Offered by the Department of Criminal Justice Administration
Professor Ryan
Associate Professor Thornsley (chairperson)
Instructors: Helen Stolinas, J.D.
The Department of Criminal Justice Administration (DCJA) offers the B.S. and A.S degrees in Criminal Justice Administration. A minor in criminal justice is also available. The study of criminal justice administration at Mansfield University provides a systems-based understanding of all the core areas of criminal justice – law enforcement, courts, corrections (including probation and parole), juvenile justice, and criminology.
The DCJA offers a wide variety of core and elective courses, as well as a large number of special topics courses that frequently change. For example, some of most popular elective courses have included violent criminal behavior, terrorism, and special topics in corrections, probation, parole and community corrections. Our summer courses have historically targeted the student who wants to explore particular case studies and current topics of interest.
Our full-time faculty have Ph.D.s in either criminal justice or criminology. You will see our full-time faculty writing scholarly books, heading international forensic associations, being quoted in major national newspapers such as The New York Times and U.S.A. Today, appearing on national television, advocating for public policy change or chairing a statewide investigative task force on behalf of the Pennsylvania General Assembly. Our part-time faculty possess either a graduate degree in criminal justice or a law degree, and are currently full-time practitioners in their fields. For example, some of our current and former part-time faculty have included president judges, public defenders, state court administrators, chiefs of police, and directors of county probation and parole agencies.
Participation in an internship, preferably after the junior year, is strongly recommended and provides a valuable pre-professional work-related experience that allows students to synthesize their remaining academic coursework with their chosen area of work. Internships require departmental approval and can be taken at any criminal justice agency anywhere in the United States, at the federal, state or local level.
The DCJA believes that criminal justice majors must be exposed to their area of interest early in their academic career, so we make a concerted effort under our Distinguished Visiting Lecturer in Criminal Justice series to bring in speakers from every area of criminal justice. Our formalized Prison Tour Series schedules tours in federal, state and local prisons so our majors may have an opportunity to see firsthand our nation’s prison systems. The DCJA honors our graduates who have distinguished themselves in the field of criminal justice by naming one an Outstanding Mansfield University Criminal Justice Major each academic year.
There are several opportunities for students to become engaged in career interests during their undergraduate education, allowing students to decide what opportunities they want to explore and pursue. Students may join any or all of the following student organizations: (1) Lambda Alpha Epsilon, the American Criminal Justice Association, (2) Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society (a member of the Association of College Honor Societies and recognized by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences) and (3) the Criminal Justice Club.
Our graduates are currently working in virtually every field in criminal justice. At the federal level they are found working in the FBI, DEA, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Marshall’s Office, U.S Probation Office, and U.S. Immigration. At the state level they can be found working for the PA State Police, PA Board of Probation & Parole, and the PA Department of Corrections. And at the local level our graduates can be found working in county adult and juvenile probation and parole offices, and local law enforcement agencies. Our graduates also include elected state lawmakers, university professors, lawyers and judges.
Our students and programs are highlighted on Mansfield University’s web page at http://cja.mansfield.edu.
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