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Bachelor of Criminal Justice

Contemporary Justice

Online
Classes Start May 13 and July 1. Reserve your seat today!
Classes Start Six Times Per Year For Ultimate Flexibility

THRIVE AS A CONTEMPORARY CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROFESSIONAL

Join a noble profession. The Tiffin University Bachelor of Criminal Justice in Contemporary Justice degree builds a broad-based foundation of knowledge related to contemporary issues facing criminal justice practitioners today. Learning about U.S. law, community peacekeeping, homeland security, administration, criminal investigations, ethics and social issues will prepare you for this challenging yet critical role of keeping citizens safe.

Jobs in criminal justice are demanding, rewarding and vital to safe, well-functioning communities. As a graduate of this contemporary justice degree program, you’ll have a solid foundation from which to pursue a position as a criminal investigator, detective, fraud investigator, intelligence analyst, police officer and prosecutor’s office investigator.

It takes a special person to work in law enforcement and confront the difficult issues facing our society today. Graduates of the Tiffin University criminal justice in contemporary justice degree program will be able to:

  • Describe the evolving role of criminal justice systems and their relationship to critical societal issues.
  • Employ a variety of means and media to communicate with both public and private stakeholders appropriately and effectively
  • Evaluate and apply appropriate management and leadership philosophies and approaches to practice in various criminal justice contexts.
Professional Contemporary Justice Training
  • Tiffin University partners with Terra Community College for the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA), allowing you to graduate with their degree in law enforcement and their OPOTA Certification – all in 4 years.
  • The program’s unique modular format divides the major courses into areas of community peacekeeping, homeland security, administration, ethics and social issues, investigation and the law.
  • Small class sizes – always under 40, generally closer to 25 students per class – make possible a lot of individualized attention.
  • The program is designed specifically for ease of transferability for the working criminal justice professional.
  • An internship in the field is a required part of the curriculum, often leading to a first job in the field.
  • Tiffin University partners with The Washington Center Internship Program, which provides you unique opportunities to intern with federal agencies in Washington D.C.

Faculty who teach in the contemporary justice program bring in-depth knowledge and years of experience from the criminal justice field. Being an online program, many of the courses are taught by adjunct professors with vast practical experience. All this real-world experience adds great interest and depth to classroom instruction, as real-life examples of current professional practice are regularly applied to academic content.

As part of professional contemporary justice program, you’ll gain theoretical underpinnings of the field that will provide a strong foundation for your career. You’ll participate in a required professional internship, which will provide valuable insights and experience. And, you’ll have the ability to graduate with your four-year degree in addition to the Police Academy, all in four years. Working professionals in the field can complete their degree with extreme efficiency.

A Practical, Professional Education

As a graduate of the program, you’ll acquire in-depth knowledge and career-ready skills, including:

  • Crime scene processing/investigation – fingerprint lifting, impressions/casting, sketching and more
  • Evidence processing
  • Crime scene photography
  • Testifying in court
  • Interviews and interrogations
  • Search warrant
  • Report writing

Criminal justice professionals, specifically law enforcement officers, hold a lot of responsibility within their positions. Literally, lives depend on their education and training. It is important that our students go into the field fully prepared with the skills they need to serve the communities that have entrusted them in these positions.

Our professional, hands-on program enables you to learn these skills in the best possible way – by doing. We’ve had opportunities for students to work with police departments to help solve cold cases. Our students investigate mock crime scenes. They participate in professional internships – with U.S. Marshals; dozens of police departments such as Toledo PD, Columbus PD, Washington, DC PD and Detroit PD; and many smaller police departments both inside and outside of Ohio. With our partnership with The Washington Center Internship Program, you’ll have unique opportunities to intern with federal agencies in Washington D.C., such as the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and others. And, in your Research Design course, you’ll conduct original research on a criminal justice-related topic important to you – and you’ll have the opportunity to present your research at Tiffin University’s Annual Research Conference.

Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA)

To be a sworn police officer in Ohio, you must successfully complete the Ohio Police Officer Training Academy (OPOTA). Tiffin University partners with Terra State Community College to include the cost of the academy in tuition and can be earned in just one semester.

This unique training academy is state mandated for all police officers and covers firearms, legal administration, human relations, traffic, patrol, driving, subject control, investigations, civil disorder, physical conditioning and other aspects of law enforcement. Students apply direct, hands-on practice in the crime lab, firing range and police cruisers. With experienced, certified instructors and hands-on application, our students consistently achieve passing rates on the state-certified exam. Once graduates of the program earn the certification, they are immediately eligible for full-time employment.

