The Criminal Justice program helps students gain an understanding of crime and victimization, as well as the American criminal justice system. Students learn to think critically about the causes and consequences of crime and violence and about the criminal justice system itself. This major will give special emphasis on how the criminal justice system interacts with victims of crime and members of disadvantaged communities, noting the effects from both an individual and social perspective. Students learn that studying crime, victimization and the system through which they are processed is a critical component to improving society. Consistent with the Jesuit tradition, the Criminal Justice program will seek to strengthen the criminal justice system and our communities by focusing on the social determinants that cause crime and violence and on the humanity of victims, offenders, and criminal justice practitioners. Criminal Justice will be a good fit for students interested in employment in the criminal justice system or allied fields as well as those pursuing graduate education or a law degree.
Top 3 skills learned:
The "A-Ha" moment for students:
This moment occurs when students realize they can apply the knowledge they learned through the criminal justice program to their future career as a criminal justice practitioner or graduate school. This often occurs when students meet and develop a one-on-one professional relationship with the criminal justice faculty. The relationship between students and faculty gives the students the capacity to design a personalized yet mentored course of study frequently including research and internship options most closely aligned with the students’ interests.
