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Program Learning Objectives

School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Mission Statement

The mission of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice is to maintain high-quality academic programs to meet the needs of undergraduate and graduate students. The program offers a broad array of coursework and activities designed to provide students with the requisite preparation to become well qualified criminal justice professionals or to continue their professional education (e.g., law school administration, postgraduate degree); to encourage the pursuit of excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service by a regionally and (inter)nationally recognized faculty, and to meet the needs of the University and the criminal justice community.

Program Learning Objectives

BA Program in Criminology and Criminal Justice Learning Objectives

  1. Students will be able to evaluate policy-relevant questions and issues surrounding the various components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections.
  2. Students will understand the methods used by the criminal justice system to process and sanction criminal offenders.
  3. Students will develop an understanding of the purposes and functions of law enforcement in a democratic society.
  4. Students will understand the functions of criminal law and the judicial system in American society, inclusive of criminal procedure and the rules of evidence.
  5. Students will understand the purposes and functions of the correctional system, inclusive of prisons, jails, and community programs
  6. Students will develop an understanding of the theories of crime and causation, including its measurement.
  7. Students will develop an understanding of research methods in criminal justice.
  8. Students will develop a basic understanding of common statistical techniques used in social science, particularly criminological research.

BS Program in Intelligence and Crime Analysis Learning Objectives

  1. Students will acquire an ability to define specific crime problems and conduct analysis to identify causal and contributory factors.
  2. Students will develop the ability to apply analytic techniques from different sciences to examine information about crime problems in support of pattern detection and problem-solving. 
  3. Students will demonstrate data management skills and knowledge of different methods of data collection and data mining, as well as the ability to use data to value, structure, and select evidence-based crime intervention programs.
  4. Students will acquire an ability to share findings with the public, organizational managers, and with peers in an academic or analytic-practitioner setting

MA Program in Criminal Justice Learning Objectives

  1. Students will acquire an in-depth understanding and awareness of the criminal justice system and its components.
  2. Students will develop a working knowledge of research methods as used in the social sciences, with a particular emphasis on providing students with the basic skills necessary to do (and direct) research in criminal justice agencies. (An undergraduate background in methodology and statistics is assumed).
  3. Students will develop an ability to understand and employ advanced statistical tools, especially as they are applied in criminological research.
  4. Students will understand the primary concepts and assumptions of the traditional and contemporary theories of crime.