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Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

LIGHT IN DARK PLACES
The earliest Christians were salt and light in the prisons. The Apostle Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns in jail in Philippi. And the Bible tells us that the prisoners listened. Because of their faithful witness, not only did Paul and Silas minister to those held captive, but to a prison guard and his family as well. In a similar way, Southeastern’s criminal justice program can begin to prepare you to aid prisoners and others through counseling, as well as lead fellow professionals through effective management of criminal justice-related agencies. The program also can prepare you to pursue a law degree.

BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Southeastern’s criminal justice program begins with our Christ-centered liberal arts (general education) core curriculum, where you develop an understanding and appreciation of God and His creation, human creativity and reason, and our place of responsibility as stewards in the world God has made. Within the criminal justice major itself, you will then study the three major branches of our criminal justice system—law enforcement, the courts and corrections. You also will study sociology—the foundation of the discipline—and special topics, such as juvenile delinquency. After you master the fundamentals of the field and explore related topics, you can either work towards a general Bachelor of Arts degree in criminal justice or specialize in one of four tracks: business, social work, pre-law, or psychology.

CHOOSING YOUR PATH
In a field that’s becoming increasingly privatized, criminal justice professionals need the business skills to manage organizations from prisons to a private investigation firm. The business track is designed to groom criminal justice majors with this expertise. The pre-law track will help you prepare for law school through courses in business and communication law, government, theory and other courses. The social work concentration will prepare you to counsel juvenile delinquents, adult prisoners and people on probation or parole. The psychology track will give you insight into criminal behavior, whether you plan to work in law enforcement, corrections, the courts or in a related field.

WHAT’S NEXT?
By the time you graduate, you’re ready to commit your knowledge, skills, and ethical foundation to a criminal justice career or towards more training in law school or a graduate program. More broadly, however, with your Christ-centered training you can affect your community. After graduation, Southeastern criminal justice majors would be equipped for careers including the following:

• police officer
• deputy sheriff
• state trooper
• corrections officer
• customs inspector
• immigration and naturalization officer
• FBI investigative specialist
• crime scene technician
• bailiff
• parole officer
• probation officer
• counselor in correctional facility
• teaching
• managing a criminal justice-related business

CATALOG DESCRIPTION AND COURSE REQUIREMENTS

BUSINESS CONCENTRATION

PRE-LAW CONCENTRATION

PSYCHOLOGY CONCENTRATION

SOCIAL SERVICES CONCENTRATION

This program is available:

“There are few fields where our students will have more opportunities to impact those who have made mistakes in their life. They will not only help those that they touch directly, but their families and the rest of society as well. Within the broad areas of law enforcement, corrections, judicial system, and juvenile delinquency, there are many challenges and opportunities to serve society and to help people.”
-Linda Bowlin, Director of Special Programs