Criminal Justice

Mary Welek Atwell*, Chairperson
www.radford.edu/~crju-web/

Undergraduate Program

Criminal justice involves the study of crime from a systems perspective. Far from being a narrowly-defined law enforcement or correctional program, criminal justice is an interdisciplinary and professionally-oriented academic discipline concentrating on many aspects of crime and the concepts that impact on our system of justice. Accordingly, to prepare students for the various positions within criminal justice as well as graduate school, the program seeks to develop a broad foundation of knowledge pertaining to crime and its ancillary issues.

The curriculum for criminal justice majors is interdisciplinary in nature and includes courses that will provide students with the research and analytical skills necessary for understanding the nature of justice and the issues that affect its implementation. Majors may pursue either a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree.

The program also offers a minor that allows for the interdisciplinary study of the conjunction of a student’s primary discipline with the civil and criminal justice system. The program examines the general field of forensic science and the role of the forensic scientist in the judicial system. While emphasizing mastery of a student’s primary field of study, the Interdisciplinary Minor in Forensic Studies allows the student the opportunity to explore allied fields as well as the operation of the judicial system. The minor complements majors in the liberal arts disciplines as well as professional fields such as Business, Nursing, and Social Work.

For students desiring to teach criminal justice at the secondary level, the teacher licensure option is offered in the Bachelor of Science program.

Criminal Justice courses offered by the community colleges may substitute for various courses in the criminal justice major at Radford. A maximum of 21 hours transfer credit may be applied toward the major. A minimum of 21 hours of course work with CRJU prefixes must be taken at Radford University.

Intership Program

The criminal justice major offers an internship program (CRJU 484 ) that may be taken during the junior or senior year. Requirements for the course are: completion of at least 21 hours in the criminal justice major; a 2.5 grade point average overall and in the major; and departmental approval. The internship program offers 6 to 15 hours credit.

Honors Program

For a general description of the Honors Program at Radford, see here . For specific requirements of the departmental honors program, contact the department Honors Program Liaison.

Accelerated Master’s Program

The objective of an accelerated bachelor’s/master’s degree program in Criminal Justice is to provide a means whereby exceptional undergraduate students at Radford University may complete requirements for a baccalaureate and master’s degrees more efficiently in five rather than six years.

Students accepted for the bachelor’s/master’s accelerated program may take up to 12 hours of graduate credit, which may count for both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees. To be eligible for participation in an accelerated degree program, students must have completed at least 60 undergraduate credits and a maximum of 96 undergraduate credits. Transfer students must have completed a minimum of two semesters (at least 24 credits) at Radford University. A student must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 to be eligible.

A prospective student who meets the eligibility requirements above should arrange a meeting with the graduate program coordinator to review the requirements for the accelerated bachelor’s/master’s degree program. Students in the accelerated program must submit the standard application for admission to the Graduate College, including an application form, application fee, transcripts, letters of recommendation, and a short essay addressing why he or she wishes to undertake graduate study in Criminal Justice and his or her plans for a career in Criminal Justice. In addition, the student must submit the accelerated degree application form. Upon review of the materials submitted, a letter of acceptance (or denial) to the master’s program, contingent on meeting the accelerated requirements and completing the bachelor’s degree, will be sent to the student.

Students must complete the bachelor’s degree prior to entering the master’s program. Students in the accelerated program may not elect to bypass the bachelor’s degree. Students must receive a grade of “B” or better in the double-counted graduate level courses. Courses with a grade of “C” or below may not be double-counted toward the graduate degree. No more than 12 hours of graduate work may be counted toward the requirements of both degrees.

Students must complete the master’s degree within six (6) years of the start of their first graduate course. If the master’s program is not completed within those time limits, none of the graduate courses taken as an undergraduate will be counted toward the master’s degree. Permission to pursue the accelerated program does not guarantee admission to the Graduate College. Admission is contingent on meeting eligibility requirements at the time of entering the graduate program.

A student may at any time withdraw from the accelerated program by informing the graduate program coordinator in writing. A copy of this will be sent to the Graduate College. If a student completes the baccalaureate degree requirements with a GPA of less than 3.0, he or she is no longer eligible to pursue the accelerated program. A student who does not follow the accelerated degree requirements may become ineligible to participate in the accelerated program.

Graduate Program

The graduate program in criminal justice allows students to prepare for management and other careers in criminal justice and related fields. The program leads to the Master of Arts or the Master of Science degree in criminal justice. For more information, consult the Radford University Graduate Catalog.