Law and public service - Criminal justice and forensics

This program allows you to build a custom degree by combining two academic disciplines into one major.

You’ll select two concentrations from more than 40 available options, with advisors available to help you choose the ones best for you. It's an ideal program for those who are undecided on a major or want to pursue multiple areas of study.

One of the most popular combinations is to pair a concentration in business with a second focus in psychology. Other complementary options include:

• Applied business data analytics and business
• Business and project management
• Business and real estate
• Counseling/applied psychology sciences with family studies
• Family and human development and communication
• Personal health and integrative health
• Project management and sustainability
• Science, technology and society with technical entrepreneurship and management
• Sales and marketing essentials and organizational leadership

A culminating experience with a focus on experiential learning

IDS 401 is the program’s culminating experience in which you’ll arrange, plan and execute a learning project. Throughout this course, you’ll be guided in applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating interdisciplinary concepts to a real-world problem.

You’ll choose from one of the three options below. The College of Integrative Sciences and Arts will work with you to help you find a project that fits your interests. No matter which you choose, the experience will integrate both your concentrations in a meaningful way:

• Applied study: The applied study is a traditional work experience where you’ll spend 120 hours at a site of your choosing putting your integration and concentration area knowledge into practice. In addition to the hours completed onsite, there will be an online class component where you’ll reflect on your internship work.
• Directed study: A directed study is a thesis, creative or research project that you’ll design in consultation with a faculty member. This option is best suited for you if you’re interested in graduate school or have a creative project you’re interested in pursuing. This can be a great way to start a CV, create a portfolio or design your own project.
• Research fellows: You’ll partner with School of Applied Sciences and Arts faculty to assist them with research and ongoing faculty-led projects. This option is highly competitive, so you should begin planning for this option early.

Upskill with a master’s degree

This bachelor’s degree can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Liberal Studies
• Master of Project Management
• Master of Science in organizational leadership

This program teaches you to conduct research, develop theories, investigate crime scenes and compose reports. You’ll study sociological, psychological, biological and economic explanations for individual crime, along with how crime varies across areas. Coursework also covers the history, legal issues and current practices of crime control through police agencies, the court system, prisons, probation and parole. By exploring behavioral science, psychology and logic, you’ll gain the skills in the criminal justice field.

Choose the right criminal justice degree for you

ASU’s criminal justice program options each provide valuable knowledge, but choosing the right one depends on your career goals. This criminology and criminal justice program provides a broad foundation in the causes of crime, the consequences and the role of criminal justice agencies in managing it. Coursework is designed to equip you with the skills to apply research findings to real-world situations. You’ll sharpen your critical thinking and research abilities and gain practical experience that prepares you for a wide range of roles.

If you're interested in law enforcement, the Bachelor of Science in criminology and criminal justice with a concentration in policing focuses on the operation of police organizations. In this program, you'll study key topics such as case law, crime analysis and police-citizen relations. You’ll also research how the U.S. Constitution protects individual rights during interactions with law enforcement.

If you want to continue on to graduate studies, these programs can be completed as part of an Accelerated Master’s program. When accepted, you can earn a master’s degree in as little as one year after completing your undergraduate degree. This opportunity saves you time and money while giving you advanced knowledge in your field. Applicable master’s degrees include:

• Master of Arts in criminal justice
• Master of Science in crime analysis

Criminology vs. criminal justice: The differences between the two

Criminology is the interdisciplinary study of delinquent or deviant behavior. This social science analyzes the where, how and why of criminal behavior and its impact on society. The focus of this study is to determine what led an individual to commit a crime.

Criminal justice relates to the individuals who investigate crimes and bring criminals to trial. It also involves those who monitor inmates within correctional facilities and who supervise individuals released to pretrial services, probation, parole and community supervision.

This criminology and criminal justice degree explores the intersection between these two studies and allows you to fill vital roles across the legal system upon graduation. You’ll have the background to support working in law enforcement, courts and prisons, as well as private sector roles. By working to ensure compliance with legal standards and diminish crime, criminology degree graduates provide valuable public service.