dudones