Eastern Kentucky University is consistently recognized as a leading provider of criminal justice education due to the comprehensive curriculum taught by esteemed faculty. EKU’s online criminal justice program begins with core courses on criminal justice ethics, criminology, criminal justice research, and criminal justice statistics. Then, students can determine their own educational pathway by choosing from engaging criminal justice electives that cover a variety of contemporary issues in the field to earn their criminal justice degree.
A Sampling of the Criminal Justice Program Electives
| Course Title | Fundamental Question Explored |
| Juvenile Justice System | How do we define and respond to youth crime in the United States? |
| Rehabilitation Strategies for Adult and Juvenile Offenders | What is the best way to promote positive behavioral changes in adult and juvenile offenders? |
| Living and Working in Prison | What is it like to live and work behind prison bars? |
| Offenders in the Community | What are the formal and informal mechanisms of social control that support desistance from crime and facilitate offender reintegration? |
| Police, Order, Maintenance and Crime | What is the role of police in society and how do police organizations operate? |
| Surveillance and Society | How is surveillance used in the monitoring and policing of bodies, populations, property and information, and how does surveillance lead to inequalities and violations of civil liberties? |
| White Collar Crime/Crimes of the Powerful | What are the trends, underlying motivations, and impacts of upper world crimes of business and government committed in the course of legitimate occupations and financial activities? |
| Crime and Media | How are crime, criminals and punishment depicted in American popular culture and how do these images contribute to cultural production and consumption? |
If you are interested in law enforcement, consider some of these electives from police studies:
| Course Title | Fundamental Question Explored |
| Terrorism/Counterterrorism | How do we define, prevent, and combat domestic, foreign, transnational and state terrorism? |
| The Police and Community | What strategies do police use to build police-community partnerships and address crime and quality of life problems in diverse communities? |
| Social Forces and Policing Society | How are the roles and functions of police impacted by political, social, cultural, legal and organizational forces? |
| Contemporary Policing Strategies | What are the critical issues facing the police and how do they influence police reform and accountability mechanisms? |
If you are interested in pursuing a career in corrections, here are some elective courses to consider:
| Course Title | Fundamental Question Explored |
| Female Offenders | How does criminal justice policy & practice affect female offenders? |
| Exploring the Death Penalty | Based on the evaluation of key issues surrounding the debate, should the death penalty be an option in the American legal system? |
| Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Offenders | What role do mental health and substance abuse play in crime, and how can we best meet these needs for offenders? |
| Diversity in Corrections | What particular meanings and controversies arise from cultural and other differences that exist among persons involved with the correctional system? |
These and other criminal justice electives provide an in-depth exploration of key issues in the criminal justice and law enforcement field. They engage students in critical thinking about our criminal justice system and provide a forum for examining career interests. Want to be a part of this leading online program and earn your criminal justice degree? Learn more about EKU’s 100% online criminal justice program.