Lead, Protect and Serve Communities with a Criminal Justice Degree from Gannon University
Gannon University’s criminal justice program prepares 21st century students to become lead investigators and vital agents of social change. Through individualized faculty mentoring and skill-based curriculum, you can discover your own career in law enforcement,
public service or criminal investigation as you work toward for a safer world. By training students on deescalation techniques, combined with interviewing and investigative practices, Gannon's criminal justice faculty are preparing future of law enforcement
officers to be ethical agents of the justice system.
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Learn from retired Florida State Crime Lab forensic scientist and FBI and ATF special agents.
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Increase your professional marketability through service-learning projects, internships and hands-on coursework.
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Pursue a double major or minor through convenient curriculum flexibility.
Learn to Lead the Way in Criminal Justice
- Master theoretical concepts and practical applications of the investigative process.
- Learn principles of forensic investigation including evidence documentation, crime analysis, reporting and testimony, fingerprint techniques and bloodstain pattern analysis.
- Analyze issues of global diversity in relation to criminal behavior and crime control.
Experience an Exceptional Learning Environment
- Learn in our Forensic Investigation Center, an innovative, working laboratory where students apply classroom learning to find evidence and solve crimes in a simulated environment.
- Collaborate with the regional Municipal Police Academy to obtain your Act 120 certification.
- Receive training in geospatial information systems to shed light on justice and inequity issues that plague regional and global communities.
Inspire Your Academic Success
Gain real-world knowledge through key criminal justice courses including:
Criminalistics: Learn from a nationally recognized forensic expert about collecting, processing and analyzing evidence and understanding its relevance in a criminal case.
Careers in Criminal Justice: Tailor your professional goals as weekly guest speakers discuss careers in law enforcement, corrections and forensics, among others.
Investigative Concepts: Explore principles of criminal and civil investigation including investigative techniques and obtaining information to identify and locate suspects. The course integrates lessons from Erie’s “Pizza Bomber” case and is taught
by former FBI lead investigator on the case.
Achieve Your Possibilities
Our criminal justice program is designed in favor of your success. Through curriculum flexibility and high-quality educational opportunities, you can:
- Earn competitive internship placements with the Drug Enforcement Agency, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Federal Bureau of Investigation, local police departments, and the Erie Court of Common Pleas, among others.
- Accelerate your education and earn a B.A. in criminal justice and M.S. in criminalistics in just five years.
- Secure your career as a federal special agent, criminal investigator, crime analyst, police officer, secret service, homeland security, border patrol office, intelligence analyst, lawyer, victim advocate and more. Annual median salaries can range
up to $112,960, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics