Bachelor in Criminal Justice

In today’s world, compassionate and well-educated criminal justice professionals are needed more than ever. They must be able to think quickly and rationally and be prepared for the unexpected. At Saint Mary’s, you’ll be empowered to think about crime and criminal justice from a multidisciplinary approach that incorporates social, economic, political science, and even historical perspectives. You’ll choose from two tracks; corrections or law enforcement. With either track, you’ll learn about the relationship between the criminal justice system and larger social and cultural institutions.

Gain practical, real-world experience and learn from faculty who are leaders in their field. Our Lasallian Catholic values are embedded throughout your coursework and demonstrated by faculty, staff, and the caring community of the Saint Mary’s campus. You’ll focus on ethical leadership and social justice while learning the virtues of determination, adaptability, and resilience.

Program Highlights

Whether you want a career responding to crime or preventing it, you’ll be prepared to be an ethical leader in the world of criminal justice. With two tracks, you’ll focus on either corrections or law enforcement. No matter your career path, you’ll be ready to make the world a better, safer, more just place.

Program Features

What Makes it Special:

• Two tracks of study: Criminal justice and corrections & Criminal justice and law enforcement
• Law Enforcement program certified by the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (POST)
• Dedicated faculty with real-world experience

Choose from two tracks to pursue a career you’re passionate about:

Criminal Justice and Corrections Track

Core criminal justice courses focus on law enforcement, the judicial process, drugs, crime, and the correctional system. You’ll be exposed to various disciplines within the social sciences, such as human services, political science, psychology, and sociology.

Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Track

Courses focus on law enforcement, the judicial process, drugs, crime, the correctional system, and best practices in community reintegration. Our faculty offer a breadth of working knowledge in criminal justice and related subjects from human services to psychology.

Saint Mary’s criminal justice – law enforcement program is approved by the Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training Board (POST). Graduates of this program are eligible to take the MN Peace Officer Standards and Training Licensure Exam and, upon successful passage of the exam, obtain POST licensure in Minnesota.

Where You Are Matters

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is a private, nonprofit university. Our students’ success is the core of our concern.

Students choose Saint Mary’s for any number of reasons, among them: our welcoming community; our commitment to walking alongside each student, every step of the way; our intentional focus on practical, hands-on learning experiences; and our dedication to helping students form connections that will guide them in their post-graduate lives.

Our undergraduate, residential, liberal arts college offers 59 majors at our 450-acre Winona Campus. Convenient graduate, bachelor's completion, and certificate programs are offered at our Twin Cities and Winona campuses, Rochester or other regional locations, and online. We are mission-driven, committed to abandoning elitism, embracing respect, and being dedicated to every person. We are the university for students who are ready to grow and who know that with the right opportunities they can build the future they want.

It's Who Knows You

At the heart of Saint Mary’s are the people who get to know you. Faculty, staff, and your fellow students—all become allies on your educational journey. Here, in an intense give-and-take setting, each of us discovers just how much we can grow. You’ll find, in every one of our classrooms, a relationship-driven, person-centered education. Because we believe that everyone deserves the chance to make an impact. To achieve beyond expectations. To be known.

Saint Mary’s offers a transformational education. Whether our students are in Winona or Minneapolis or any location in the world, the experience is the same—through intense inquiry, we help students discover the truths in the world around us and the character within us. Learn more about the support we can offer to undergraduate and graduate students through our offices.

Student Right to Know

In accordance with federal law, current and prospective students and their parents have the right to know certain information about Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota including a variety of academic information, financial aid information, institutional information, and information on graduation rates, campus safety, and equity in athletics.

A Dynamic and Transformational Learning Community

Mission

Enriched by the Lasallian Catholic heritage, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota awakens, nurtures, and empowers learners to ethical lives of service and leadership.

A Top-tier Vision

Grounded in its Lasallian Catholic identity, Saint Mary’s is a nationally ranked transformational and innovative university with a global footprint. Saint Mary’s graduates gain the advanced knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities necessary to be lifelong learners, successful workers, good neighbors, and ethical citizens that ensure Saint Mary’s standing as a well-known top-tier national university that prepares tomorrow’s leaders.