Mission
Department of Justice Studies
The Department of Justice Studies offers programs leading to associate (Regional Campus), baccalaureate and master's degrees. The Department of Political Science offers a Ph.D. in its Public Policy program with a focus in Justice Studies. See our Home page for more information.
The Department of Justice Studies acknowledges its relationship to the College of Arts & Sciences and the interdisciplinary nature of its discipline and seeks through its curriculum to provide students with a broad foundation of knowledge grounded in the humanities and social sciences. Further, recognizing that a humane and equitable provision of justice is the foundation of a democratic society, the Department seeks to sensitize students to the values and views of diverse segments of society. In pursuit of this goal, courses within the curriculum serve to further students' conceptual understanding of the values, ethics, and power relationships involved in the process of justice. In short, while never losing our essential roots in the liberal arts, humanities and social sciences, we recognize and make explicit the duality of our field. It is both academic and professional. It is both conceptual and applied.
At the undergraduate level, the goals of the Department are to provide all students with a broad understanding of the functions, roles and critical issues within all the components of criminal justice. We seek to equip majors with the necessary knowledge, insight and sensitivity to occupy positions in public and private criminal justice agencies and to encourage further professional development and graduate education.
The goals of the M.A. in Criminal Justice are for students to build a firm theoretical and methodological foundation on the causation, treatment, and control of crime and delinquency, and the process of law and justice, to develop professional skills through experience in situations where knowledge gained in the classroom can be tested in applied settings, and to develop a behavioral and attitudinal orientation appropriate for the criminal justice profession.
The faculty of the Department is committed to providing the high quality of
instruction necessary to obtain the aforementioned goals. Further, the faculty
recognizes its responsibilities to further the development of the field of
criminal justice through individual research and scholarship. We seek to serve
both the University and the larger community through the provisions of
professional expertise where such contributions serve the furtherance of
justice. Providing consultative services, workshops, and seminars to public and
private justice related agencies are just some of the ways of actualizing our
special responsibility to make positive contributions toward the quality of
life in
*Adopted by the Department of Justice Studies faculty on April 12, 1989.
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updated 2-08-2006