Criminal justice
Morgan Smith 鈥23, a criminal justice major from Arlington, Ohio, works as a community service officer with Putnam County Juvenile Probation.
鈥淚 feel like when you鈥檙e in junior high and high school, that is when you need the
most direction. Seeing people turn their life around is what really makes it worth
it to me.鈥
Morgan鈥檚 story >
Looking to make the world a better place?
To make a difference? Repair the harm caused by crime? Increase neighborhood safety? Increase goodwill between community members and police?
Then, consider a major or minor in criminal justice at 小优传媒.
At Bluffton, criminal justice is an academically rigorous program developed to produce
leaders in the academic field, corrections, law enforcement, mediation and community
organizing who embrace the philosophy of restorative justice.
Restorative justice
Restorative justice emphasizes repairing the harm caused by criminal behavior through cooperative processes including all stakeholders. It is a philosophy that is increasingly accepted by both public and private criminal justice services around the world.
Typically restorative justice comes at the end of the criminal justice process. At Bluffton, every criminal justice class includes a restorative perspective. This means solving problems at the earliest point and using the justice system as a last resort, depending on the situation.
At Bluffton, you will develop an internship around specific career goals and receive active, personal oversight from a faculty member. An opportunity to spend a semester in Washington, D.C., is available if you are interested in pursuing jobs in the federal government or the international arena.
Graduates from Bluffton鈥檚 criminal justice program have enjoyed high placement rates in local and state law enforcement agencies and have secured highly competitive jobs in corrections institutions and federal agencies including the CIA and United States Secret Service.
US Marshal intern
Justine Lesniewski 鈥23, a criminal justice and psychology double major from Mantua, Ohio, started out as a business major but realized it was not her calling.
鈥淚 changed it very quickly and from then on it鈥檚 been great. I鈥檓 unsure what else I would鈥檝e done with my life. I can鈥檛 think of a job outside of the criminal justice or psychology fields that would be fitting.鈥
Path confirmed
Nash Morgan 鈥22, a criminal justice and psychology major from Reading, Ohio, spent the summer boosting his resume and preparing for a career in law.
Morgan completed internships at Hamilton County Common Pleas Court in Cincinnati and the Amberley Village Police Department.
Serving others
Darian Greeley 鈥21 gained practical experience by completing an internship with the Bluffton (Village) Police Department.
鈥淢y favorite experience was working with the kids, working with juveniles. I felt like I could understand some of the struggles they鈥檙e going through.鈥
REQUIRED COURSES:
There are 48 semester hours of required courses for the criminal justice major, plus 9 hours of electives from the social sciences department and 3 hours (one class) of a restorative justice elective.
A minor in criminal justice is 21 hours.