The mission of the Department is based upon our understanding of Criminal Justice as an interdisciplinary social science field. Our goals are to prepare students for careers at the federal, state, and local levels throughout the criminal justice profession and to deliver the highest quality education to our undergraduate and graduate students, helping them develop critical thinking skills, knowledge in theoretical perspectives and methodological techniques, and providing experiential learning opportunities giving students first hand exposure to the complexities of the professional environment.

Faculty members of the Department of Criminal Justice care deeply about our students, and the awards we have received attest to this caring attitude. A goal of the faculty is to extend their knowledge and skills to agencies and groups across the State and within the Community in an effort to be proactive in the prevention of crime and to assist in developing cutting edge best practices.