Bachelor of Science
Criminal Justice

Re-Think Justice & Change Communities

Criminal Justice is about more than catching criminals — it’s also about serving communities, advocating for victims and striving to create a better system. This program at JWU Providence offers a holistic view of criminal justice and emphasizes the humanistic side of the field.

You’ll explore the interdisciplinary nature of the criminal justice field with courses in political science, psychology and sociology to fully examine the global and domestic criminal justice issues of today. You’ll learn from faculty with years of experience as policy experts, legislators, police captains and detectives. They can offer firsthand insight into how your lessons are applied in the field.

Our Crime Lab and Crime Scene Room also allow you to learn forensic analysis skills in fingerprinting and blood spatter analysis, bullet trajectory research and collection of crime scene evidence.

Students in the Criminal Justice program can choose to add a minor in Community Justice or Forensic Science to dive deeper into specific areas of the criminal justice field.

Experiential Education

From the interactive courses in our industry-standard criminal justice labs to the numerous internship opportunities with local agencies and organizations, you’ll get to experience different parts of the criminal justice field firsthand throughout your education here.

Why Study Criminal Justice at JWU?

• You’ll gain hands-on experience in forensic analysis and crime scene processing.
• You’ll have internship opportunities at locations such as the public defender’s office, the attorney general’s office, local and state law enforcement agencies, federal agencies and more.
• You can participate in experiential field trips – recent trips include the RI Department of Corrections and visits to local police departments.
• The Criminal Justice program has its own annual career fair to help you pursue internships and jobs in the field with recruiters from Homeland Security, Secret Service, Target, Justice Assistance, the RI Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF), RI State Police and other local police departments.
• New students can participate in a Collaborative Learning Community, taking core courses together during their first year at JWU.
• JWU has partnered with The Washington Center to offer students an interactive experience in Washington, D.C. where they can learn about careers in cybersecurity, national security, law and more.