The Criminal Justice option provides students the opportunity to develop the advanced skills and knowledge needed to function effectively in the full range of criminal justice professions. The program also provides the opportunity to acquire resources necessary for program development and management.
The Mission of the graduate degree in Criminal Justice at East Carolina University is to prepare students to enter and or progress in the areas of policing, corrections, and juvenile justice and to prepare those who seek positions in leadership, professional specializations, research, or instructions in Criminal Justice. The degree may also serve as preparation for advanced study in Criminal Justice at the doctorate level.
Criminal Justice is the study of the American criminal justice system. This system is composed of a series of interrelated components including the prevention, investigation, and apprehension functions of law enforcement; the prosecution, defending, judging, and administrative roles of the courts; the controlling, deterring, and rehabilitative roles of corrections; and the prevention and treatment functions of the juvenile justice system. In criminal justice, interpersonal and organizational dynamics are intricate and require knowledge of human behavior, social development, political philosophy, and other interrelated courses.
It is with pleasure that I welcome you to the Department of Criminal Justice (JUST). As you may know, criminal justice is becoming the fastest growing academic major in America. Many people believe that this is because of the exciting and rewarding career opportunities offered by the field, including homeland security, crime scene investigation, criminal photography, forensic science, probation and parole, corrections, and other opportunities to serve one’s community. Consequently, our department is experiencing wide-spread growth in its minor, major, certificate, master’s program, and newly added forensic science component. The department offers students a diverse, well published faculty with wide-ranging academic and professional experience. We developed the first certificate program in forensic science in North Carolina, and our alumni are employed in nearly every state and federal agency.
A balance of general, liberal arts, and technical courses are offered to those students who intend to enter the field of criminal justice for the first time as well as those currently employed in the field. This program is designed primarily for those students who anticipate transferring to a four-year institution to pursue the baccalaureate degree. It is also recommended to those students interested in pre-law studies. This program leads to rewarding careers in law enforcement, corrections, probation, parole, rehabilitation, industrial security, and numerous other positions in related areas at the municipal, state, and federal levels.
This major, new degree programme based in the School of Applied Social Sciences will have its first intake of students in October 2007. The degree critically addresses a range of key themes, issues and debates relating to crime and the criminal justice system. Thus students will explore such topics as the nature of crime and the causes of criminal behaviour; mechanisms for measuring falls and rises in crime rates; the place of crime and deviance in popular culture; efforts to prevent crime; the ways in which offenders are dealt with; and law enforcement and the use of new technologies.
The Criminal Justice Technology program prepares students for a career in the multifaceted criminal justice system. The curriculum is structured around a core of courses allowing students to acquire the basic knowledge and skills needed to work in law enforcement, private security, and other related areas of criminal justice.
The curriculum, which covers a variety of topics in criminal justice, focuses on developing the ability to understand and apply legal concepts, investigative techniques, interviewing and interrogation methods, evidence collection and presentation, report writing, patrol operations, and traffic management.
The program also stresses practical skills needed to deal with the complex social, psychological, political, and organizational factors that affect the discretionary decisions of law enforcement personnel. This blend of specific skills and informed perspectives prepares the Criminal Justice Technology graduate to make the difficult decisions often required when serving the needs of the community.
Graduates find job opportunities in federal, state, county, and municipal governments. The knowledge and skills acquired in this program also qualify graduates for positions with private enterprise in areas such as industrial, retail, and private security.
The Master of Science in Criminal Justice program is carefully integrated with the undergraduate program and grows out of the institutional commitment to the liberal arts. It is intended to provide sound preparation for careers while explaining the breadth of perspective and flexibility that characterize the liberal arts graduate.
This course examines the Canadian Criminal Justice System from a systems approach. A criminal incident will be followed through the system from detection to apprehension of the offender to the end of any formal or informal disposition. The factors involved in the discretion, decisions and practices of the entire system, including statutory and voluntary agencies are studied. The functions and dysfunctions of the system will be analyzed and current issues and reform initiatives will be reviewed.
The sociology program at Dominican University offers two separate majors in sociology and criminology. These specializations: social analysis, social services and gerontology. These specializations are designed to underscore the centrality of race, class, gender, age and culture in the social organization of human behavior. The criminology major is oriented toward the social scientific study of crime, law and deviance. Both majors provide solid training for a variety of professional careers.