Criminal Justice

Each student is assigned a faculty advisor upon admission into the Criminal Justice program. Advisors help students with academic planning and some aspects of career planning on an informal, individualized basis. It is the student's responsibility to arrange for conferences with their advisors, and to follow University and Department procedures and policies. You can determine who your advisor is by logging onto MyWCU and reviewing your advisor's information. 

You should meet with your advisor at least two weeks before scheduling for the upcoming semesters and when you have any concerns about your educational career. While meeting with an advisor is not required prior to scheduling, it will help you keep on track and ensure that you take the correct courses at the right time to prepare for Practicum and graduation. You may meet your advisor during his or her office hours. Some professors require that you make an appointment with them prior to the meeting. You should come to advisement prepared by visiting the Department of Criminal Justice office and obtaining your program record before you see your advisor. Your advisor needs your official record to properly advise you and track your progress through the program.

All faculty members are required to hold office hours. The number of office hours depends on the number of courses they teach. Most faculty members will list their office hours on the class syllabus, others will additionally post office hours on the classroom Internet site (D2L). Office hours are posted outside the door of each professor's door.

The field of criminal justice is multidisciplinary. Professionals work as law enforcement officers, prosecutors, defense attorneys, judges, probation/parole officers, counselors, managers, administrators, researchers, planners, corrections officers and more. In each case, the quality of our work affects the lives of many individuals, and impacts societal mores and the effectiveness of the justice system. Accordingly, criminal justice professionals must have the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Therefore, each student entering the major must sign on to a Department Code of Conduct. It is a statement of philosophy which reflects the standards to which all criminal justice professionals should enthusiastically adhere.

Code of Conduct

Students must apply for graduation the semester before they are eligible to graduate. To determine your graduate application timeline, visit the registrar's office. Once you establish your application timetable, you may apply through MyWCU.

The criminal justice department has two student-run organizations, Criminal Justice Student Association (Sigma Tau Omicron) and the Honor Society (Nu Beta). Click on the links to find out about each organization. In addition to the two student-run organizations, the department will be hosting a new program called Teamfit. More information on Teamfit is forthcoming.

Students are encouraged to get involved in any of the other organizations on campus.