Degree Programs

• B.S. in Criminal Justice
• B.S. in Forensic Science (Interdisciplinary Major)
• Minor in Criminal Justice
• Minor in the Psychology of Crime & Justice (Interdisciplinary)

Combined B.S./M.A. in Criminal Justice 

M.A. in Criminal Justice

Undergraduate Degrees

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Criminal Justice degree introduces students to all aspects of the nation's complex criminal justice system, while giving them a strong background in the liberal arts.

Students majoring in criminal justice are required to complete a total of 12 criminal justice courses, totaling 36 credit hours in addition to the required courses identified by Loyola University Chicago for students to receive either a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree from the university. 

Among the 12 criminal justice courses, students are required to take 6 specific courses and can select 6 additional criminal justice courses as major electives. The six mandatory courses include:

• CRMJ 131 Introduction to Criminal Justice
  (Prerequisite for all other criminal justice courses)
• CRMJ 300 Principles of Criminal Behavior
• CRMJ 305 Municipal Police Operations
• CRMJ 322 Criminal Law and Courts OR
  CRMJ 323 Criminal Procedure
• CRMJ 335 Institutional Corrections
• CRMJ 355 Criminal Justice Capstone Course
  (Required senior‑level course)

For more information, please contact Undergraduate Admission.

Forensic science combines natural science and criminal justice, and requires that its practitioners possess substantial technical expertise and knowledge, critical analytic and thinking abilities, superior communications skills and an ethical awareness of the role of the scientist in the legal process.

Forensic scientists interact with law enforcement to collect, examine and evaluate criminal evidence applying knowledge and technology from anthropology, biology and chemistry. This evidence may include hair, blood, and other bodily fluids; tool and tire marks; residue from gunshots; and textile fibers from clothing and other materials.

Forensic scientists work in morgues, laboratories, court settings, and police departments. They are employed by local, state, and federal government agencies; public and private universities; medical examiner offices; forensic and medical laboratories; hospitals; law firms; and police departments. They can also be self-employed as consultants to courts, law enforcement agencies, university-based research laboratories, law firms, and medical examiner offices. To learn more, please contact Undergraduate Admission.

Students majoring in other disciplines do have the opportunity to minor in criminal justice. Students wishing to do so must make an appointment with the chairperson of the department and select the appropriate courses in close consultation with the chairperson.

Any student minoring in criminal justice must complete CRMJ 131 and five other courses totaling 18 credit hours.

Among the five courses beyond CRMJ 131, students are required to take at least two of the following classes:

• CRMJ 300 Principles of Criminal Behavior
• CRMJ 305 Municipal Police Operations
• CRMJ 322 Criminal Law and Courts
• CRMJ 323 Criminal Procedure
• CRMJ 335 Institutional Corrections

Students must complete six courses for the minor, including Psychology and Law (PSYC 372) and Criminal Law and Courts (CRMJ 322). The additional four courses must be selected from specified courses in Psychology and Criminal Justice, with the following constraints:

• Psychology majors must take four criminal justice and two psychology courses (in addition to the 12 psychology courses necessary to complete the major).
• Criminal justice majors must complete four psychology and two criminal justice courses (in addition to the 12 criminal justice courses necessary to complete the major).
• Psychology majors will need a total of 14 psychology and four criminal justice classes to complete their majors and minors, and criminal justice majors will need 14 criminal justice classes and four psychology classes to complete their majors and minors.
• Students who are not psychology or criminal justice majors will need to complete three psychology and three criminal justice courses, from the specified lists.

Combined B.S./M.A. in Criminal Justice

Students eager to accelerate their education and expand their career opportunities can choose to apply for the combined five-year B.S/M.A. program, leading to an M.A. degree in Criminal Justice. The B.S./M.A. program enables criminal justice majors to begin fulfilling core requirements for a master's degree while completing the bachelor's degree.

Students admitted to the program may apply nine credit hours taken in their senior year toward the M.A. degree. Courses for the M.A. degree complement the undergraduate schedule, preparing B.S./M.A. students for the greater challenges of a graduate program in their senior year and for broader career opportunities in the future.

After graduating with a B.S. degree, students complete remaining course requirements for the M.A. degree during a fifth year at Loyola. An internship or thesis may then be completed during the summer or following semester.

M.A. in Criminal Justice

The Master of Arts (M.A.) in Criminal Justice degree at Loyola University Chicago offers professional education in critical thought, analysis research, administration and operations in the discipline of criminal justice. The program aims to create highly motivated, well-educated and thoroughly trained professionals and scholars ready to respond to the demands of today's criminal justice challenges.

Courses for the M.A. in criminal justice are offered in the late afternoon or evening at Loyola's Water Tower Campus in the heart of downtown Chicago. Both scheduling options and convenient class locations attract many working in the criminal justice field to complete their graduate degree at Loyola University Chicago.

This program offers two broad concentrations of graduate study. Flexibility within these two areas allows some individual specialization, for example, in the areas of police, courts or corrections. The concentrations are:

• M.A. in Criminal Justice Administration
• M.A. in Criminal Justice Research and Evaluation

Requirements for the master's degree in criminal justice include:

• 30 hours of coursework completed with at least a 3.0 GPA.
• An M.A. thesis, major research paper or field practicum.
• Written comprehensive examination based on the core course curriculum.

For more information, please complete our online information request form.

Applicants for admission to graduate study must hold a bachelor's degree, although not necessarily in criminal justice. Students with limited or no background in criminal justice may be required to remediate such deficiencies through additional coursework either prior to or concomitant with enrollment in graduate courses. Acceptance into the master's program is based on a combination of academic and professional factors.