Update: Penn State Shenango is not currently enrolling new students. Current students can access academic advising and degree planning through campus services.
Improve the criminal justice system
Have you ever wondered what causes crime? Penn State Shenango’s Criminal Justice students explore current events, and policies to consider ways to better the system.
As a Criminal Justice student, you will develop an understanding of the complex system where law enforcement, the courts, and corrections intersect. Utilizing your knowledge of the justice system, you will apply psychology, victimology, and criminology concepts to discover solutions that better the communities we reside in.
Penn State Shenango offers two degrees in Criminal Justice:
- The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice provides a broadly based liberal arts background for the study of crime, justice, and the criminal justice system.
- The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice offers an opportunity for educational enrichment in fields not traditionally considered part of the liberal arts.
Criminal Justice career opportunities
Criminal Justice graduates are prepared for a challenging career through this unique combination of theory and application. While criminal justice-related careers vary, the median income for police officers and detectives is $67,290, nearly $20,000 more than the national average.
Jobs in criminal justice are available at federal, state, local, and private organizations.
Law enforcement
Found at the federal, state, and local levels, uniformed police have a vast range of duties that may include enforcement, patrols, responding to calls of service, directing traffic, applying first aid to victims, and investigating, in addition to administrative tasks.
Corrections
Correctional officers oversee those who have been arrested and are awaiting trial or who have been sentenced to serve time in jail or prison.
Probation and parole officers
These professionals perform similar functions within the justice system by helping lower repeat offenses through monitoring and guidance. They also help with job placement and provide access to mental health services.
Community crime prevention and treatment services
Develop and implement interventions that are designed to reform social conditions that influence and encourage criminal behavior in communities. Juvenile work is common in this profession.
Private sector security
Guards and officers in this field patrol premises and monitor the activity at a private organization, such as a mall or large office building. Their primary responsibility is to protect customers, employees, and guests at the establishment.
Drug rehabilitation counselor
These specialized counselors provide treatment to clients who want to learn how to reduce or remove their unhealthy dependence on destructive substances and behaviors. Counselors work with individuals, families, couples, and groups to share a variety of techniques and treatments for coping with problems in ways other than turning to unhealthy substances.
Continuing your education
Graduates have earned masters and doctoral degrees in the areas of law, criminology, human development, psychology, and social sciences.
What to expect in the Criminal Justice major
Penn State’s Criminal Justice programs focus on enforcement, investigations, legal systems, correctional treatment, and community services.
You will approach criminal justice as an applied science at the intersection of law, public policy, and behavioral science to understand crime as a social problem and improve these systems for the good of society and our communities.
Program note: Penn State Beaver, Penn State New Kensington, and Penn State Shenango jointly deliver the bachelor of science and bachelor of arts degrees in Criminal Justice. All required courses are offered at each campus, although students should expect to take some courses via interactive video and/or the Web.
Gain Criminal Justice experience before you graduate
Our Criminal Justice program is designed for you to complete an internship in your senior year that facilitates the application of your classroom learning in a field setting.
This opportunity is designed to provide students with firsthand experience with both challenges and rewards of the business professional in our local communities, a design that sets the major apart from other Criminal Justice programs.
Criminal Justice majors have completed internships in a variety of businesses and organizations related to:
- Pennsylvania State Police
- Pennsylvania Department of Corrections
- Local boroughs
- Probation and parole offices of surrounding counties
