Is Loras College for you? If you are a person who is looking for a challenging career — a career that is focused on service to your community and country, then a major in Criminal Justice at Loras is where your future begins.
The Loras Criminal Justice major offers a blend of liberal arts education and pre-professional career preparation. Both academics and CJ practitioners comprise the program’s faculty. The courses require students to think critically, apply concepts to real situations, write clearly and concisely and acquire a substantive knowledge of the field of criminal justice. Students from the CJ research methods course have presented their findings at regional conferences, and classroom experiences are supplemented with service learning assignments, field trips and presentations by various professionals in the field.
The CJ curriculum culminates with a required field instruction experience of 150 – 450 hours of entry level work in a criminal justice agency of your choice. This may include everything from experiencing the monotony of patrols in the dead of winter in isolated rural areas to the adrenaline rush of a police pursuit. Many students have their first close encounter with death as a result of witnessing a crime scene or viewing an autopsy.
The Loras College Department of Criminal Justice is guided in its mission by the overall mission of the college. Using a wide variety of educational methods, the department seeks to provide:
- an appropriate and relevant introduction to criminal justice as part of a quality liberal arts education;
- a quality, thorough and diverse curriculum for students seeking an undergraduate degree in criminal justice;
- meaningful coursework and experiences for students studying in areas related to criminal justice, such as psychology, social work, sociology, political science, and economics;
- faculty service to Loras College, to the City of Dubuque, and to professional organizations in criminal justice via active involvement and leadership committees and ethically appropriate counseling and consulting services.
Class sizes are small; allowing more personal attention. Criminal Justice classes usually have between 15 and 25 students. Loras is a Laptop Campus; every student receives a laptop at registration. Loras is the only private college in Iowa to house a DNA laboratory. Our curriculum is designed to allow transfer credits and provides for an easy transition into life at Loras. more Loras facts.
Graduates typically begin their careers in law enforcement agencies, at either the municipal
or county level. The second
most frequent career path is in
the field of probation with either
adults or juveniles. A third
career path is pursuing Master’s
level graduate study, most
frequently in CJ at St. Ambrose
University or the University of
Wisconsin at Platteville.
Several Loras graduates are pursuing graduate study in sociology and counseling education.
1450 Alta Vista St., Dubuque IA 52001 (800)245-6727 (563)588-7236
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