Criminal Justice
The Criminal Justice Program at Carthage gives students a complete understanding of criminal justice, from lawmaking to lawbreaking.
Students take courses in political science and sociology, in addition to traditional criminal justice courses like Criminal Law and Constitutional Criminal Procedure. Criminal justice personnel need to fully appreciate the legal issues involved in their work, the nature of the social problems they encounter, and the psychology of people whose attitudes toward law enforcement differ from their own. Without this understanding, criminal justice personnel are not well-equipped for their jobs.
Experienced, Expert Faculty
“Students leave here and they’re not just trained to be police officers. They can do all kinds of things in their careers, and our graduates reflect that flexibility.”
— Rick Matthews, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice
The criminal justice faculty includes professors with Ph.D.s in sociology, as well as professional law enforcement officers and attorneys. The department regularly invites alumni to speak to current students, which allows criminal justice majors to hear directly from graduates who have gone on to work in a variety of positions and fields.
Flexible Degree
The criminal justice major at Carthage is designed for students who are planning a career in criminal justice, such as law and judiciary fields, law enforcement and administration, probation and parole, criminology, adult and juvenile corrections, and urban planning and affairs. There are a wide range of criminal justice careers at the local, state, and national levels. Students who graduate with a degree in criminal justice also leave Carthage with a solid foundation in the liberal arts. They have learned to read critically, think independently and communicate effectively.