International and Homeland Security

International and Homeland Security Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree Criminal Justice

About Homeland and International Security

Develop specialized knowledge and in-demand skills to excel as a criminal justice professional.

If your interest is focused on the vital areas of homeland and international security, PennWest California can prepare you for a solid career with our comprehensive, nationally ranked and widely respected bachelor's degree program in criminal justice.

In the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program, you'll learn from a team of faculty scholars and professionals with extensive career experience. Their goal is to explore with you the major functions and operations of the criminal justice field and the specialized area of homeland and international security. PennWest California offers four other concentrations within the B.S. in Criminal Justice degree program:

Gain a career advantage with PennWest California's highly ranked, hands-on program.

As part of the Department of Criminal Justice, the B.S. in Criminal Justice program offers an excellent blend of liberal arts and professional courses to develop your critical thinking and communication skills. With a homeland security degree you'll be well-prepared to pursue leadership positions in various justice-related professions; the B.S. in Criminal Justice is an excellent foundation for law or graduate school.

Learn about our accelerated bachelor's-to-master's degree program.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS: Criminal Justice  

Concentration:  Your curriculum for the homeland and international security concentration includes such courses as Introduction to Security, Corporate Security Law, Executive Protection, International Security Issues, Terrorism and more. The Principles of Homeland Security course focuses on the various principles that establish a foundation to organize security efforts as a nation. Students study such critical areas as intelligence and warning, border and transportation security, domestic terrorism, protecting critical infrastructure, defending against catastrophic terrorism, and emergency preparedness and response.

Solid foundation: The criminal justice curriculum consists of a required core of 11 courses that provide a comprehensive approach to the six content areas identified by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences: administration of justice, corrections, criminological theory, law adjudication, law enforcement, and research and analytic methods.

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19:1 
Student-to-faculty ratio at PennWest California.
120 
Credit hours for the bachelor's degree in criminal justice, which can be completed in eight semesters or four years.
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Degree Benefits

With your PennWest California degree, you'll be equipped to enter the field of homeland and international security with knowledge and experience. In addition to a strong faculty with top academic and professional credentials, the program also offers access  to forensic computer investigation labs. With the help of the Career and Professional Development Center, students also are connected to potential employers through networking events, job shadowing opportunities, on-campus recruiting, job and internship fairs, and organizational visits. 

 
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Graduate Outcomes

As a graduate of the criminal justice program, you will have the education, skills and training necessary to realize your individual and career goals. With the help of highly qualified professors who have strong professional contacts, criminal justice students get access to valuable hands-on internships. PennWest California criminal justice graduates go on to positions in: Federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security. Courts and law offices. Correctional institutions. Probation and parole offices. Juvenile justice agencies. Emerging fields of forensic science, electronic fraud and white-collar crime.

 
Criminal Justice (B.S) Homeland and International Secruity Concentration
Portrait of PennWest California professor Dr. Michael Hummel.

Experienced Faculty

The criminal justice program is led by highly qualified and dedicated full-time professors with the highest degrees in their fields, along with real-world professional experience. Our professors have earned Ph.D., J.D. and other doctoral degrees from such institutions as Columbia University, University of Notre Dame, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Robert Morris University. Part-time instructors in the undergraduate criminal justice program are well qualified, drawing on their experience as practitioners. 

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Professional Connection

PennWest California is attuned to professional standards through faculty who are members of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences. ACJS is an international association established in 1963 to foster professional and scholarly activities in the field of criminal justice. ACJS promotes criminal justice education, research, and policy analysis within the discipline of criminal justice for both educators and practitioners.

A PennWest California professor instructs his students in the field of Homeland Security.

Student Resources

You'll have the opportunity to enhance your academic study in criminal justice at PennWest California by joining Lambda Alpha Epsilon (LAE), the national criminal justice association. LAE introduces students to the criminal justice system and to employment opportunities, and also offers excellent networking with practitioner members. Alpha Phi Sigma is the national honor society for criminal justice majors. The society recognizes scholastic excellence by undergraduate and graduate students in criminal justice.

 

B.S., Criminal Justice Courses Homeland and International Security Concentration

Curriculum

Course Credits
General Education Courses 40 or 41
Building a Sense of Community
UNI 100  First-Year Seminar
1
Composition
ENG 101  English Composition I
3
Public Speaking
Any Public Speaking Course
3
Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy
Any Mathematics and Quantitative Literacy Course
3
Health and Wellness
Any Health and Wellness Course
3
Technological Literacy
Any Technological Literacy Course
3
Humanities
Any Humanities Course
3
Fine Arts
Any Fine Arts Course
3
Natural Sciences
Any Natural Sciences Course
3 or 4
Social Sciences
Any Social Science Course
3
General Education Options
  • Any Ethics and Multicultural Awareness Emphasis Course
  • Any Technological Literacy Course
  • Any General Education Courses (two courses)
12
   
Required Major Courses 33
JUS 101  Intro to Criminal Justice Studies 3
JUS 102  Intro to Law Enforcement 3
JUS 103  Correctional Systems 3
JUS 331  Juvenile Justice 3
JUS 361  Court Systems 3
JUS 375  Criminal Law 3
JUS 376  Criminal Procedure 3
JUS 466  Leadership and Ethics in Criminal Justice 3
JUS 495  Research Methods in Criminal Justice 3
JUS 496  Criminological Theory 3
JUS 499  Seminar in Criminal Justice Studies 3
   
Concentration Courses 6
JUS 104  Introduction to Security 3
JUS 205  Principles of Homeland Security 3
   
Related Electives 15
Select 15 credits from the following:
  • JUS 305  International Criminal Justice (3 credits)
  • JUS 335  Corporate Security Law (3 credits)
  • JUS 338  Executive Protection (3 credits)
  • JUS 399  Selected Topics (repeatable) (3 credits)
  • JUS 405  Cyber Security (3 credits)
  • JUS 410  International Security (3 credits)
  • JUS 415  Multiculturalism in Criminal Justice (3 credits)
  • JUS 429  Terrorism (3 credits)
  • JUS 430  Criminal intelligence Analysis (3 credits)
  • JUS 435  Countering Terrorism (3 credits)
  • JUS 498  Criminal Justice Internship (3 to 12 credits)
15
   
Additional Electives 25 or 26
   
Total 120

Additional requirements, not counted toward the General Education requirements, include:

  • Special Experience Course (1 course required): JUS 499 Seminar in Justice Studies
  • Writing-Intensive Component Courses (2 courses required): Any two JUS approved Writing-Intensive Menu courses
  • Laboratory Course (1 course required): Any Laboratory Course

Program Notes: 42 credits (or 14 courses) of upper-division (300- or 400-level) courses are REQUIRED. Any related electives not listed must be approved by adviser.

Homeland Security - Minors and Concentrations

Minors
  • Minor in criminal justice
    Take two required courses (6 credits) plus five Justice electives (15 credits)
  • Minor in forensic science

    Take four required courses (12 credits) plus three Justice electives (9 credits)

Concentrations