Criminal Justice & Police Studies
CJPS NewsMission of the Department of Criminal Justice & Police Studies
The Department of Criminal Justice and Police Studies provides a stimulating learning environment that promotes respect, tolerance, sensitivity and an open exchange of ideas regarding a wide range of cultural and intellectual differences.
We are committed to exemplary teaching, research and philosophy that is grounded in:
- cutting-edge scholarship
- engaging students in critical inquiry, logical and ethical thinking
- direct engagement of the social world to develop a deep and practical understanding of justice problems
- service to the community, university, and profession
Providing students with the most current knowledge in the field prepares them to meet the challenges of an increasingly complex, technological, and diverse society.
Program Objectives
The purpose of undergraduate programs in criminal justice and police studies is to educate students to be critical thinkers who can communicate their thoughts effectively in oral and written form. Our programs will familiarize students with facts and concepts and teach them to apply this knowledge to related problems and changing situations.
Primary objectives of our criminal justice and police studies programs include:
- the development of critical thinking
- communication, technology, and computing skills
- quantitative reasoning
- ethical decision-making
- an understanding of diversity
The criminal justice bachelor's degree program gives students the opportunity to develop knowledge and skills above the introductory level through a logically sequenced, coherent, and rigorous body of coursework.
Both our programs in criminal justice and police studies are part of a broadly based degree program with a balance of general education, required and elective courses in criminal justice and in related fields, and unrestricted electives wherever possible.
