Become a leader versed in a wide range of criminal justice topics with the online bachelor’s in criminology program from Benedictine University. You’ll complete theory-based courses that enable you to think critically about the root causes of crime as you prepare to confront challenges and make a meaningful difference in your community. Because we offer the coursework online, you’ll get the flexibility needed to succeed in your classes and career.
Learn the Causes of Crime and Prepare to Prevent It
Pursue your bachelor’s degree in criminology online with Benedictine University to engage in a dynamic education that explores the complexities of crime and justice. While completing the online courses, you’ll expand your critical thinking skills and study social justice topics, developing knowledge for taking the lead as an agent of positive change in your community.
Benedictine’s expert faculty members have experience as researchers and practitioners throughout the criminology field. Learn from their professional perspectives as you take theory-based courses on the underlying causes of crime and recidivism. You can also tailor your B.A. in Criminology to your career goals by completing an array of criminology electives.
Students can gain hands-on experience through a 150-hour criminology internship in their current workplace or another relevant location.* With our faculty’s guidance, you can receive career placement assistance to seek roles with nonprofits and law enforcement agencies at the local and federal levels. If you prefer to earn your bachelor’s in criminology entirely online, you can complete a senior thesis instead of an internship.
Course Highlights
- SOCL 1100 Principles of Sociology
- PLSC 2105 Law and Politics
- CRIM 3356 Research Methods and Criminological Inquiry
- CRIM 4420 Advanced Criminological Theory
What Can You Do with a Criminology Degree?
Benedictine’s online degree in criminology program illuminates the true causes of crime, preparing you to stop criminal behavior and make your community safe. The coursework aligns with positions in law enforcement and beyond, as you can build skills for roles in social work, public policy, criminal justice reform and academia. Additionally, our students have advanced into positions with the top law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).
Careers with a Criminology Degree
- Corrections Case Manager
- Criminal Intelligence Analyst
- Border Patrol Agent
- Probation Officer
- Transportation Security Officer
Admission Requirements for the Online Degree in Criminology
Benedictine University offers a simple, supportive admissions process for the online B.A. in Criminology program. There is no application fee, and you can transfer your previously earned credits to earn your degree on a faster schedule. Eligible students can also receive credit for up to 12 semester hours for work/life experience.
The admission requirements include:
- Online Application Form: Apply now at no cost
- Degree and Minimum GPA: An associate degree is preferred but not required. A cumulative GPA of 2.0 on a 4.0 scale or better from all colleges and universities previously attended is required.
- Transcripts: Official transcripts from all previously attended colleges and universities.
- Transfer Credits: Students can transfer their previously earned credits to this online program.
- Credits to be transferred from other institutions are evaluated on the basis of their equivalents at Benedictine University. Awarding of credit is determined through the process of transfer credit evaluation and program/departmental approval.
- Note that students transferring to Benedictine University’s undergraduate programs must have a minimum of 12 transferable semester credit hours. If a student has fewer than 12 semester credit hours of transfer credit, freshman requirements apply.
- Credit for Work/Life Experience: Students can submit Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) portfolios for a maximum of 12 general elective semester credit hours.
- Students need to complete all requirements of the PLA program within one year of starting their degree program.
- Only portfolios that demonstrate sufficient mastery of a course’s learning outcomes can earn credit.
What You’ll Learn in the Online Degree in Criminology Program
Pursue your B.A. in Criminology online with Benedictine to become part of a community of faith and scholarship. Throughout the program, you’ll explore theoretical and practical tools for engaging in and investigating the social world. The online courses impart a working knowledge of criminological concepts and an informed criminological perspective for evaluating programs and resolving social problems.
Program Outcomes
- Demonstrate informational competence by formulating a research topic, conducting a literature search, selecting valid and appropriate sources and accurately summarizing selected literature.
- Demonstrate familiarity with criminal justice ideas by employing different criminological perspectives to explain the relationship of the individual to society and agencies of social control.
- Recognize the proper application of descriptive and basic inferential statistical techniques and use computers to conduct and interpret data analyses.
- Recognize the inter-dependency of the criminal justice components and how they are situated in broader social, legal and political environments impacting operations and various constituencies (e.g., victims, offenders, professionals, etc.).
- Be able to identify and evaluate alternative modes of justice, including the goals such modes seek to fulfill beyond common purposes of criminal sanctions.
- Employ interpersonal skills and communication skills (e.g., listening) while engaging in real-life professional settings or classroom simulations.
Requirements for Earning Your Online Criminology Degree
Students must meet these requirements to graduate from the bachelor’s degree in criminology program:
- A student must earn a minimum of 120 semester credit hours to be considered for graduation and must maintain a “C” average (2.0) for all Benedictine University coursework.
- At least 30 semester credit hours must be completed at Benedictine University, and at least 12 semester credit hours of the minimum 30 semester credit hours at Benedictine must be at the 3000 level or above and in the major.
- At least 54 of the 120 semester credit hours for graduation must be completed at a four-year regionally accredited college.
*Students can complete the internship at their current workplace. Depending on where students work and their assigned job roles, they might need to perform additional tasks outside of their daily responsibilities to fulfill the internship requirements.