Criminal Justice

Be a Peacekeeper in the Community—and the World. Our Criminal Justice major is designed for students interested in pursuing a wide range of careers such as law enforcement, non-profit work, public service and law. You’ll explore your future career interests with classes like Forensic Science, Policing and Society, International Law and Mental Health & the Criminal Justice System. You’ll gain marketable skills like researching crime patterns and matters of social justice, data analysis, presentation, writing and critical thinking. Your faculty typically have direct experience working in careers that might interest you, including law enforcement officers, non-profit workers and lawyers. 

All Criminal Justice majors take an interdisciplinary set of required courses which aim to develop students’ skills in communication, writing and critical thinking, as well as build an understanding of applying social scientific inquiry to issues related to crime, law and justice. 

Criminal Justice might be a great major for you if you want to explore varied career paths that address issues involving social justice and/or crime, including law enforcement, non-profit work, public service and the legal profession.

The Criminal Justice major curriculum is flexible and allows students to double major or or double minor and graduate within four years. Suggested options include Business Administration, Communication, English, Global Studies, History, Philosophy, Psychological Science, Spanish and Theology. 

View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Criminal Justice program. 

Learn More
Learn More

Criminal Justice

Be a Peacekeeper in the Community—and the World. Our Criminal Justice major is designed for students interested in pursuing a wide range of careers such as law enforcement, non-profit work, public service and law. You’ll explore your future career interests with classes like Forensic Science, Policing and Society, International Law and Mental Health & the Criminal Justice System. You’ll gain marketable skills like researching crime patterns and matters of social justice, data analysis, presentation, writing and critical thinking. Your faculty typically have direct experience working in careers that might interest you, including law enforcement officers, non-profit workers and lawyers. 

All Criminal Justice majors take an interdisciplinary set of required courses which aim to develop students’ skills in communication, writing and critical thinking, as well as build an understanding of applying social scientific inquiry to issues related to crime, law and justice. 

Criminal Justice might be a great major for you if you want to explore varied career paths that address issues involving social justice and/or crime, including law enforcement, non-profit work, public service and the legal profession.

The Criminal Justice major curriculum is flexible and allows students to double major or or double minor and graduate within four years. Suggested options include Business Administration, Communication, English, Global Studies, History, Philosophy, Psychological Science, Spanish and Theology. 

View a sample program plan to see what courses you'll take in our Criminal Justice program. 

Patrick Burke, Ph.D. 
Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice 
Phone: (414) 930-3307
email: burkep@mtmary.edu 

Expertise: gang violence, illicit drug markets, gun violence, policing strategy and war crimes 

Criminal Justice professions are varied and diverse, and salaries vary according to job title. For example, the 2023 median salary for law enforcement officers was $72,280, and the 2024 median salary for lawyers was $151,160 per year. To learn more and to research salary ranges for other careers in justice, please visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website
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