The Criminal Justice Program is consistent with and furthers the approved mission of the institution. The mission of the Department, like that of the University, is to engender intellectual curiosity in the students through quality instruction, research, and the promotion of public service. 

In furtherance of the University mission, the Department provides a student-centered curriculum that includes both a theoretical and pragmatic foundation in order to meet the needs of a diverse student population. Toward this endeavor, the Department offers a comprehensive education for students pursuing careers in law enforcement, courts and corrections, and for students seeking careers in businesses and industries associated with the criminal justice system, and for those with goals in higher education. 

In conjunction with the above, the Department provides a quality advising program to help students maximize their potential to achieve their goals, engages in partnerships with criminal justice agencies to serve as a continuous mutual resource, and promotes an academic atmosphere where faculty are encouraged to expand intellectually to better serve students and the criminal justice system.

Goals and Objectives

The Criminal Justice program has formulated the following goals:

1. To maintain the academic organization, policies, and procedures that most effectively utilize the human and material resources available to the Department in fulfilling the academic mission of the university.
2. To recruit, maintain, and appropriately reward, within the resources available to the department, the highest possible quality of faculty and staff.
3. To maintain academic practices for students that encourage achievement commensurate with talent and motivation, thorough curriculum and career advisement, grading practices and other course requirements, advanced placement and credit by examination, honors and developmental work, and other appropriate practices.
4. To provide undergraduate courses and programs of high quality.
5. To provide graduate courses and programs of high quality.
6. To offer both credit and non-credit courses, as appropriate, to meet the needs of the continuing and in-service education.
7. To conduct research appropriate to the local and regional responsibilities of the University, the needs of its graduate instructional program and the special abilities, interests, and continuing professional development of its faculty.
8. To provide public service appropriate to the local and regional responsibilities of the University, and the special abilities, interests, and continuing professional development of the faculty.
9. To provide graduates with a basic understanding of the diverse disciplines that make up the criminal justice field.
10. To provide graduate students with knowledge and research skills basic to professional advancement in criminal justice or related fields, or for advanced study.