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Bachelor of Criminal Justice

Criminal Behavior

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

Understand the Thinking Behind Crime in Order to get ahead of it.

Who are criminals? How do they think? Why do they do what they do? Fully understanding criminal behavior – and how to prevent crime, predict future actions and assist in investigations – is the key to furthering your career in criminology. If you are someone who is curious about human behavior and what leads a person to engage in crime, TU’s criminal behavior program will provide the knowledge and experience you’ll need to help prevent crime and protect society.

The Bachelor of Criminal Justice in Criminal Behavior is designed to provide you with an understanding of why people commit crime. The major is designed for students interested in examining the relationship between psychology and the criminal justice system. You’ll study diverse areas of criminal behavior and come to understand common traits among offenders and how the justice system manages such individuals.

With a basis in forensic psychology, the program focuses on criminal justice and criminal behavior. Some universities offer online forensic psychology courses or criminal justice programs, but very few merge the two into a program geared toward developing a better understanding of criminal behavior. The program is intended for students who intend to work in fields such as law enforcement, institutional or community corrections, and public or private security.

Professional Criminal Behavior Training
  • The major is well suited for those who desire to help people or make a difference in the world.
  • Tiffin University has a reputation for being a leading institution in the field of forensic psychology.
  • The program will prepare you to work in fields such as prison systems, rehabilitation centers, police departments, courthouses, law firms, schools, government agencies or the private sector.
  • The program offers courses focused on criminal justice and criminal behavior, such as Psychology of Violence and Aggression, Threat Assessment, Correctional Strategies, and Applied Criminal Investigation and Criminalistics.

Most of our professors who teach online are working professionals in the field, either previously or currently. They bring professional experience in law enforcement, law, probation and parole, psychology, counseling, forensic psychology, government and federal and national security. Their real-world field experience greatly enhances content offered in courses.

Courses in the program are created and updated to reflect the most current, relevant theory in the field. You’ll acquire career-ready knowledge and the latest perspectives on criminal behavior, including:

  • Ethical principles of the field
  • The nature and causes of crime
  • Psychological causes of crime and criminal behavior
  • Psychology of violence and threat assessment
  • Trends and major crime problems and statistics
  • The changing features of the American legal system
  • Justice agencies and personnel
  • Criminal justice agency management
  • Agency and case management
  • Correctional strategies
  • Population management strategies
  • Offender reentry
  • Offender motivation, theory and policy

While ours is an online program, you’ll actively engage in discussion forums with classmates and instructors, and some courses involve outside assignments where you’ll visit criminal justice system sites or interview people in the community.

In the final year of coursework, you’ll complete an internship in the field and you can choose a setting where you can focus on the area in which you’d like to specialize. Students complete an internship usually at a community or social service agency in Tiffin or the surrounding community.

A semester-long course is devoted to cultural awareness and multicultural issues. You’ll engage in experiential learning activities as well as research to learn more about various groups and cultures, and they learn skills for engaging with diverse populations. Case examples, cultural issues, and information about working with diverse populations is woven throughout various other courses and assignments within the program.

FORMAT

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

SAMPLE COURSES

Agency Management (COR420) – This course analyzes some of the distinct differences between public and private management. The theory of controlling, organizing, planning, directing and assembling resources is covered. Students will develop a course project designed to cover the concepts explored in this course.

Applied Criminal Investigation and Criminalistics (ENF239) – 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.

Psychology of Violence and Aggression (FOR344) – Course examines the changes in the methods, patterns, and meanings of violence. Special attention is paid to individual and collective violence in the streets, in schools, at home, within the media, by the police, by terrorists and by the military. The major theories explaining the causes of violence, and important research about attitudes toward violence and the showing of force to bring about change are reviewed.

Drugs and Society (FOR365) – Considers various types of drugs, dynamics of use, abuse, addiction, and recovery; social, legal, economic, and psychological impact on structure and function of society; current trends; diagnosis and treatment; prevention strategies.

The Bachelor of Criminal Justice in Criminal Behavior is designed for those who desire to work in the field of criminal justice, forensic psychology, law, corrections, mental health and more.

CAREERS
  • Community Corrections
  • Courthouses
  • Government Agencies
  • Institutional Corrections
  • Law Firms
  • Police Departments
  • Prison Systems
  • Private or Public Security
  • Rehabilitation Centers
  • Schools
GRADUATE SCHOOL

If graduate school becomes part of your career plan, 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 criminal behavior?

Criminal behavior refers to the conduct of an offender that leads to the commission of an unlawful act. An unlawful act occurs when there is a motive, a mean and an opportunity.

What is a bachelor’s in criminal behavior?

A bachelor’s in criminal behavior provides students with an understanding of why people commit crime. The degree is designed for students interested in examining the relationship between psychology and the criminal justice system. Students will study diverse areas of criminal behavior and come to understand common traits among offenders and how the justice system manages such individuals.

What can i do with a degree in criminal behavior?

With a degree in criminal behavior, you will be qualified for a variety of career opportunities, including positions in community corrections, courthouses, government agencies, institutional corrections, law firms, police departments, prison systems, private or public security, rehabilitation centers, schools and more.

BCJ Criminal Behavior Program Requirements

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“I work full-time as a detective. I also am part-time on several federal task forces and am on call 24/7 for our county SWAT team. I have a very supportive wife who helps with the kids when I get a heavy assignment load. Also, professors are very understanding when you do get a little behind. If this is something you want, you will make it. If obtaining a degree was easy, all adults would return to school and get it. Make the decision, apply, and get started. Once you get the momentum going, you will look up, and you will be a semester away from graduating like I am.”

Ryan Stanley
BCJ in Criminal Behavior
Class of 2021
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