Criminal Justice, B.A.

Serve your community and make a difference. Our criminal justice degree provides you with the skills to aid your community, lead change and help those in need.

The criminal justice program provides both traditional and adult students with quality and interdisciplinary education that will prepare you for a wide range of career opportunities in the criminal justice system or to further your education in graduate studies.

As a criminal justice student, you will gain a comprehensive knowledge of the field; focused on the development of critical thinking and improvement of oral and written communication.

Our curriculum focuses on all aspects of the justice system.

Policing
Victimology
Corporate and white-collar crime
Drug use and abuse
Criminology
Juvenile delinquency
Criminal justice research methods and statistics

You will understand why crime exists, become aware of the pertinent factors of criminality, explore various prevention systems and learn how to measure crime through research methodologies.

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Take the next step toward completing your Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University.

Learning Inside & Outside the Classroom

Future employers and post-graduate schools will look at your entire undergraduate work both inside and outside the classroom. Take full advantage of all opportunities that are available to you at LR, including research, study abroad, internships, student clubs and organizations.

Internships & Careers
Internships

We understand that education goes beyond our university campus. As a student you will complete an internship, allowing you to apply what you’ve learned in classes and gain real-world experience prior to graduation. You can complete your internship in a variety of areas, including juvenile justice, probation, law enforcement or corrections.

In addition, our program welcomes professional development guest speakers as well as recruitment visits from a variety of criminal justice career representatives. Given the prominence of this profession beyond the LR campus, you will have many opportunities to make the world a “laboratory for learning” during the completion of your degree.

Career Opportunities

Our comprehensive curriculum will provide you with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to pursue a variety of careers at the local, state and national levels.
- Law enforcement and criminal investigation
- Prisons and corrections
- Probations
- Drug enforcement
- Transportation security
- Customs and border security
- Juvenile justice
- Public safety
- Cyber security
- Forensic accounting
- Private and personal security
- Victim advocacy
- Social services
- Teaching and research
Graduates of our criminal justice program may also seek an advanced degree or attend law school.

Lenoir-Rhyne has allowed me to succeed through the care of faculty and staff and the endless opportunities offered by the university and the community.

Jack D. Williams '21, Criminal Justice

Major Requirements

The Criminal Justice program prepares students interested in careers in the Criminal Justice System as well as those planning to pursue graduate degrees in various fields. The program provides students with an academically sound understanding of theory, research, and practice as they relate to crime, justice, and our criminal justice system.

Learning Outcomes/Program Objectives:

Criminal Justice majors will demonstrate an understanding of and the application of the criminal justice system and the fundamental processes that take place therein.
Criminal Justice majors will be able to use Criminal Justice literature with a goal toward an ability to search and apply it effectively.
Criminal Justice majors will demonstrate appropriate facility with communication, both written and oral, and including the appropriate style of communication set forth by the discipline.

Assessment Plan:

Criminal Justices majors will complete a capstone course (CRJ 455 - Critical Issues in Criminal Justice) which will include a senior research project. This project will include specific assessment methodology that will be intentionally tied to the learning outcomes. This assessment plan will be developed by the Sociology and Criminal Justice Program faculty.

Core Curriculum Requirements (55-62 Hours)

The Core Curriculum
Technical Requirements (9 Hours)
Major Requirements (42 Hours)
Choose 24 Credit Hours from the Following Major Elective Courses
General Elective Credits

(If Needed)
Total Credit Hours (Minimum) 128

On occasion, technical and/or program requirements may also meet specific core curriculum requirements. Please confer with your program advisor to determine which courses, if any, may be counted accordingly.

All Bachelors programs at Lenoir-Rhyne require at least 128 credit hours. If, in combination, core, technical, and program requirements do not generate at least 128 hours, additional credits must be completed to achieve 128 hours. These classes may be general electives, or a student may complete a minor or additional major.

Admission & Financial Aid

Program Contact

Robert Stallings, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
625 7th Ave NE
Hickory, NC 28601

Faculty Page

News & Events

New director of residence life named

Alumna Kellie Medley ’11, M.A. ’14 has been appointed the new director of residence life and is charged with coordinating residence life for approximately 800 students on the Hickory campus.

Michael Eric Dyson on embracing discomfort

As part of this year's campus read, The Rev. Michael Eric Dyson, Ph.D. visited campus to discuss his book, “Long Time Coming: Reckoning with Race in America,” with the campus and community.

September 29 7:00 PM / Belk Centrum

Visiting Writers Series: Kari Gunter-Seymour

October 13 7:00 PM / Belk Centrum

Visiting Writers Series: Brenda Peynado