Criminal Justice
Program Details
As a student in the criminal justice major, you’ll gain a thorough understanding of criminal and delinquent behavior while exploring current criminal justice philosophies, ethics, methodologies and techniques. You’ll also complete an internship and explore career paths at sites like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and various law enforcement agencies. Classes involve everything from blood spatter and hair analysis to fingerprinting and hostage negotiation workshops with the S.W.A.T. team.
Xavier University, located in Cincinnati, Ohio, is nationally recognized as a top university by U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review. 99 percent of our students, including those in the criminal justice major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduation (Class of 2022).
Degree Awarded
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Concentrations
Criminalistics (blood splatter, hostage negotiation, crime scene reassembly, gaining control in a riot, fingerprinting)
Curriculum
The sample course sequence below illustrates class offerings for the Criminal Justice major. Consult the official Xavier University course catalog for detailed registration and advising information.
Fall
- Criminal Justice 101: Intro to Criminal Justice (Social Science Elective)............ 3cr.
- second language I............ 3cr.
- Core 100: First Year Seminar or Theo 111: Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- Core 101: Co-Curricular Program............ 0cr.
- English 101: English Composition, or English Rhetoric............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Criminal Justice 102: Intro to Law Enforcement............ 3cr.
- Historical Perspectives Elective............ 3cr.
- second language II............ 3cr.
- Core 100: First-Year Seminar or Theo 111: Theological Foundations............ 3cr.
- Core 102: Co-Curricular Program............ 0cr.
- Oral Communications Elective............ 3cr.
Fall
- Criminal Justice 103: Intro to Corrections............ 3cr.
- Philosophy 100: Ethics as Intro to Philosophy............ 3cr.
- Theological Perspectives Elective............ 3cr.
- English 205: Lit & Moral Imagination............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Criminal Justice Criminology............ 3cr.
- Criminal Justice 381: Research Methods (Scientific Perspectives Elective)............ 3cr.
- ERS Elective............ 3cr.
- Mathematical Perspectives Elective............ 3cr.
- Philosophical Perspectives: Philosophy 200............ 0cr.
Fall
- Criminal Justice 201 Basic Const: Law & Amer. Justice............ 3cr.
- Criminal Justice Elective............ 3cr.
- Diversity Curriculum Requirement/DCR............ 3cr.
- Humanities Elective............ 3cr.
- Quantitative Reasoning Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Criminal Justice 240: Criminal Law............ 3cr.
- Natural Science Elective............ 3cr.
- Creative Perspective Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- Writing-Intensive Elective............ 3cr.
Fall
- Criminal Justice 482: Planned Change/Admin............ 3cr.
- Criminal Justice Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Spring
- Criminal Justice 391: Criminal Justice Practice............ 3cr.
- Criminal Justice 489: Senior Seminar/Capstone............ 3cr.
- Criminal Justice Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
- General Elective............ 3cr.
Sample Courses
- Intro to Law Enforcement (CJUS 102) - Overview of policing problems and procedures; legal and philosophical issues in law enforcement; organization and administration of police agencies.
- Criminology (CJUS 206) - This course explores the cause of crime and deviance from varying theoretical perspectives in the social sciences. As an introductory survey of the classical and positivist schools of criminology, theories covered include human ecology, Social structural approaches, Social process (learning) theories, socio-biological theories, developmental theories and control theories.
- Basic Const Law and Amer Justice (CJUS 210) - Studies the ratification and incorporation of the Bill of Rights. Examines judicial review, the jurisdiction and organization of federal and state court systems, and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment provisions relevant to law enforcement and judicial process.
- Methods of Research in CJUS (CJUS 381) - This course is designed to acquaint students with basic research methodology that is useful in understanding criminological and criminal justice scholarship. By the end of the course the students should: (1) understand the language of research, (2) understand and apply the research process and data gathering strategies, and (3) have a basic understanding of research appearing in professional journals. This course fulfills students' scientific perspectives requirement.