FORMAT

Online – Offered in two terms per semester starting in January, March, May, July, August and October

SAMPLE COURSES

ENF 150 Police and Society – A study of the various response methodologies available to the patrol officer in assisting the citizen’s request for police service. Discusses traffic enforcement from the stop of the violator through traffic accident investigation.

FOR 310 Threat Assessment – An overview of threat assessment and threat management (TA/TM) in various organizations such as social service agencies, schools, places of employment and law enforcement. The history of threat assessment/threat management, events, legal responses, theories, research and models are included. Policies at aforementioned organizations are explored as are various remedy models. The Identify, Assess, Manage [Federal] model is introduced.

ENF 239 Applied Criminal Investigation Criminalistics – Emphasis on the investigation of specific crimes including, but not limited to, homicide, sexual assault, aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, theft, auto theft and arson. Students will be required to investigate a “mock” crime scene, collect and analyze evidence obtained and present their investigation in a “moot” court.

ENF 293 Criminology – This course provides and introduction to the subject of criminology. Criminology is the study of both criminal behavior and crime itself, and as such, is one of the foundational courses for criminal justice. It explores the different schools of criminological thought, the different eras of criminology research and the theories proposed for crime and criminal motivation. Additionally, there is an emphasis on the development of the history of criminology as the basis for our justice system today.

The criminal justice field provides a challenging, yet rewarding, career. The field offers a high number of job openings across the country, as well as career mobility – police officers have the opportunity to work in a variety of areas within the field, including patrol, narcotics, detective’s bureau, administration, school resource officer and more.

CAREERS
  • Corporate Security
  • Corrections
  • County Sheriff’s Office
  • Criminal Intelligence Analyst
  • Criminal Investigator
  • Detective
  • Fraud Investigator
  • Highway Patrol
  • Intelligence Analyst
  • Police Officer
  • Prosecutor’s Office Investigator
  • Secret Service
WHERE TU GRADS HAVE WORKED
  • Bowling Green PD
  • Central Michigan University
  • Columbus PD
  • Correctional Officer
  • County Sheriff’s Office
  • Dublin PD
  • Federal Police Departments
  • Hamilton PD
  • Maryville PD
  • Metropolitan PD, Washington D.C.
  • Middleburg Heights PD
  • Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations
  • Private Security
  • Secret Service
  • State Police Departments
  • Tiffin PD
  • U.S. Capitol Police
  • Westerville PD

Both the Tiffin Chief of Police and Seneca County Sheriff are Tiffin University Criminal Justice alums.

GRADUATE SCHOOL

Many law enforcement students that enter the field do not return to graduate school because a bachelor’s degree is more than sufficient to reach the top ranks of a majority of law enforcement agencies in the country.

If graduate school becomes part of your career plan, however, Tiffin University has a large online graduate program in criminal justice with a variety of concentrations. Our students in these graduate programs often have decades of experience in the field and come to us to get their master’s degrees to attain top administrative positions, such as Chief of Police.

what is contemporary justice?

Contemporary justice is a facet of criminal justice that focuses on community peacekeeping through an understanding of U.S. law, justice administration, criminal investigations, ethics and social issues.

what is a bachelor’s in contemporary justice?

A bachelor’s in contemporary justice prepares students for critical roles in keeping citizens safe. Students will gain a broad-based foundation of knowledge related to contemporary issues facing criminal justice practitioners today. Students will learn about U.S. law, community peacekeeping, homeland security, administration, criminal investigations, ethics and social issues.

what can i do with a degree in contemporary justice?

With a degree in contemporary justice, you will be qualified for a variety of career opportunities, including corporate security, corrections, county sheriff’s offices, criminal intelligence analyst, criminal investigator, detective, fraud investigator, highway patrol, intelligence analyst, police officer, prosecutor’s office investigator and secret service.

BCJ Contemporary Justice Program Requirements

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“I liked the flexibility that Tiffin University offers students. It has allowed me to be a full-time mother, full-time employee, and a full-time student at the same time. The online program is beneficial for maintaining all of the above, and the great statistics on graduating classes was encouraging.”

Alyson Camelin
Bachelor of Criminal Justice
Class of 2022
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