(38-40 credits plus 1–17 credit internship)
The criminal justice major is intended to provide an overview of criminal justice institutions, the causes of crime, and issues relating to social control. The major is structured around a core of criminal justice courses on such topics as law enforcement, the judicial process, drugs and crime, and correctional processes. The course of study consists of a general overview of the components of the criminal justice system with the overall goal of exposing students to a wide variety of academic disciplines: human services, political science, psychology and sociology. The corrections track is designed for students who wish to work in a correctional setting for juveniles or adults (e.g., probation officer, correctional caseworker, drug counselor, parole officer or victim’s advocate). The law enforcement track is designed primarily for students who wish to become local,state or federal law enforcement officers (e.g., city police officers, state highway patrol officers or Federal Bureau of Investigation agents). In order to become a police officer in Minnesota, a student must be licensed by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). This licensing is a two-step process requiring completion of a POST-approved academic program at an accredited college or university, and the passage of a statewide POST-administered examination. The peace officer education program at the university is certified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST Board), 1600 University Avenue, Suite 200, Saint Paul, MN 55104-3825; telephone: (651) 643-3060.
