Lakeland University's Criminal Justice major covers all facets of criminal behavior, from the psychological and sociological aspects of crime, to law enforcement, criminal investigations, and corrections.
At Lakeland, you will learn by doing. Through paid Cooperative Education and/or internship experiences, students will have the opportunity to work with an array of local, state and federal law enforcement, private sector and other criminal justice agencies.
As long as human beings inhabit the Earth, society will face the daunting challenge of dealing with criminal behavior by a disruptive subset of people. As a result, there will always be a strong, important need to fully understand and address this behavior in a fair, lawful, and consistent manner.
As a Criminal Justice major at Lakeland, you will be challenged with a large variety of courses. The major delves into basic understanding of our criminal justice system, scientific inquiry into the treatment and prevention of criminal behavior, and the ethical behavior of those who work within the discipline. When Criminal Justice majors leave Lakeland University, they have a very strong foundation, in addition to the specialty courses that lend themselves to the students’ chosen area of interest.
Our Criminal Justice major provides students with a complete overview of the criminal justice system and all the major elements of it. It provides students with a theoretical understanding of criminal behavior, as well as the consequences of criminal behavior.
While a Lakeland University degree certainly prepares students for careers involving law enforcement or corrections, our Criminal Justice degree holders are branching out into many other types of careers. This major provides opportunities to explore specialized areas such as offender assessment and rehabilitation, criminal investigation, evidence-based “best practices” in criminal justice, the relationships between race and crime, and a psychological understanding of violent crime.
*Data provided by Job Center of Wisconsin's Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics for Police & Sheriff's Patrol Officers.
There’s more than one way to get a college education and Lakeland offers them all. Lakeland University students have access to a variety of pathways, and each one can be customized to meet your needs. Since our founding in 1862, Lakeland University has been a leader in finding ways to help students make their dreams come true.
You may apply at any time as Lakeland University operates on a rolling admission basis with 6 start dates throughout the year. Applications will be reviewed until about two weeks before the start of each term.
Once your application is received, your Lakeland University admissions counselor will be in touch.
*Exceptions to the above admission criteria may be granted for students with a cumulative GPA range from 1.75 to 1.99 if the academic experience that resulted in the less than 2.0 GPA was more than two years ago. Furthermore, typically students with a cumulative GPA range from 1.50 to 1.75 will only be considered if the poor academic performance experience that resulted in the less than 2.0 GPA was more than five years ago. Students receiving an exception will be admitted conditionally.
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice, Chair of Social Sciences
