Department of Justice Studies

Students' Frequently Asked Questions

Overview

This page provides information to students on a variety of topics, including the following:

  • Department information
  • Declaring your major or minor
  • Advising
  • Financial aid
  • Student organizations
  • Internships
  • Employment
  • Mandatory Outcomes Assessment


The department is happy to answer any additional question you may have; please visit the department in 113 Bowman Hall, or call us during normal business hours at 330-672-2775. 

Justice Studies Department Information

Where is the department located?

113 Bowman Hall, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, 44242. Visitors may park in the visitor's parking lot by the KSU Student Center on Summit Street (there is a fee), just beyond Bowman Hall.  (The Bowman Hall lot is open only to faculty and staff during normal business hours. You will be ticketed for parking illegally.)  Additional information and directions are available from KSU's home page .

How do I contact the department?
            Our mailing address is listed above.  Or,

  Call during business hours from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm at 330 - 672 - 2775, or stop by the office in 113 Bowman Hall.

How do I contact my professor?

The department has an orange handout for students containing contact information on all department faculty which is updated each semester; you can pick one up any time.  You may also call the department during business hours (8:30 am to 5 pm) at 330 - 672 - 2775 to determine the professor's office hours. The course syllabus contains his or her office hours and e-mail address. Office hours are the times the professor is available for student contact. Appointments are arranged individually by the student with the professor (the secretary does not make appointments for the individual faculty members).  

Major (or Minor) Declaration

How do I declare my major (or minor)?

First, go to the College of Arts and Sciences office in 105 Bowman Hall to get the necessary paperwork (Change of Program form).  Make an appointment if necessary.  After determining the office hours that JUS faculty are available, bring the forms to the Justice Studies Department (113 Bowman) for completion.  As the form must be signed by a faculty advisor, consult the orange handout in the office or the office hour board to find a mutually convenient time for this process. (The JUS staff are not authorized to sign these forms.)

Advising Information

How do I get advising on my major or minor?

Consult your major sheet and the informational form you completed when you came to the JUS department. When you declared a major, you were assigned a faculty advisor; however, be sure to see the person during their office hours. The office hours for faculty members each semester are posted in the department and are listed on an orange handout. Only full time faculty can be official advisers for the department.

 

If you have not declared your major, go to the College of Arts and Sciences office in 105 Bowman, pick up the necessary paperwork, and go to the Justice Studies Department. Also, be sure to bring your most recent KAPS report (available free from the Registrar's office and via Web for Students). 

 

NOTE 1: Justice Studies faculty do advising for major and minor courses of study; students should seek advising from the College office for questions on LER's and University requirements.

 

NOTE 2: Many faculty do not teach over the summer, so try to see your advisor during the fall or spring semesters.

My faculty adviser is no longer with the department (or I would like to change advisers).  What do I do?

Go the Department in 113 Bowman and ask to be assigned to a new faculty adviser.  It is as simple as that.  Do not go without advising.

Is advising really important?

Yes. Every student should visit his or her adviser before scheduling. Your advisor can help answer any questions that you may have concerning coursework, timely graduation, or career planning.

Financial Aid

What kind of financial assistance is available?

At present, the Department has no specific scholarships available for undergraduate students, although we have started one.  Your best bet is to contact the University's Office of Student Financial Aid .

Student Organizations

What organizations are available for Justice Studies students?

There are three:  Alpha Phi Sigma, the Criminal Justice honor society, Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the Criminal Justice club, and the Paralegal organization.  Refer to the Department of Justice Studies home page for more information on these organizations.

Internships

What about internships?

Internships are a valuable way for students to get experience in the field.  Completing an internship is your decision (it is not required); many students do so. For justice studies majors, you must be a Junior or Senior with a 'C' grade point average. Most internships are not paid, but students receive upper division course credit for doing one. Consult a faculty member and the internship manual for more detail.  See the latest Schedule of Classes to determine which faculty members are supervising interns for that semester. Click here to see the Internship manual for JUS 46792 (you must have Adobe Acrobat to open it).  A list of potential internship sites is provided as a starting point for your discussion with an internship coordinator.

