Criminal Justice and Criminology
From traditional training in justice and criminology to advanced digital forensics, Salve Regina University's bachelor's degree in criminal justice and criminology prepares students for tomorrow's workforce by providing the skills necessary to succeed in our increasingly complex technical, scientific and interpersonal global environment.
Advance With Purpose
Steeped in liberal studies and responsive to the complex demands of the modern workplace, our interdisciplinary curriculum blends foundational legal and ethical principles of law and law enforcement with cultural competency. Students gain in-depth knowledge of how courts, correctional institutions and law enforcement agencies function. Additionally, our evolving awareness of cybersecurity, intelligence and technology offers unique training that is highly valued across all career sectors.
Students have the opportunity to thrive in small class sizes, to take advantage of the flexibility afforded by both classroom and online course offerings, to work with cutting-edge technologies, to benefit from extensive faculty expertise and to advance with purpose in their academic and professional careers with the support of impassioned advising.
Our strategic combination of coursework and internships prepares students for immediate work in a multitude of careers and also provides the prerequisite qualifications to pursue professional certifications or graduate study in any number of disciplines. Through our popular combined program, qualified undergraduates can earn their bachelor's degree and a master's degree in administration of justice and homeland security within five years.
Program Spotlight: Promising Practitioner
Annie Avila '22, who double majored in administration of justice and social work at Salve Regina, fueled her passion for helping families in need during her time as an undergraduate. Currently pursuing her master's degree in social work and working in the field, Avila recently received the Promising Practitioners Award from the Rhode Island chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.
Avila said that her two majors complemented each other inside the classroom and after graduation. "I was able to see a lot of overlap on concepts that I had learned in class and was able to look at the topics from the different lenses of social work and administration of justice," she said.
One of the distinctive aspects of our program is the personal attention we provide to our students. Students build strong relationships with our faculty. We know, support and guide our students as they acquire the education and professional skills that are essential to attain competitive jobs within the vast justice system.
Dr. Robin Hoffmann, professor emerita
Life After Salve
Our program prepares students to pursue many career paths, including law enforcement or corrections. Those who earn the degree often accept jobs as crime scene investigators, probation officers, FBI special agents, paralegals, criminal justice professors or police detectives.
Our students obtain skills that can be put to use in crisis resolution, criminology, corrections procedure, criminal law, ethics, communication and negotiation. Students with strong cyber backgrounds coupled with language skills are highly desirable hires in today’s workforce. Our students are finding careers in this domain, not just on the technical side but as social media specialists and on emergency response teams.
The opportunities in Salve Regina’s criminal justice and criminology program are endless. The faculty guided me; the compassion and empathy I received from them is absolutely unparalleled and I don’t think I would have received it anywhere else.
Lindsay Rolfe ’14, cybersecurity awareness program manager, Caterpillar Inc.
Major in Criminal Justice and Criminology (B.A.)
16 courses | 48 credits
Required courses:
- CJC103: Policing in a Democratic Society
- CJC110: American Judicial System
- CJC210: Principles of Correctional Operations
- CJC232: Ethics in the Criminal Justice System
- CJC302: Criminal Law and Procedure Part I
- CJC340: Research Methods in Criminal Justice
- CJC450: Capstone: Application of Knowledge
Students also choose five elective courses in criminal justice and criminology, one psychology course, one social work course, one sociology course and three credits in applied technology.
Minor in Criminal Justice and Criminology
7 courses | 21 credits
Required courses:
- CJC103: Policing in a Democratic Society
- CJC110: American Judicial System
- CJC210: Principles of Correctional Operations
- CJC232: Ethics in the Criminal Justice System
Students also choose three elective courses in criminal justice and criminology.
Associate Degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology (A.A.)
To earn the associate degree in criminal justice and criminology, students complete eight required courses (24 credits) in criminal justice and criminology, satisfy core requirements and earn a minimum of 60 credits for graduation.
Required courses:
- CJC103: Policing in a Democratic Society
- CJC110: American Judicial System
- CJC210: Principles of Correctional Operations
- CJC232: Ethics in the Criminal Justice System
- CJC302: Criminal Law and Procedure Part I
Students also choose three elective courses in criminal justice and criminology.