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Bachelor of Arts in Justice & Law

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SPA’s BA in Justice & Law, with concentrations in criminal justice, criminology, or terrorism and security studies allows students to analyze the foundations, functions, policies, and procedures of justice. Crime and terrorism are serious public policy concerns in American society. The systems of justice provide the means to formally respond to crime and terrorism issues. Local, national, and international perspectives are utilized to assist students in gaining relevant and current insights on the nature of crime and terrorism and the workings of the justice system. Read on to find out if this undergraduate major can help you work towards your career goals.

Admissions

New first-year and transfer students are admitted through the university's Admissions Office. For additional information regarding American University's undergraduate admissions requirements and application process, please visit american.edu/admissions.

Curriculum

Read our complete overview of course requirements and curriculum.

Sample Courses

Designed to familiarize the student with the structure and operation of the American system of justice and compare it to other systems in developed and developing nations. The student will be exposed to the critical issues in justice, be involved in discussions of their impact on society, and be asked to consider alternative solutions to these issues.

Political, legal, economic, and social problems of justice emphasizing crime, deviance, and other conduct resulting in such socially disapproved labels as mentally ill, delinquent, and criminal. Moral and theoretical issues involved and mechanisms for remedying injustice and controlling socially disapproved behavior.

Students in this course will explore the development of theories of criminology and criminal justice over the course of history with special attention to the period from 1700 to the present. Students will focus on a review and evaluation of contemporary knowledge and theories of crime.

This course focuses on the scientific study of people and their interactions, in particular questions related to crime, justice, and political violence. Researching these topics in a rigorous way is difficult, but also uniquely interesting and exciting. The course gives students the tools to analyze and understand social science research (i.e., be a consumer of research). It also provides quantitative skills in game theory, probability, statistics, and programming to serve as a foundation to becoming a producer of social science research.

Students will examine current basic national, state, and local policy issues that affect the definition of crime and shape public agency responses toward crime. The objective of the course is to sharpen and improve the student’s policy-oriented thinking about crime in a constitutional democracy and to develop a method to evaluate policy related to crime.

Study Abroad Opportunities

  • Students may study abroad between their second semester of sophomore year through their senior year.

  • Justice & Law majors can count up to 6 credit hours of preapproved study abroad courses, toward their upper-level major course requirements.

  • It is strongly recommended that students complete the majority of their university requirements before studying abroad.

  • Some popular study abroad destinations are: Australia, China, Denmark, England, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand.

Internship Opportunities

  • Students can earn up to 12 credits from internships toward their degree.
  • Students can apply a maximum of 6 credit hours to their major requirements.
  • Students must complete at least 30 credit hours at AU before registering an internship for credit.
  • Sample internships include: National Institute of Justice, FBI, American Bar Association, D.C. Courts, U.S. Customs, Public Defender Service, Secret Service, Department of Homeland Security

Scholarly Research Opportunities

  • Take Introduction to Justice Research before moving into more advanced upper-level courses.
  • Students learn research design, quantitative analysis, and how to apply analytical and statistical techniques to contemporary problems.
  • Students have opportunities to work with faculty mentors on their original research projects.
  • Students will present their original research through research symposiums on campus or at national conferences.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, students will be able to: 

  1. Understand and evaluate the causes of and responses to crime and violence in society
  2. Demonstrate familiarity with research design including identifying research questions, design options, sources of crime and criminal justice data
  3. Analyze and think critically about crime and violence as well as policy addressing these issues
  4. Use evidence in written work to support explanations of the causes of and the policy responses to crime and violence
  5. Express satisfaction with their choice of major and with their learning in the major

We Know Success

% of Graduates Participated in an Internship