Westminster's Justice Studies Program

Why Study Justice Studies?

The social sciences, which include justice studies, are focused on understanding people and their behaviors. Justice Studies seeks to provide an understanding of those human behaviors that society has defined as deviant, or criminal, and how we respond to those behaviors. We explore both individual and group behavior using criminological theories that give meaning to the types and frequency of crime and deviance in society. Justice Studies also explores those institutions that we have created to prevent, control, and punish those behaviors. Today, the competitive environment in which law and justice operate requires that persons entering or working in that arena possess a solid foundation in the cultural, historical, legal, and social aspects of justice studies as well as well-developed analytical and communication skills in order to be an effective practitioner, researcher, or teacher in our field.

Why Choose Westminster's Program?

Justice Studies at Westminster College offers coursework and other opportunities leading towards a Bachelor of Science in Justice Studies and towards an academic minor. Our degree program is about more than local, state, and national justice concerns. An emphasis area within Justice Studies at Westminster College is international and comparative criminal justice that reflects both historical and post September 11, 2001 concerns. Graduates with a Justice Studies degree will be critical thinkers who possess a firm academic foundation in the liberal arts upon which is built a solid knowledge base of how justice, in its many forms, meets the needs of the American and global societies.

Full- and part-time Justice Studies faculty bring both academic qualifications and professional experience from a number of criminal justice fields into the classroom. Their challenge is to ensure that the needs of our students are met within a curriculum that balances the scientific study and reality of justice in a modern and changing society.

What Else?

Justice Studies is an ideal field of study for traditional students seeking a challenging and cutting-edge academic program. It is also an excellent choice for students who are returning to their studies and seeking a mid-career credential that will help them to meet their career goals or open doors to new areas. The Justice Studies internship offers both students and employers opportunities to experience what the other has to offer.

If you want to learn to effectively practice, think about, and contribute to the work of criminal justice, you must be prepared for challenges of justice in all its forms. The Justice Studies program seeks to help you to prepare yourself for those challenges. After all, Justice Studies at Westminster College is where good people get great ideas!