Leading and Serving in Making Communities Safer and More Just . . .

The University of Mary Department of Criminal Justice offers: 

• Internships and practical experience.
• Participation in the human services area of the Emerging Leaders Academy.
• Graduate and law school preparation.
• Personal and humanitarian skills needed to bring forth positive aspects of justice for society. 
• Participation in PACS, a division-wide student service organization. 
• A program focused on a development of the ideas of justice in a Benedictine tradition.

Mission

Our mission is twofold. First, it is to provide you with the specific skills needed to keep yourself and your community safe. Second, it is to provide you with the personal and humanitarian skills needed to bring forth positive aspects of justice for the entire society.

Philosophy

We are committed to the development of skills and attributes that are associated with lifelong learners, competent professionals, servant-leaders, and critical and independent thinkers. We are focused on producing highly skilled graduates who are ready to serve their community and succeed as professionals in all facets of the criminal justice field.

Outcomes

After completing the required curriculum in the criminal justice program, graduates will be able to:

• Evaluate the relative strengths of various approaches  to criminal justice.
• Show an understanding of the major areas in criminal justice, to include:
  • Criminal justice and juvenile justice process
  • Criminology
  • Law enforcement
  • Law adjudication   
  • Corrections
• Display ethical and professional behavior while applying this knowledge to problems and changing fact situations.
• Communicate this knowledge effectively in written and oral form.

After completing the elective and liberal arts curriculum in the University of Mary Criminal Justice Program, graduates will be able to:

• Process and apply information reliably.
• Demonstrate research skills to include statistics and computer methods.
• Demonstrate logic, critical thinking, and ethical decision-making.
• Display an understanding of the impact of issues of diversity on themselves and their communities.

Faculty

Chad E. Litton, Ph.D. (Program Director); Bela A. Balogh, Ph.D.; Carole A. Barrett, Ph.D.; Lanette P. Dalley, M.S.W., Ph.D.; Nancy Kleingartner, M.S.W.; James Renner, M.S.W.; Mark M. Springer, Ph.D.