Since its inception in 1974, the Criminal Justice and Criminology (CJC) Program at Marshall University has been a pioneer in West Virginia, offering some of the first degrees in this field. The program was established with the support of the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration (LEAA), a federal agency created under President Lyndon B. Johnson’s “War on Crime” initiative, part of the 1968 Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act. The LEAA aimed to professionalize law enforcement through education, providing federal funding to universities to develop criminal justice programs.
Initially, criminal justice at Marshall was housed within the Department of Sociology, part of the Division of Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences. It combined already existing criminology courses from the Sociology degree and traffic law and enforcement courses from the Safety Education degree in Marshall’s Teachers College, creating a comprehensive criminal justice curriculum. The program initially offered four degrees: an Associate in Science in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement, a Bachelor of Science in Corrections, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice.
In 1978, the College of Arts and Sciences split into the College of Liberal Arts and the College of Science, with a new Criminal Justice Department becoming part of the College of Liberal Arts. By 1982, the undergraduate degree evolved into a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice with career paths in law enforcement and corrections. In 1983, legal studies was added as a third option.
In 2010, Criminology was added to the name of the department, reflecting a shift towards a more theoretical and scientific approach to the study of crime and justice. Recognizing growing ties with the fields of forensic science and computer forensics, the department moved to the College of Science in 2013, joining the Department of Integrated Science and Technology.
In 2016, the College of Science reorganized into four schools, and Criminal Justice and Criminology united with Forensic Science and Digital/Cyber Forensics to form the School of Forensic and Criminal Justice Sciences. This school was later rebranded in 2023 as the Department of Criminal Justice, Criminology, and Forensic Sciences.
2024 marked the 50th anniversary of the program’s establishment. Over the years, it has offered undergraduate coursework designed to provide a thorough understanding of the criminal justice system and its relationship with society. The foundational curriculum supports students planning to enter graduate school, law school, research, government service, or social services, including law enforcement, corrections, probation/parole, juvenile justice, and victim services.
In addition to the undergraduate program, graduate study is offered at the master’s level. It prepares pre-service students for criminal justice careers and enhances the knowledge and skills of those individuals already working in law enforcement, corrections, or the courts. It also prepares graduates for further graduate or professional education.
Today, the Criminal Justice and Criminology Program is integral to the College of Science, connecting scientific inquiry with social advocacy. By combining criminological research with scientific methods, the program tackles complex societal issues, promoting a comprehensive understanding of crime and justice. Students cultivate empathy and ethical responsibility, equipping them to champion reform and social justice.
We are committed to
- providing students with the conceptual and research skills needed to undertake advanced analyses of the criminal justice system;
- serving criminal justice professionals and others who are interested in pursuing professional careers in management and administration;
- furnishing law enforcement, corrections and court practitioners with knowledge of justice administration, theoretical perspectives of human behavior, policy analysis and criminal justice theory; and
- preparing social scientists to pursue careers in university and research settings.