The Criminal Justice program provides a solid foundation for the growing number of careers for law enforcement, probation and parole, corrections, security services and criminal investigation for college graduates. Students select their course of study from academic courses coupled with an internship and an individualized research project for a sound and practical education.

Fifth-Year Master’s Degree Option

A special feature of the program is the optional five-year master's degree in Criminal Justice offered to qualified undergraduates. This arrangement permits students to complete a master's degree in one year, following completion of the four-year Marywood bachelor's degree program. A traditional master's degree in Criminal Justice is also available.

More About This Degree

• Learn more about this program or visit the Social Sciences website.
• College of Arts and Sciences
• Courses: Available courses in this department
• Student/Faculty Ratio: 25:1

This is just a sample of our Social Sciences faculty - see them all!

Students are prepared to enter careers in the following areas: Corrections Officer, Juvenile Justice Case Worker, Law Enforcement Administrator, Local, State or Federal Investigator, Police Officer, Prison Manager, Probation Officer, Security Officer.

Undergraduate Admissions Requirements

• Official SAT and/or ACT scores
• Completed application
• Essay
• Official transcripts
• Letter of recommendation

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Four-Year Degree Program in Criminal Justice (54 credits)

A. 27 credits (nine courses) in Criminal Justice:

CJ 100	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
CJ 220	Law Enforcement	3
CJ 303	Criminology	3
CJ 319	Criminal Law and Procedure	3
CJ 351	Social Research	3
CJ 433	The American Prison	3
CJ 454	Computer Applications in Social Research	3
CJ 460	Criminal Justice Internship	3
CJ 465	Coordinating Seminar in Criminal Justice	3

B. 15 credits (five courses) in electives from the following:

CJ 101	Shadow and Service	3
CJ/BIOL 105	DNA Forensics (may be taken to satisfy LA science requirement)	3
CJ 200	Introduction to the Legal System	3
CJ 201	The Juvenile Justice System	3
CJ 206	Community Corrections	3
CJ 219	Drugs in American Society	3
CJ 224	Criminal Investigation	3
CJ 302	White Collar Crime	3
CJ 322	Criminalistics and the Crime Lab	3
CJ 330	Prosecuting Criminal Cases	3
CJ 405	Deviant Behavior in Society	3
CJ 410	Race, Crime and Poverty in America	3
CJ 425	Children’s Rights and Societal Responses	3
PSYC 440	Forensic Psychology	3
*CJ 503	Criminal Justice Administration	3
*CJ 522	Criminology	3
*CJ 544	Staff Supervision in Criminal Justice	3
*CJ 576	Corrections	3
LE 318	Family Law	3
SOC 411	The Family	3

C. 12 credits (4 courses) of cognate courses:

ECON 100	Basic Economics 3	3
PS 210	American Government and Politics	3
PS 211	State and Local Government	3
SOC 214	Social Problems	3

*CJ 500 graduate electives. Up to 12 graduate credits may be taken by CJ undergraduate students who have been accepted into the five-year CJ Masters program in the fourth year (UG) of their program. These courses are also open to seniors enrolled in the regular four-year undergraduate program with QPA of 3.0 or better and the CJ Program Director’s permission. For graduation, students must have a minimum QPA of 2.33 in the major and a minimum overall QPA of 2.00.

A copy of the complete curriculum is available upon request from the Social Sciences Department.