Bachelor of Science, Criminal Justice Administration & Ethics

Criminal Justice Careers

  • CIA Agent
  • Computer Forensics Specialist
  • Corporate Security Specialist
  • Crime Scene Investigator
  • Criminal Profiler
  • Drug Enforcement Administration Agent
  • FBI Agent
  • Fish and Game Warden
  • Fraud Investigator
  • Homicide Detective
  • Police Officer
  • Private Investigator
  • U.S. Marshal 

A Degree in Criminal Justice Taught by Real-world Experts

A Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice (BS) puts you on the path to an exciting career in law enforcement, a field expected to continue a growth rate of 7% for the next ten years. Mid-America Christian University (MACU) has a program that lets you start from scratch or build on skills you already have.

MACU’s Criminal Justice degree goes beyond theoretical exploration, choosing instead to address the realities of the job through coursework that includes anti-terrorism, constitutional law, and criminal procedure—all taught by real-world experts. Students leave the program with work-ready skills within the primary focus of ethical community policing.

Coursework includes the administration and supervisory skills required for ongoing success in the criminal justice field.

You can distinguish your Criminal Justice degree with a concentration in Christian Ministries or Psychology.

Add an Optional Psychology Concentration to Criminal Justice Major

An educational background that includes additional psychology courses equips traditional law enforcement officers with helpful tools and opens future career doors. Day-to-day encounters with mental illness are often routine for police departments across the nation. Even patrol officers benefit from additional psychology studies. By applying an understanding of human behavior gained in coursework that includes a study of abnormal behavior, motivational psychology, and stress management, law enforcement professionals become better prepared for duties that include investigative work, interview techniques, and situations that require negotiation.

Program Information

Advance Your Law Enforcement Career with an Online Criminal Justice Degree

MACU’s Criminal Justice degree is ideal for those new to law enforcement or for those with previous experience in the field. No matter one’s life circumstances with work or family, Mid-America Christian University is an ideal choice, as our five-week classes are designed to work with the schedules of busy adults.

  • Online courses are taken one course at a time, consecutively
  • Credit for life experience, including military training
  • Placement testing is free
  • Upfront costs are minimal

Students participating in online coursework for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Ethics are encouraged to build connections with other students, and faculty members are accessible and engaged in the success of every student. 

As you prepare to begin your degree at MACU, our enrollment counselors are ready to assist you. Please take a look at this downloadable degree sheet, featuring an overview of MACU’s Criminal Justice and Ethics degree program. Don’t hesitate to reach out by emailing [email protected] or calling 888-888-2341 if you have any questions.

MACU’s BS in Criminal Justice On Campus: Expand Your World View as You Expand Your Skillset

Life on campus at MACU includes competitive sports, group activities, and a safe environment for your educational journey. You’ll grow your circle of friends who share your passions for both education and Christ. Nearby off-campus life includes an abundance of outdoor activities as well as more than 250 museums in the Oklahoma City metro area—from arts, science, and aviation to the National Softball Hall of Fame.

An on-campus Criminal Justice degree at MACU means you have it all at your doorstep, including:

  • Degree programs that are efficient and affordable
  • Low student-to-faculty ratio
  • Competitive sports (including Esports)
  • A small, secure campus
  • A thriving city nearby with so much to see and do

What Community Policing Needs Now: A Criminal Justice Degree With Ethics

Criminal justice taught in a Christ-based setting at MACU means ethics are instilled into every course, not simply added as an afterthought. That’s “the MACU difference,” and you’ll feel it in every interaction you have, whether it’s with fellow students or with staff and faculty. All are dedicated to molding leaders who not only understand the intellectual needs of their field, but the moral ones as well.

This criminal justice program is bible-based and built on the foundation of Jesus. MACU is accredited through the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA).  

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Major Courses

CRJS 3103*

Introduction to Criminal Justice

An examination of the major components of the Criminal Justice system – law enforcement, courts and corrections – including historical and social perspectives; the roles and functions of various agencies; and the processes involved in the administration of justice.

CRJS 3503*

Criminal Law

Emphasizes the provisions of the Constitution which directly relate to the powers of both federal and state law enforcement officers and prosecutors, and limitations on these officers. Decisions and constitutional issues relevant to the first, fourth, fifth, sixth, eighth, and fourteenth amendments will be stressed.

