Criminology and Criminal Justice

Departmental Goals and Objectives

Criminology and Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary field that studies crime and the ways society responds to crime. The Criminology and Criminal Justice curriculum examines the nature and causes of crime, the criminal justice system's purposes and activities, and the impact of crime on victims and society. Since crime is a social problem, many courses include the study of community-based programs and social service agencies and the components of the criminal justice system. The Criminology and Criminal Justice Department, located within the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, emphasizes the study of public policy and change efforts as an essential part of its curriculum. Students may have the opportunity to participate in public affairs research projects conducted by department faculty.

The Criminology and Criminal Justice degree is designed for students interested in the general study of crime and the administration of justice and those pursuing professional careers in criminology, criminal justice, or related fields. The degree also prepares students for entrance into graduate or professional schools in criminology, criminal justice, law, public administration, social work, and the social sciences.

The Criminology and Criminal Justice major provides an integrated curriculum that emphasizes problem-solving and analytical skills, an approach favored by many criminal justice agencies and employers. The curriculum reflects the field's multidisciplinary character, drawing on a variety of liberal arts and professional areas of expertise. Faculty associated with the department have degrees in criminal justice, criminology, law, political science, psychology, and sociology. Student majors take a core curriculum that familiarizes them with a range of perspectives, methods, and content areas of the criminal justice field. They may use their electives to take additional courses or to minor in another field.

All majors participate in an ECCE Engagement Experience through Internships and Prior Learning (IPL). Students have the opportunity to work with state agencies and training centers and local criminal justice and social service agencies.

The Bachelor's Degree

Advising

All declared CCJ majors and minors are assigned a department faculty advisor. Faculty advisor contact information is included in the CCJ department welcome email sent to each student as soon as they have declared CCJ as their major or minor. CCJ majors and minors should contact their assigned advisor each semester before enrolling in classes.

Communication Skills

To satisfy the UIS communication skills requirement, students prepare a portfolio of written work from 300-level core courses, with the final assessment occurring in the senior seminar.

Engagement Experience/ECCE

Criminology & Criminal Justice (CCJ) majors are required to complete a minimum of 10 credit hours of Engaged Citizenship Common Experience (ECCE) course work in the areas of U.S. Communities, Global Awareness, Engagement Experience, and ECCE Speaker Series.

The CCJ department recommends that students complete 6 of the required 10 ECCE hours by completing an internship, which falls under the Engagement Experience ECCE category. Internships benefit students in many ways: they allow students to learn from practical hands-on experience outside of the university setting, they aid in the process of career assessment, and they foster students’ understanding of the relationships between theory, research, and practice. To complete the internship, CCJ students must enroll in IPL 300 for 6 credit hours. 

To complete the remaining 4 credit hours of ECCE requirements, students need to take EITHER a 3 credit hour CCJ U.S. Communities ECCE course OR a 3 credit hour CCJ Global Awareness ECCE course, as well as a 1 credit hour Speaker Series ECCE course. Any non-CCJ ECCE course (U.S. Communities or Global Awareness) must be approved by a Student Petition. 

Lastly, although CCJ majors are encouraged to complete an internship, students may request approval from their academic advisor to substitute the 6 credit hour internship with 6 credit hours of either U.S. Communities or Global Awareness ECCE course work.

Grading Policy

Criminology and Criminal Justice majors must receive a C (2.0) grade or better in all required core courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted in these courses.

Program Learning Outcomes 

1. Recognize the various components of the criminal justice system, their functions, and the various activities that are carried out by these components and by related social service agencies.

2. Identify a variety of theoretical and applied explanations of crime and criminal behavior, as well as societal and criminal justice responses.

3. Recognize that criminal justice activities can be examined from multiple points of view, and to become more familiar with the range of these experiences, including those of women and minorities.

4. Demonstrate baccalaureate written communication, oral communication, and critical thinking skills.

5. Critically evaluate a wide range of research.

6. Employ research methods appropriate to the discipline to understand and investigate current research problems.

Requirements

Core Courses
CCJ 239	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
CCJ 315	Critical Thinking in Criminal Justice	3
CCJ 342	Statistics for Criminal Justice	3
CCJ 345	Research Methods in Criminal Justice	3
CCJ 421	Criminological Theory	3
CCJ 489	Senior Seminar	3
CCJ electives
Students are required to complete at least 17 hours at the 300 or 400-level, which can include 300-400 level transfer courses. The remaining 6 hours may be taken at the 100, 200, 300, or 400 level and can include transfer courses.		23
Total Hours		41