Learning outcomes

NAU students gain valuable knowledge in CCJ’s criminology programs

NAU students pursuing degrees within the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice experience many facets of criminal justice throughout their undergraduate journey. Upon degree completion, Northern Arizona University’s CCJ students will have gained a multitude of valuable skills that will prepare them to start their careers.

Criminology and Criminal Justice undergraduates will be able to:

• identify the key stages of criminal justice processes, and at each stage, locate the core institutions involved and the key roles performed by those who inhabit them
• summarize and differentiate the major theories about crime, criminalization, and victimization and then apply theories to critically analyze contemporary injustices
• describe the differences between popular perceptions of criminal justice institutions and the lived realities of victims, criminals, and justice workers
• recognize how social forces affect the perception and pursuit of justice in the U.S. and around the world
• critically assess how power and privilege impact law making and law enforcement
• use criminal justice theories, methods, or investigative techniques to assess patterns of crime, criminalization, and victimization and to establish justification for a course of action
• through written or oral communication, describe differential impacts on diverse members of society and provide sustained, focused justifications for the value of diversity for a more just society
• apply collaborative skills, ethical reasoning, analytic skills, and knowledge about crime and justice to address an injustice, and advance causes of justice
• pursue advanced professional training and/or a meaningful justice-related career