Outcomes Assessment

I received a letter about the need to take an outcome exam before I can graduate.  What's this about?

 

Per the Undergraduate Catalog, all students majoring in a program in the College of Arts and Sciences must complete an outcomes assessment.  (This requirement is also listed on the JUS major sheet.)  The nature of this requirement varies from program to program.  In Justice Studies, students who apply for graduation must take an exit exam and survey.  The exit exam covers material from the broad range of major coursework students are exposed to.  The exit survey polls students on their opinion of and experiences with the department. The assessment is administered each semester on a Saturday morning towards the end of the semester.

Employment in the Justice Field

What types of jobs are available in the field? How can I find out more?

Careers in the field include positions in Corrections, Law Enforcement, Education, Counseling, Law, Research, Security, and the Military.

A partial list includes

Ø     Probation Officer,

Ø     Parole Officer,

Ø     Police Officer (City, County, or State levels),

Ø     FBI Agent,

Ø     Sheriff, 

Ø     Security Guard, 

Ø     U.S. Marshal,

Ø     Detention Counselor,

Ø     Administrative Assistant,

Ø     Statistician,

Ø     Victim Services provider,

Ø     Retail Loss Prevention,

Ø     Court Security Worker,

Ø     Correctional Officer,

Ø     Guard, 

Ø     Custodial Officer, and

Ø     College Professor. 

 

These positions require differing amounts of practical experience and academic credentials.  Some jobs in criminal justice do not require a college degree, while others require a graduate degree.  Some jobs require a college degree, but NOT in criminal justice!

 

A goldenrod-colored handout is available from the Department in 113 Bowman Hall on major job categories in criminal justice.  Please consult your adviser for help on career matters, preferably prior to your last year of coursework. Check department bulletin boards every month for information, as positions become available on short notice, and the application period is usually short.

How can I find out what jobs are available in the field?  How can I start my job search?

(1) Consult with your faculty adviser,

(2) Pick up the goldenrod flyer on employment from the Department,
(3) See the bulletin board in 113 Bowman Hall for the latest job announcements,

(4) Attend Career Services Center job fairs, and/or

(5) See the "Related Links" section of this home page for Web pages with employment information.

When should I start looking? What approach should I take?

Ø     Studies show it takes up to a full year to find your first job after college.  Do not wait until you are close to graduation to start the job search process. 

Ø     Consult the books on the market on careers in Criminal Justice (available from Barnes and Noble or Amazon).  Also familiarize yourself with the Occupational Outlook Handbook, available on-line from the Department of Labor. It provides information on various jobs in the field and how much opportunity/growth there will be, as well as job search tips and the job market in each state. Dr. Philip Reichel’s web site on criminal justice careers is also worth a look.

Ø     Use the KSU Career Services Center to help you develop a resume and learn about the various job fairs it hosts. Try their “Flash Forward” employment service.

Ø     Networking via interaction with students and faculty, as well as completing an internship, are good ways to start. Get involved in the student club (LAE) or the honor society (APS). The "shotgun" approach of sending out or posting resumes en masse is not the way most people get jobs.

Ø     Note that much of the criminal justice/juvenile justice field is decentralized, with most jobs on the local (city or county) level. State and Federal jobs are at a premium. You may wish to try “America’s Job Bank,”  a national listing of jobs from all over the country, put together by the U.S. Department of Labor and Job Centers across the country.

Ø     Consult the state of Ohio employment web site for information for the latest openings at the state level.

Ø     Consult the county (and city) employment agencies for county level positions.

Ø     Stop by the JUS office in 113 Bowman Hall to consult the bulletin board where we post job notices that we receive.  Note that positions in the field open and close quickly, so you should check this board at least once or twice a month.

Ø     Go to the JUS Department’s Links page and go to the sites that indicate they have employment information.

Ø     If you are an alumnus/a, it is not too late to do an internship. You can come back to KSU as a Post-undergraduate and do an internship to get some field experience. See the Admissions office page.



Return to the Department of Justice Studies home page

Page last updated 5-26-2006