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Department of Criminal Justice Sciences
About Criminal Justice

About Criminal Justice Sciences at Illinois State

The Department of Criminal Justice Sciences was established at Illinois State University in 1972 as a program in Corrections. Due to the changing needs for education in this rapidly growing academic and professional field, the decade of the 1980s brought major changes to the department.

The curriculum underwent major revisions; policing, research, courts, and special-topics courses were added; the name of the department was changed to Criminal Justice Sciences; and the Master of Criminal Justice Sciences program was added.

Today, the Criminal Justice Sciences Department offers both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Criminal Justice. The department consists of 12 full-time faculty members serving approximately 500 undergraduate majors and 30 graduate students.

Department of Criminal Justice Sciences Mission, Vision, Values

  • Mission Statement

    The Department of Criminal Justice Sciences addresses evolving issues through student-oriented teaching, innovative research, and service to the community. We are committed to excellence in the preparation of students to become future leaders and engaged citizens in their careers, communities, and the larger society.

  • Vision Statement

    We provide students with a system orientation to the field of criminal justice.

    Study in criminal justice involves the application of the principles and the related behavioral and social issues in the field.

    Our program builds knowledge in the areas of policing, courts, and corrections from a social science perspective. Students develop a knowledge base for an in-depth understanding of human behavior and the kinds of problems and circumstances that often result in criminality.

    Finally, our program provides students with the opportunity to gain necessary skills in the area of interviewing, program development, community organization, planning, and research to function in a professional position in the field of criminal justice.

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