Criminology and Criminal Justice (AS)

What is A Criminology and Criminal Justice (AS) Degree?

Are you wondering about the difference between Criminology and Criminal Justice?  It’s pretty simple actually.  Criminology is the behavioral study of crime—that is, criminal activity and how the laws are made to control it.  Criminal Justice looks at the legal system itself—how laws are applied and how criminals are brought to justice.  As a behavioral science that is a subset of Sociology, Criminology looks at the sociology and psychology of the lawmakers, the alleged criminals, and how the public reacts to crime.

Criminal Justice, as a more hands-on, skilled-based field, is more focused on the whole law enforcement system: how laws are enforced and how criminals are rehabilitated.  There’s definitely an overlap in these fields.  That’s why some college degree programs combine the two into one degree.  A degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice introduces students to both the behavior sciences and to various enforcement techniques, so this Associate’s degree will prepare you for entry level jobs in law enforcement and may open the door to work as a police officer or at least enter into a police academy in some areas.