Weather Update:

The University will be closed on Friday, February 21, due to weather conditions in our immediate area. All non-essential employees should work remotely from home.  Students should monitor their University email and check Blackboard for faculty instructions, as some classes will be conducted remotely. Essential personnel should report to campus as scheduled.

We anticipate returning to normal operations on Monday, February 24.

Additional Information

Criminal Justice

Major in Criminal Justice

A criminal justice major focuses on the study of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.

About The Program

Criminal justice is a wide-ranging field that is primarily concerned with understanding the origins, nature and consequences of criminal behavior and of societal reactions to crime. As a profession it focuses on careers directly related to social institutions of law, law enforcement, and the legal system. Students find that the criminal justice program offers a core of basic and allied courses which provides a practical liberal arts perspective of this growing field with an emphasis on critical analysis.

Fact Sheet

Major: Criminal Justice (BA)
Minor: Criminal Justice

Chair: Thomas "Scott" Liverman
School: Birdsong School of Social Science

The classroom experience is complemented by an internship experience, which is an elective for our criminal justice majors and can be completed in one of a variety of areas. Students may complete an 8-credit, 300-hour internship during the course of a semester. Internships are personally supervised by the Director of Internships. Examples of internship sites include:

  • Federal Law Enforcement (FBI, DEA, U.S. Marshals, and NCIS)
  • State/Local Police
  • Social Services
  • Probation/Parole
  • Court Support and Corrections

With close to a 100% retention rate for the department, criminal justice graduates have had great success getting into graduate and law schools across the country, and obtaining positions with a number of federal, state, and local agencies. Between 80 and 85 percent of seniors in internships receive job offers upon graduation from Virginia Wesleyan. Gradu­ ates from the criminal justice program at VWU are employed in a number of fields, organizations, and agencies, including:

  • Federal Law Enforcement
  • State/ Local Police
  • Court Support
  • Forensics
  • Probation/ Parole
  • and Victim Advocacy