Thiel College - Academics

  Home

  Course Offerings

  Elements of the Major

  Faculty

Program Requirements

Academics > Majors and Areas of Study > Criminal Justice Studies > Program Requirements

The Criminal Justice Studies program emphasizes issues involving juvenile delinquency and family members in abusive relationships. This program is framed by Thiel College's commitment to a liberal arts education, signifying the fundamental importance of supporting the development of humane and altruistic perspectives of students in all fields of thought and work.
The major is interdisciplinary in nature, though its concentration is upon the field of sociology as a way to gain fundamental understanding of the issues involved in juvenile delinquency and domestic violence. The major, therefore, encourages study in a variety of fields including sociology, political science, psychology, religion and philosophy.
The major in Criminal Justice Studies requires a minimum of 44 semester credit hours, distributed according to the rules presented below. (Note: All courses listed are 3 credit hours unless otherwise indicated; JFJ = Juvenile and Family Justice).

Major Program: 44 credit hours required

Required courses (29 Credit Hours):

SOC 121 or 141	Micro- /Macrosociology
JFJ 101	Introduction to Criminal Justice Studies
SOC 341	Social Research Methods

JFJ 301	Juvenile Justice Studies
or
JFJ 303	Family Justice Issues

SOC 342	Sociological Theory
JFJ/SOC 371	Professional Seminar (1 Cr.Hr.)
Math 111	Statistics (4 Cr. Hrs.)
POSC 116	American Government and Politics
POSC 436	Constitutional Law
PHIL 267	Ethics

Additional required course hours: 15
Selected from: The unselected course option from above and the following:

SOC/JFJ	Civil Rights and Liberties (Cross listed with POSC)
JFJ 301	Juvenile Justice Studies
JFJ 303	Family Justice Issues
SOC 321	Deviance
SOC 331	Criminology
SOC 341	Research Methods
SOC 401	Sociology of the Family
SOC 411	Organizations
SOC 431	Selected Topics
POSC 236	Public Policy
POSC 336	Public Administration
PSY 240	Child Development
PSY 242	Adolescent Development
PSY 300	Abnormal Behavior
PSY 360	Social Psychology
PSY 370	Counseling Methods
PHIL 377	Legal Philosophy
REL 342	Contemporary Ethical Issues

+ New courses that are currently under development.

Elective
An internship (cooperative ed) in juvenile justice or family abuse as criminal justice areas. Internships may be in the local area, Washington, D.C. via Thiel's Washington Semester programs, or in another region accessible to the student and approved by the program's administrators (e.g. Harrisburg, PA, a nearby city or near the student's home.) Credit Hours awarded for the internship are variable (3 to 16), depending on the program selected.

For more information about this exciting new major, contact Dr. Allan Hunchuk, Associate Professor of Sociology and Chair of the Department of Sociology.