The program is intended for a diversity of students whose interests range from the local to the global, from street crime to terrorism, from municipal policing to international courts.

Participating faculty represent a network of academic cooperation and bring a range of disciplines, professions and fields of study to bear on Criminal Justice, including Sociology, Psychology, Law, Political Science, Ethnic Studies, Economics, History, Philosophy, and International Relations. A network of criminal justice agencies and personnel in San Francisco and throughout the Bay Area serves as a powerful asset for students.

The department is designed to facilitate communication across disciplines and between those within and without the criminal justice system. The faculty have extensive legal, scholarly, and practical experience in the field. Field study arrangements have been made with local criminal justice agencies. The minor can be taken in conjunction with any major but students majoring in closely related disciplines may use some courses for both the major and minor.