Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice program at SLU provides a well-rounded and sound academic orientation to corrections, law enforcement, and to the judiciary, as well as providing practical guidelines and invaluable experience in the criminal justice system.As a student of the Criminal Justice program, you will pursue your major area within the context of a liberal arts education in the College of Arts and Sciences. As a graduate, you will be prepared to seek employment in a variety of positions within the criminal justice system. You will also be in a position to seek admission to graduate programs in sociology, political science, counseling, social work, criminology, criminal justice, or to use the program as preparatory training for applying to law school.

Our program also offers an exciting Fieldwork Practicum in which a wide range of agencies and organizations participate. These include agencies working with juveniles and adults in correctional, court and law enforcement settings at the federal, state, and local level, and with public and private agencies. The department also has practicum sites with neighborhood centers, planning agencies, and a variety of other types of service organizations.

Because the Criminal Justice program is offered through the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, it is possible to obtain a double major in Sociology and Criminal Justice by taking 15 hours of additional sociology courses.

Major Program Requirements
The Criminal Justice major requires 36 hours of course work. Several major areas of emphasis run through the subject matter to include understanding theory, the development of policy, critically assessing the status quo, concern for individual rights, ethical practices, and continuous improvement of the system. Specific course offerings are divided into the following areas.

Prerequisite:
SCA 110 Introduction to Sociology (3 hours)
Required Courses:

SCA 190Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 hours)
SCA 330Social Psychology (3 hours)
SCA 356Corrections (3 hours)
SCA 357Theories of Crime (3 hours)
SCA 370Law Enforcement (3 hours)
SCA 400Criminal Justice Practicum (6 hours)
SCA 439Criminal Law and Procedure (3 hours)
SCA 465Criminal Justice Policy (3 hours)
SCA 492Research Methods (3 hours)

Electives:

Students are to choose two courses (6 hours) from the courses listed below*

SCA 359Law and Society (3 hours)
SCA 333Corporate and White Collar Crime (3 hours)
SCA 355Juvenile Justice (3 hours)
SCA 358Sociology of Deviant Behavior (3hours)
SCA 462Probation, Parole, Community Corrections (3 hours)
SCA 446Criminal Investigations (3 hours)

* With the approval of the student's advisor and Department Chair, a student may take other upper division courses in the department as electives. The electives should be used to add to the students' knowledge in the area of the criminal justice system that they are most interested in and that contributes to their future career or academic plans.