Associate of Applied Science Degree in Criminal Justice
Protect communities and invest in a safer future through the Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice at Northampton Community College. Here, you’ll confront challenging issues and examine detailed arguments about the law, psychology, criminal behavior, courts, social systems, ethics, patterns of human behavior and more.
You’ll apply that learning right away in hands-on, interactive simulations, internships and job shadowing placements. NCC offers one of the most affordable criminal justice programs in PA, and you can choose the program path that works best with your other commitments: study on the Bethlehem or Monroe campus, or complete your coursework online.
Earn a Criminal Justice associate’s degree to build on your existing professional experience, prepare to enter the workforce or transfer to pursue a bachelor’s degree. Whatever your path, our expert faculty and highly regarded coursework will ready you for success.
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Credits: 64
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Campus: Monroe|FullyOnline|Bethlehem
The Criminal Justice program incorporates a robust 64-credit curriculum. Courses include criminology, abnormal psychology, American constitutional law and criminal justice ethics. Learning from juvenile and criminal justice experts, you’ll earn the knowledge and skills you need to excel in a career in law enforcement and related fields. Alternatively, with an associate degree in Criminal Justice, you may transfer to a four-year bachelor’s degree program.
Program Information
Northampton Community College’s Criminal Justice program is designed for your success, whether you’re a high school graduate pursuing a law enforcement career, a military veteran seeking new opportunities or a professional exploring a career change. Our in-person and online Criminal Justice associate’s degree equips you to thrive through:
- Flexibility: Study at our Bethlehem or Monroe campus in Pennsylvania, or learn from anywhere online.
- Affordability: Earn a degree from one of the lowest-cost criminal justice programs in PA.
- Transferability: Further your education in criminal justice, criminology or related disciplines at a four-year institution through NCC’s transfer agreements.
- Housing: Choose to live on-campus for a focused, immersive learning environment.
- Experienced Faculty: Learn from criminal justice and juvenile justice professionals who teach with the voice of experience, not just the observations of textbooks.
- Small Class Sizes: Form relationships with peers and professors in concentrated courses with a small student-to-faculty ratio.
- Student Services: Take advantage of NCC’s comprehensive counseling and career placement services.
Completing an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice at Northampton Community College can drastically reduce the overall cost of your criminal justice education. Our tuition and fees are some of the most affordable in the region. On top of the low upfront costs, you can also take advantage of NCC’s substantial financial aid and scholarship opportunities—we have one of the largest community college scholarship programs in Pennsylvania!
Criminal Justice Associate Degree Career Outlook
Prepare for private and public sector careers in law enforcement, security, courts, politics, business and the justice system. If you plan to work with a specific department or agency, your advisor and program success navigator can help you identify the courses and concentrations that will best suit your career goals.
NCC also has special partnerships with a number of four-year institutions, where you can transfer to complete a bachelor’s degree in just two additional years. Criminal justice profession salaries average around $60,000 per year, and can increase with specialization.
Future Career Paths
- CIA Agent
- Computer Forensics Investigator
- Correctional Treatment Specialist
- Crime Scene Investigator
- DEA Agent
- Detective
- FBI Agent
- Fish and Game Warden
- Forensic Science Technician
- Fraud Investigator
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent
- Investigator
- Lawyer
- Police Officer
- Private Detective
- Probation Officer
- Secret Service Agent
- Security Guard
- State Trooper
- US Marshal
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Apply to NCC’s Criminal Justice Associate Degree Program
Earn an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice to pursue a variety of careers, from law enforcement and security to politics and courts. Northampton Community College’s Criminal Justice program is flexible: you can complete courses at either the Bethlehem or Monroe campus, or study partially or entirely online.
The career-focused course design equips you to move straight into the profession or to transfer and specialize in further study at a four-year institution.
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