Department of Criminal Justice

Department of Criminal Justice

Location: Maes 58A

Phone: 409-880-8339

Director: Dr. Cheng-Hsien Lin

Email: chlin@lamar.edu

The mission of the criminal justice program is to provide excellence in graduate and undergraduate instruction; research and scholarship; professional development; and university and community service. The program seeks to promote professionally and academically relevant curricula and programs and effective cooperative relationships with regional service agencies in order to prepare criminal justice practitioners at the graduate and undergraduate levels.

Departmental Academic Policies

  1. A grade of “C” or higher for each course in the major field (including transfer courses) is required for graduation.
  2. Each student’s use of English is subject to review up to and including the semester in which he or she is scheduled to graduate. Any faculty member who identifies a departmental major having poor English skills will notify the student and the department chair in writing. The department chair will then review writing samples and consult with the Director of Writing for the Department of English. Based on the recommendations of the Director of Writing and the department chair, additional diagnostic procedures and course work may be required before the student is recommended for graduation.
  3. Students who wish to transfer into the department as sociology or criminal justice majors must have a minimum 2.00 grade point average. Social Work majors must have a 2.5 or better grade point average. Sociology and Criminal Justice must maintain a 2.00 or better G.P.A to remain in their respective programs; Social Work majors must maintain a 2.5 or better to remain in the program.
  4. The departmental academic probation and suspension policy is identical to that of the College of Arts and Sciences and is available from the office of the dean or department chair.
  5. Students who are majoring in this department and who are on academic probation or returning from academic suspension may not enroll in more than 12 semester hours (13-15 hours if a laboratory course and P.E. are taken) in any semester.
  6. All departmental majors (full-time and part-time) must have satisfied both the university’s and the College of Arts and Sciences’ requirements for English composition and mathematics before registering for 3000-and 4000-level courses offered by the department.

Pre-Law

As prospective candidates for admission to a school of law, students may pursue one of the bachelor’s degrees offered by the department. The degree plan may include any of the following courses as electives or a minor:

Programs