华盛顿州立大学

Criminal justice examines the causes and patterns of criminal behavior, the institutions and individuals that work within the criminal justice system, and the role law plays in prevention and responses to crime.

Strengths of the program

Graduates from our program receive a bachelor of arts in criminal justice and criminology. This differentiates WSU’s program from other programs where criminal justice may be an emphasis area under another degree field rather than its own stand-alone degree.
Our criminal justice program is a policy-based curriculum drawing from the social sciences, specifically from the areas of sociology, psychology, and political science. It is not a vocational/technical program, unlike programs found at some other schools.
Our program is the oldest existing criminal justice program in the nation, established back in 1943 as the Department of Police Science.

The department emphasizes learning beyond the classroom by encouraging students to participate in study abroad programs and internships. Our students have traveled to London to visit various criminal justice system components (i.e. Parliament, Scotland Yard) and our interns have worked with various local, state, and federal agencies ranging from the WSU Police Department to the State Legislature in Olympia.

Suggested strengths, interests, and preparation

Interest in societal issues
Desire to understand and prevent crime

Careers in criminal justice

What you can do with a degree in criminal justice

• Law enforcement

• Crime analysis

• Community corrections

• Victim advocacy

• Child protective services

• Border security

• Cyber crime prevention

• Security loss prevention

• Private security

• Court administration

Skills you can market with a degree in criminal justice

• Advanced critical-thinking skills to address real world problems

• Capacity to evaluate the consequences of polity and practice in the administration of justice

• Ability to use data and research methods to inform policy makers

• Understanding of criminal procedure and the rights guaranteed by the constitution

• Understanding of theoretical explanations for the causes of crime

• Strong verbal and written communication skills

• Understanding of ethical and diversity issues