The Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice
Saint Francis University offers a broad, integrated program to prepare students for work in criminal justice and related fields. The Sociology/Criminal Justice degree features major criminal justice courses, such as Crime and Delinquency, Criminal Justice System, the American Courts System, Policing, Corrections, and Juvenile Justice, and internships with a wide variety of justice agencies - including federal and state prisons; police departments, the FBI, and prosecutor and public defender agencies. Beyond this, the Sociology/Criminal Justice major at Saint Francis University provides students with the background which will allow pursuit of a wide-range of justice-related careers. Sociology/Criminal justice students will complete coursework in a variety of related disciplines such as sociology, psychology, political science, business and forensic chemistry, with emphasis determined by the student's interests and goals in criminal justice.Graduates pursue a wide variety of careers including law school, law enforcement, corrections (including probation and parole), private security, youth agency work, and many others. This degree can also provide an excellent base for a career in social services, government, non-profit organizations, and business.
Why a Franciscan Approach?
The system of crime control and prevention needs to be improved. A Franciscan approach to crime control is compassionate toward everyone involved including: the victims of crime, the families of those who are incarcerated, the people who work in the field of criminal justice and look at a depressing side of human behavior, their families and so forth. A Franciscan approach to crime control emphasizes changing the system to make it more effective and more humane. Most prisoners get OUT of prison and re enter society. Thus, society has a vested interest in rehabilitation. A Franciscan approach to crime prevention emphasizes strengthening communities, families, educational system and research in these areas in order to decrease the amount of crime taking place. It also emphasizes the fair and impartial distribution of justice.
Interested in Joining a Club?
The clubs and activities we have at Saint Francis University are fun to be involved with, and participating in them will give you the opportunity to get to know other students, make connections and help you in your future. We have our own CRIMINAL JUSTICE CLUB for CJ majors and we have PROJECT HOPE for SOC majors. We really want you to be involved in these clubs, but you should be involved in other club on campus as well. If you participate in campus activities that build your resume from the beginning of your time here it will be easy to prepare a terrific resume to send in to employers when you leave us. You must work within your department to build your resume, outside the department on the campus community and in your own communities to accomplish the goal of building a great resume.
Why Study Criminal Justice?
The purpose of the program in Sociology and Criminal Justice is to teach you about patterns in human behavior, how they are described (theory), how they are research (methods) and what we know so far (current research). You will gain an understanding of how research into human behavior is conducted. You will leave understanding the limits of information you come across every day in media. When you leave you will have gained a mind for excellence.