Major Code: 234

The Criminal Justice program is designed for students interested in pursuing a career in the legal professions such as law enforcement, corrections and private investigation. Students will learn how these professions integrate into a system of criminal justice.  This program is offered in two formats allowing students to choose from the traditional on-campus experience or a completely online experience.

In addition to General Education Outcomes, upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

• Analyze the impact of substantive and procedural case law on law enforcement, juvenile justice, and the correctional system.
• Employ information access and literacy skills in the research of Criminal Justice topics.
• Describe the internal operations of agencies on the local, state, and federal levels that comprise our nation’s criminal justice system.
• Identify basic law enforcement investigative techniques, crime scene preservation and analysis techniques.
• Explain the development and implementation of Homeland Security and how this agency identifies and counteracts international threats and terrorism.
• Examine the current events and issues that law enforcement and the criminal justice system must deal with in today’s society.
• Describe the rights of the accused from arrest to post conviction appeals, including how relevant agencies determine a balance between individual rights and social order.

Currently many graduates of the Criminal Justice program are employed in the West Virginia State Police and Ohio State Highway Patrol agencies as well as in various law enforcement agencies in the Upper Ohio Valley. Many graduates are working in the correctional field as correctional officers, adult and juvenile case workers and as treatment specialists both in the public and private domain.

Future employment opportunities, according to experts in the field of criminal justice, will continue to grow at the federal, state and local levels. New positions include computer analysts specializing in internet crimes, forensic technicians and criminal profilers.

University Transfer Options:

• Completion of this program offers students the option of transferring to the following colleges to complete a four-year degree in Crinimal Justice:

Franciscan University of Steubenville 

Ohio University

Robert Morris University

Salem University

West Liberty University

WVU - Potomac State College

CIP Code: 430107