The Criminal Justice Program

The program is the second oldest in the United States. It was established in 1943 as the Department of Police Science by V.A. Leonard. Dr. Leonard founded Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, and was one of the founding members of the organization that later became the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences.

The department’s name was changed in 1975 to the Department of Criminal Justice. The criminal justice department merged with the Department of Political Science in 1982, when it became the Criminal Justice Program.

The program offers both graduate and undergraduate degrees in criminal justice. Criminal justice is a set of policies pursued by private and public crime institutions which promote and seek to sustain control, order, and justice. Students, hence, are required to take courses in criminal justice, public policy, public administration, public law, sociology, research methods, and statistics. The goal is to produce graduates who understand crime and criminal justice policy and who embody the highest academic, professional, and ethical standards in their work and careers.

Students may earn a bachelor of arts or a master’s degree in criminal justice. Students who wish to continue their graduate studies to attain a Ph.D. may do so through the track in criminal justice.