Career Outcomes
99% of Xavier students, including those in the criminal justice major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduating (Class of 2022). Explore Xavier's Career Outcomes Dashboard to view career outcomes by major.
Alumni of the criminal justice program have gone on to work at: Cincinnati Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the FBI
Careers: Highway patrol officers, correctional officers, correctional counselors, local and federal law enforcement officers, forensic science specialists, attorneys, probation officers
More: Xavier's Career Development Office assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, conducting workshops and maintaining an employer database. More than 100 nationally known companies visit the campus annually to interview graduating seniors for open positions.
Student Clubs
- Criminal Justice Society- The mission of the Criminal Justice Society is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about those working in and impacted by the criminal justice system. The club emphasizes educational and hands on experiences to enhance the students' professional development.
- St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society- Pre-law students are strongly advised to join the St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society. This group meets several times a year to discuss the law school application process and careers in the legal profession.
- Xavier Mock Trial Club- Xavier’s Mock Trial Club participates in regional and national intercollegiate competitions. Club members—who consist of students interested in acting or Pre-Law--use legal cases to participate in trial simulations where they are assigned specific roles, such as attorneys, witnesses, etc. in order to improve their skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and legal reasoning. The advisors for this club are professional attorneys from the Cincinnati area.
- OIP-u- OIP-u is Ohio's collegiate network of innocence advocates. Their mission is to bring awareness to wrongful convictions, specifically in Ohio. The Xavier OIP-u chapter works to prevent wrongful conviction by promoting awareness on college campuses and to generate student and community support for the nonprofit Ohio Innocence Project.
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Find more information about how you can become a Musketeer.
Request InformationGain Hands-On Experience From Police, Court and Other Criminal Justice Professionals
As a student in the criminal justice major, you'll engage in supervised placement within various criminal justice agencies. This invaluable experience allows you to immerse yourself in the day-to-day operations alongside professionals from police, court, and corrections departments. Alternatively, you may find yourself collaborating with counselors and caseworkers within local treatment centers.
Learn Alongside Incarcerated Individuals in Xavier's Unique Prison Exchange Program
Experience the Inside-Out Prison Exchange Program, where Xavier students learn alongside incarcerated individuals inside a level-three state prison. Held at nearby prisons for men and women, this transformative course unites students from diverse backgrounds.
Earn Your Master's Degree In Criminal Justice
Sign on after graduation for Xavier’s online master’s in Criminal Justice and prepare to become a top-level decision maker in the field such as chief federal probation officer, FBI supervisor or head of a state department of correction.
Graduate With Honors
Are you looking for an academic challenge? The University Scholars Honors Program offers incoming students a more challenging curriculum and close support from professors while completing their undergraduate degree. Acceptance into the program is highly selective and includes a $2000 travel grant.
Criminal Justice Major at Xavier University
The Criminal Justice program at Xavier University has a long history of preparing graduates for careers in law enforcement, the judicial system and corrections. Membership on its Advisory Board includes judges, prosecutors and police, corrections and rehabilitation professionals. These longstanding relationships with community organizations provide students with multiple out-of-classroom opportunities to learn from professionals in the field. Graduates work in all facets of the criminal justice system, while some complete Xavier’s online master’s in Criminal Justice in preparation for administrative careers or go on to earn law degrees.
Xavier University's College of Professional Sciences prepares undergraduate and graduate students intellectually, morally and spiritually for careers and professions of service. CPS challenges students to strive for academic excellence and life-long learning through promoting collaboration and community partnerships, and incorporating research, scholarship and innovation.
Xavier University is a private university located in Cincinnati, Ohio, providing a liberal arts education in the Jesuit Catholic tradition. Founded in 1831, the University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation. It has been ranked among the top 10 master's-level universities in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report for the past two decades. The Princeton Review names it one of the "Best 385 Colleges in America."