Program Coordinator: William Osborne, Jr.
Phone Number: (540) 365-4283
e-mail: wosborne@ferrum.edu

The Criminal Justice major is designed to prepare students for careers in law, law enforcement, administration of justice, and social science research.  Conceived with the idea that criminal justice professionals will benefit from a strong liberal arts education, the program stresses theory and policy analysis combined with professional experience.
 
Required Courses
Courses in American government, state and local government, criminology, police operations, statistics and research methods are required along with an introductory course in criminal justice.
 
CJ 201 Introduction to Criminal Justice
CJ 211 Introduction to Law Enforcement
CJ 301 Criminology
CJ 498 Senior Seminar
SOC 202 Social Problems
POLS 300 Research Methods
 
Students select supporting courses in the disciplines of sociology, psychology, law and policy analysis. Specific professional preparation is undertaken through studies in the fields of corrections, juvenile justice, or an internship. A senior seminar rounds out the program of study. Among the courses that may be selected to fulfill upper-level requirements for the major are:
 
CJ 314 Courts and the Judicial Process
CJ 320 Criminal Law
CJ 330 Criminal Investigation
CJ 350 Crime and Delinquency Prevention
PSY 320 Abnormal Psychology
SOC 320 Deviance and Social Control
POLS 324 U.S. Constitution and Judiciary
SW 350 Substance Abuse
POLS 402 Policy Analysis
CJ 404 Juvenile Justice
CJ 440 American Correctional Systems