CRJS 3513

Criminal Law II

An examination of the nature of the criminal acts of substantive criminal law including defining the necessary
elements and punishments of each act.

CRJS 3703*

Criminal Procedures

Students will study the entire criminal justice process, from police investigation to post-conviction appellate review of convictions.

CRJS 3813*

Community Relations

Basic concepts and principles of community relations with major emphasis on understanding human beings and how to utilize this information in a practical way.

CRJS 4003

Cultural Diversity in Law Enforcement

This course is an examination of current issues and social problems relating to the administration of justice in a culturally diverse society. Special focus of the course will be on the changing ethnicity of communities and related changes in social and institutional public policy. Also discussed is a cross cultural communication, implementing cultural awareness training, multicultural representation in law enforcement, and criminal justice
interaction with various racial and ethnic groups.

CRJS 4113

Principles of Investigation

The course is intended to develop a general understanding of the science of inquiry and provide presentation of techniques, skills and limitations of the modern criminal investigation. Consideration includes all aspects of criminal investigation, as a system of thought and action. Discussion is centered on methods applied in detecting, examining and interpreting factual and legal dimensions of criminal cases. The course also examines concepts and methods of investigation of specific forms of crime (homicide, rape, robbery, etc.)

CRJS 4403

Principles of Investigation

The student will evaluate policies and procedures that are utilized in all phases of police administration. These include judicial decisions, which impact the legal status of the operation of police agencies. Additionally, administrative issues inherent in both large and small police organizations are assessed including: the history and context of police administration, police organizational tasks, leadership in the police organization, the role of the police manager, and the role of citizen oversight. Oversight committees addressing police accountability for community enforcement services are analyzed.

CRJS 4513*

Interview and Interrogation Techniques

This course is designed to familiarize students with basic communication concepts as well as basic concepts, processes, techniques, and legal aspects of interview and interrogation used in the field of criminal justice. The course will address the differences and similarities between interview and interrogation; different types, uses, and processes of interviews; various forms of verbal and nonverbal communication; and specialized types of interviews, such as probing, selection, counseling, and persuasive.

CRJS 4533*

Anti-Terrorism and Homeland Security

This course examines emergency planning, risk analysis of communities, and creation of comprehensive plans. Threat assessment, staffing, agency coordination, and communication are addressed to create resilient and vigilant communities. Case studies are examined and discussed, including natural and manmade disasters, radicalism, and acts of terrorism. The course bridges the core strategies and philosophies of community policing and homeland security.

CRJS Electives

CRJS 3003*

Victimology

This course examines a wide range of victimization experiences from the perspective of the victim, their families, and society. Crimes studied include robbery, burglary, carjacking, assault and battery, rape, domestic violence, stalking, homicide, arson, child sexual abuse and exploitation, child pornography crimes, federal crimes, identity theft, terrorism, and Internet crimes. Emphasis is on exploring the etiology of trauma, motivational issues of offending, response patterns to victimization, secondary trauma effects of victimization, and community and media response.

CRJS 3113

Criminology

Criminology is an introductory course in the study of criminal behavior, focusing on the various theories of crime causes. This course focuses on criminal behavior, intercultural aspects, societal reaction to crime, and criminological methods of inquiry.

CRJS 3413

Domestic Violence

Domestic violence between adults including spousal abuse and elder abuse are examined. Aspects include the psychological and sociological factors of violence, dominance, and control. The officer’s communication in such a setting including intercultural aspects are stressed. The legal perspective includes discussion of proactive arrest policies, restraining orders, and antistalking legislation.

CRJS 4013

Human Trafficking

Critically examines the global problem of human trafficking. Using a historical and comparative
framework, this course reveals variation in human trafficking patterns in different regions of the world and efforts to combat human trafficking by means of prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnership.

CRJS 4103

Identification, Collection, and Preservation of Evidence

This course exposes students to crime scene evidence, collection techniques, protection of the scene, interview skills, and the various uses of modern technology in preserving and analyzing evidence. An
analysis of the rules of evidence with an emphasis on the conceptual and definitional issues of admissibility, relevancy, materiality, weight, burden of proof, presumptions, types of evidence, judicial notice, evidentiary privileges, best evidence, opinion evidence, and hearsay evidence and its exceptions.

*Courses are required for an optional concentration in Christian Ministries in one of the following Bachelor’s degree programs: