Department of Criminal Justice

Phyllis Gerstenfeld, Ph.D., J.D., Chair

Professors: Chiang, Gerstenfeld
Associate Professors: Nelligan
Assistant Professors: Bourns, Cheryachukin, Gao, Mboka, Morris, Werling, Younglove
Lecturer: Helfer

Office: Bizzini Hall 213
Phone: (209) 667-3408

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice  with Concentrations in Law Enforcement, Corrections, Forensic Science, Juvenile Justice, or Criminal Legal Studies
Minor in Forensic Science 
Minor in Criminal Justice 
Master of Arts in Criminal Justice*
Social Sciences degree concentration in Criminal Justice 
*Refer to the Graduate Catalog.

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program offers an appreciation of the full complexity of American criminal justice and permits students the opportunity to understand fully the social, legal, and technical processes within the various criminal justice agencies. The major requires the study of a variety of courses pertaining to the administration of criminal justice and an equal number of courses on the nature of criminal behavior, as well as its social and psychological causes. The concentrations require completion of the lower-division prerequisites, the required core courses, and the requirements of the concentration.

To prepare students for careers in highly competitive criminal justice positions, the department offers students (1) the courses rated by criminal justice alumni and professionals across the United States as being the most valuable in the broad criminal justice field; (2) the courses determined by the criminal justice faculty to be the most  innovative, practical, and relevant to contemporary social and political criminal justiceissues; and (3) internships in forensic science, law enforcement, prosecutorial, judicial, legal defense, corrections, and other branches of the criminal justice field.

Social Sciences Concentration in Criminal Justice

Please refer to the Social Sciences program  section of the catalog.

Learning Objectives

Students will be able to:

• Competently challenge theories, philosophies, values and methods associated with traditional perspectives on Criminal Justice in oral and written discourse
• Separate things into their constituent elements in order to study or examine them, see relationships, draw conclusions, or solve problems
• Effectively articulate ideas orally and in writing, using appropriate language and writing styles as commonly practiced in legal and social environments
• Identify and describe the nature and operation of the various components of the criminal justice system
• Transform the pedagogical information from lectures, course materials, assignments and research into an integrated body of knowledge relevant to the Criminal Justice field
• Recognize and understand the roles that race, ethnicity, class, gender, disability, sexual orientation and other facets of diversity have in Criminal Justice in a global context