Overview

Majoring in criminal justice will introduce you to many intellectual and practical challenges. You will learn not only why individuals commit crime, but also the practical strategies employed to prevent it. You will be able to pursue particular interests in criminal justice by choosing from a wide variety of elective courses or by combining criminal justice with a major or minor in disciplines ranging from theology and religious studies, history and international studies to political science, communications and psychology. Beyond the classroom, internships are available in law enforcement, government and social service agencies. Ample opportunities exist for community service and involvement.

Why choose Wheeling Jesuit University?

The criminal justice program at Wheeling Jesuit University prepares students for professional work in a variety of fields. The major is divided into three areas:

• Social Science core - courses include American Political Process, World Community, Research Methods, Statistical Analysis, Senior Thesis and Senior Seminar
• Criminal justice core - courses include Survey of Criminology, Introduction to the Criminal Justice System, Theoretical Criminology, Ethical and Philosophic Issues in Criminal
  justice and Internship
• Criminal Justice electives - courses include Criminal Law and Procedure, Law Enforcement, Cyber Crime, Crime and the Media, The juvenile Justice System, Occupational Crime,
  Corrections and Issues in Criminal justice

As a criminal justice major, you must complete an internship and a senior thesis under the direction of a faculty member in the department. This internship will allow you to connect the classroom with the professional world and also introduce you to career opportunities within the field. The senior thesis has proven invaluable to students who are either entering the job market or pursuing graduate or professional education. These requirements are but two of the many ways in which our criminal justice graduates distinguish themselves from the competition.