Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice Program Overview

Some of the best crime fighters use nothing more than a telephone or a test tube. From the police dispatcher to the crime lab technician, Criminal Justice support professionals play an essential role in keeping all phases of the USA's justice system working correctly. In just two years, Bay State College's Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program will help you develop the professional skills you need to quickly enter the Criminal Justice field: 

• Learn from professors with real world, professional experience in the Criminal Justice field. 
• Master program curriculum that incorporates the humanities to prepare you for work in the Criminal Justice social service field. 
• Gain hands-on experience with your required Criminal Justice internship. 
• Join the Justice Society, a student-run organization dedicated to the promotion of advocacy and charity. 
• Choose to participate in the Inside Out Prison Exchange Program, which brings together "inside" (incarcerated) students and "outside" students for a semester-long course in a local prison setting. 
• Opt to transfer into one of three Bay State College Criminal Justice bachelor's degree programs: Criminal Justice, Criminal Justice - Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Concentration, or Criminal Justice - Domestic and International Security Concentration. 

Ready to break into a career in Criminal Justice? Request information about our 2-year Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program today! 

Available In 

Criminal Justice Day Classes 

Discover a diverse but close-knit community of students, faculty and staff at our Boston campus, located in the historic Back Bay neighborhood. 

• Duration: 4 semesters 
• Semester Length: 16 weeks  
• Program Length: 2 years
• Start Dates:  
  
  • Spring 2020: Monday, January 13, 2020
  • Summer 2020: Monday, May 18, 2020
  • Fall 2020: Monday, August 31, 2020
• Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions 

Criminal Justice Evening Classes 

If you're busy during the day, Bay State College's Criminal Justice Degree Evening Program gives you the opportunity to learn on your own time. Take evening college courses at our convenient Boston Back Bay campus, or at our satellite location in Taunton, Massachusetts. 

• Duration: 8 terms 
• Term Length: 8 weeks 
• Program Length: 2 years
• Start Dates:  
  • Fall 2019 Term 2: Monday, October 28, 2019
  • Spring 2020 Term 1: Monday, January 13, 2020
  • Spring 2020 Term 2: Monday, March 16, 2020
  • Summer 2020 Term 1: Monday, May 18, 2020
  • Summer 2020 Term 2: Monday, July 6, 2020
  • Fall 2020 Term 1: Monday, August 31, 2020
  • Fall 2020 Term 2: Monday, October 26, 2020
• Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions 

Criminal Justice Online Classes 

Earn a degree at your own pace. Bay State College's Criminal Justice Degree Online Program gives you the flexibility to learn when you want and where you want. 

• Duration: 8 terms 
• Term Length: 8 weeks 
• Program Length: 2 years
• Start Dates:  
  • Fall 2019 Term 2: Monday, October 28, 2019
  • Spring 2020 Term 1: Monday, January 13, 2020
  • Spring 2020 Term 2: Monday, March 16, 2020
  • Summer 2020 Term 1: Monday, May 18, 2020
  • Summer 2020 Term 2: Monday, July 6, 2020
  • Fall 2020 Term 1: Monday, August 31, 2020
  • Fall 2020 Term 2: Monday, October 26, 2020
• Application Deadline: Rolling Admissions 

Sample Criminal Justice Degree Courses 

• Introduction to Criminal Justice 
• Criminal Investigation and Procedure 
• Corrections 
• Function of Police in Modern Society 
• Juvenile Justice 
• Civil Rights and Liberties 
• Criminal Justice Internship  

To browse our 2018-19 Course Catalog with course descriptions, click here. 

Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program Mission 

The Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program provides the opportunity for development of a wide range of skill sets essential to success in the field of criminal justice. The program provides the student with the necessary education to enter an entry level criminal justice position or transfer to a bachelor’s program in criminal justice. 

Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program Learning Outcomes 

Upon completion of the Bay State College Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, students will: 

1. Understand the origins and historical development of the rule of law, the role of government, the policing of society and our systems and philosophies of justice from a world-view perspective. 
2. Be familiar with the major theories relative to the causes and cures of criminality through the use of critical thinking skills and be able to develop practical intervention models. 
3. Demonstrate the empathy, cultural sensitivity and knowledge of the humanities necessary to guide victims and offenders, their families and the community towards restorative justice. 
4. Be familiar with and be able to apply substantive and procedural criminal laws to situations and events existing or likely to occur based upon trends or cultural shifts in our modern world. 
5. Possess the oral, listening, and written communication skills necessary to facilitate effective communication with the various participants within the criminal justice system. 
6. Be familiar with the historical development and current use of technology to monitor, prevent and investigate criminal activity and be able to critically analyze the degree to which technological advance in the field of criminal justice positively or negatively impacts the human condition. 
7. Be able to articulate a comprehensive understanding of the processing of criminal cases and offenders from the investigative stage to community corrections, incarceration and offender re-entry into society. 
8. Demonstrate an understanding of and ability to apply, to ethical dilemmas faced in the field, the codes of ethics of the American Bar Association, American Society for Industrial Security, American Correctional Association, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. 

Employers of Our Criminal Justice Graduates 

• Massachusetts Trial Court 
• Community Resources for Justice 
• Norton Police Department 
• Stoughton District Court Probation 
• Wareham District Court 
• Essex County Sheriffs Department 
• Transportation Security Administration 
• Boston Police Department 
• Lynn Community Connections 

Criminal Justice Degree Accreditation 

Bay State College is is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE, formerly NEASC).

The New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) accredits schools and colleges in the six New England states (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont). Membership in one of the six regional accrediting associations in the United States indicates that the school or college has been carefully evaluated and found to meet the standards agreed upon by qualified educators.

Bay State College is authorized to award the following degrees by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts: Associate in Science, Associate in Applied Science, Bachelor of Science.