Criminal Justice Degree Online

The growth in the criminal justice system has resulted in the creation of many employment opportunities and also to a requirement for enhanced knowledge and skills from those seeking such employment or to develop their careers opportunities. Criminology as an academic discipline has its roots in sociology. However, at The University of Northampton this approach has been enhanced with significant inputs from Law and Psychology which enables students on the undergraduate programme to engage with a broad range of perspectives from social and legal theory, criminal justice and forensic psychology. This eclectic approach will underpin the structure and delivery of the proposed postgraduate degree programme.

A postgraduate qualification in Criminology is seen as a highly desirable element in applications for careers in policing, the prison and probation service. It is also anticipated that successful MSc graduates will consider the prospect of studying for a PhD.

Current University staff can provide supervision in areas such as policing, prisons, forensic psychology, youth crime and issues in gender and crime.

A Strong Academic Program…

Far from being a narrowly-defined law enforcement or correctional program, criminal justice at Radford University is an interdisciplinary and professionally-oriented academic discipline focusing on many aspects of crime and issues that impact our system of justice. To prepare students for the various positions within criminal justice as well as for graduate education, the program seeks to provide a broad foundation of knowledge pertaining to crime and related issues.

The department currently serves more than 475 undergraduate and 35 graduate students, with courses offered in Radford and Roanoke. You can learn more about our undergraduate and graduate programs by following the links to the left.

An Accomplished Faculty…

The department is staffed by eleven full-time faculty members who are accomplished in both their academic and professional communities. Radford University Criminal Justice faculty publish books and articles, make presentations at national conferences, provide expert testimony, and work with the local criminal justice community. In addition, the department regularly employs local criminal justice professionals as adjunct instructors. You can learn more about our faculty by following the link to the left.

Many Opportunities…

The Department of Criminal Justice makes numerous opportunities available to students. Students may participate in a variety of student organizations, complete an internship program, and participate in other activities sponsored by the department. In addition, outstanding on-campus undergraduate students may apply to participate in the “accelerated” master’s degree program, in which both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees may be earned in five years. You can learn more by following the links to the left.

A Rich History…

The Radford University Criminal Justice program was established in 1974. A history of the program was published in The Dialogue, the newsletter of the Southern Criminal Justice Association. Click here to read “A Spotlight on…Radford University,” authored by Dr. Willard Oliver (former Radford University faculty), R.J. Beckwith (undergraduate and graduate alum of the program), and Nicholas Joyce (graduate alum of the program).

Radford University, a Great Place to Learn…

Radford University is located in Radford, Virginia, in the beautiful New River Valley. Visit the Radford University homepage or click here to learn more about the history and location of Radford University.

Concentration in Justice, Activism, and Solidarity
Prescott College requires its graduate students to develop social and ecological literacies, which results in students considering how their particular discipline specifically and responsibly engenders social justice, solidarity, or environmental justice. Students with a concentration in social justice, activism, or solidarity often focus their work on some aspect of human social and cultural life, such as the sociopolitical dimensions and dynamics of culture and power, or the social constructs of race, gender, and class. Students can also pursue an interest in environmental justice as it relates to the intersections of the natural and non-human environment with human and social environments. Students in MAP may design their program to include the history of social activism as it relates to their own work, or to include careful consideration of the concept of being in service to social justice, environmental justice, coalition building, and solidarity. This emphasis can be completed as a specific academic discipline within a cultural studies framework, for example a Humanities degree in justice and activism or solidarity studies. It can also be the emphasis given to a program within any discipline, for example a Humanities degree in U.S. history with an emphasis on social justice movements.

Criminology and Criminal Justice is an academic discipline that critically examines the establishment of legal norms and their use by public and private agencies to control such symptoms of social disorder as crime, delinquency, mental illness, civil wrongs, and discrimination. Criminal justice education began at Portland State University in 1949 with the offering of a limited number of professional courses for police officers. A Law Enforcement Certificate Program was implemented in 1965. This certificate program served the needs of the law enforcement community throughout the urban and campus unrest of the late 1960’s. It also provided the instructional base for the further development of a comprehensive degree-granting program which could be responsive to the total educational requirements of persons involved in the criminal justice process.

A baccalaureate degree was established in 1972. This undergraduate program has evolved over time and today provides a coordinated series of educational experiences within an interdisciplinary social science curriculum. The subject matter reflects the urban environment in which the program operates, and examines the entirety of the process by which justice is administered in modern American society. This examination includes a balanced inquiry into the nature of crime, law and social control, and the functional interrelationships of enforcement, judicial, and correctional agencies.

The Division was previously known as Administration of Justice. In 2004 the Division changed to its current name, Criminology and Criminal Justice, to better reflect the expertise of the faculty and the emphasis of the program.

The Division offers the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, an online Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice, a minor, a postbaccalaureate certificate, and a Master of Science degree. It is also a participating division in the Public Administration and Policy and Urban Studies doctoral programs.

The Division hosts the Pi Sigma Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.
For Pi Sigma Upsilon Membership information call 503-725-8356 or stop by the Division for an application.

The growth in the criminal justice system has resulted in the creation of many employment opportunities and also to a requirement for enhanced knowledge and skills from those seeking such employment or to develop their careers opportunities. Criminology as an academic discipline has its roots in sociology. However, at The University of Northampton this approach has been enhanced with significant inputs from Law and Psychology which enables students on the undergraduate programme to engage with a broad range of perspectives from social and legal theory, criminal justice and forensic psychology. This eclectic approach will underpin the structure and delivery of the proposed postgraduate degree programme.

A postgraduate qualification in Criminology is seen as a highly desirable element in applications for careers in policing, the prison and probation service. It is also anticipated that successful MSc graduates will consider the prospect of studying for a PhD.

Current University staff can provide supervision in areas such as policing, prisons, forensic psychology, youth crime and issues in gender and crime.
Suggested reading

Akers, RL (1997) Criminological Theories: Introduction and Evaluation. Los Angeles, Roxbury

Beccaria, C (1963) On Crimes and Punishment. Indianapolis, Bobbs-Merrill

Crow Iain and Semmens Natasha, (2007) Researching Criminology, Open University Press

Goodey Jo, (2005) Victims and Victimology, Longman

Hearn Jeff (1998) The Violences of Men, Sage

Moynihan, (2008) Understanding Crime and Criminal Justice Data, 2nd edition, Open University Press

Rawlings Philip (1999) Crime and Power, Longman

Sgarzi Judith and McDevitt Jack (2003) Victimology, Prentice Hall

Swaaningen Reve (1997) Critical Criminology, Sage

Walklate Sandra (2006) Imagining the Victim of Crime, Open University Press