Criminal Justice
Goals
The Bachelor of Science Program in Criminal Justice at the UHV
is designed to provide students with an understanding and synthesis
of: criminological theory; criminal justice research methods and
statistical applications; legal aspects of criminal justice; and
organizational, administrative and managerial theories of human
behavior. Students of Criminal Justice should be capable of applying
theories and research methods of Criminal Justice to gain a better
understanding of criminal behavior and societal/individual reactions
to crime. Students should also gain adequate legal knowledge in
the form of understanding judicial review as it applies to the continual
evolution of the Criminal Justice System.
Objectives
Lower Division
The academic goals for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
at UHV require that students first acquire a basic understanding
of the Judicial Process and an adequate knowledge of legal research.
Students should also acquire an adequate background in writing,
mathematics, sociology and psychology before beginning upper division
course work in Criminal Justice at UHV. These goals are emphasized
in lower division course requirements which should prepare the student
for the following:
Students should be competent in the production of organized essays,
critiques, and research papers. These skills are extremely important
in the study of criminal justice due to the high volume of written
work the student is required to complete.
.
Students are expected to have a working knowledge of algebra. This
will allow the student to explore statistical techniques commonly
used in criminal justice research.
Students should be able to locate and brief United State Supreme
Court opinions. This skill is extremely important because the administration
of justices is dependant upon the continuously evolving body of
law made by the United State Supreme Court.
Upper Division
Students are expected to gain competency in the following areas:
Criminological theory
Research methods/statistics
Legal aspects
Administration, management and organization
Synthesis of the four areas listed above
Methods
of Assessment
Assessment of the BS in Criminal Justice will be determined from
the following procedure:An objective exam will be developed to measure
the students knowledge of criminological theory, methods, legal
aspects, and administration. At the present, no standard or widely
accepted assessment exam exists for undergraduates in criminal justice.
However, many universities are in the process of developing such
exams. It si a goal of most universities with criminal justice programs
to develop an assessment exam and once developed, should serve as
an efficient means of evaluating goals and outcomes. All criminal
justice students will be required to take an assessment exam in
their last semester of coursework.
Assessment
Results
(Contact IR)
Use
of Results
The assessment exam will be used to critique the effectiveness
of course offerings in criminal justice. A quantitative analysis
of exam scores will be conducted to determine teaching effectiveness
in the areas of criminological theory, research methods, legal aspects,
and administration. The results of this analysis will then be reported
to the Criminal Justice Academic Advisory Committee for the purpose
of generating enlightened changes in the Criminal Justice program
at UHV. The analysis and proposed changes will then be presented
to the Chair of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of Academic Affairs,
and the Academic Affaires Committee for the purpose of making future
changes in the program.
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