Criminal Justice

Sample Courses

Sample courses within the criminal justice curriculum:

• Intro to Law Enforcement (CJUS 102) - Overview of policing problems and procedures; legal and philosophical issues in law enforcement; organization and administration of police agencies.
• Criminology (CJUS 206) - This course explores the cause of crime and deviance from varying theoretical perspectives in the social sciences. As an introductory survey of the classical and positivist schools of criminology, theories covered include human ecology, Social structural approaches, Social process (learning) theories, socio-biological theories, developmental theories and control theories.
• Basic Const Law and Amer Justice (CJUS 210) - Studies the ratification and incorporation of the Bill of Rights. Examines judicial review, the jurisdiction and organization of federal and state court systems, and the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth and Fourteenth Amendment provisions relevant to law enforcement and judicial process.
• Methods of Research in CJUS (CJUS 381) - This course is designed to acquaint students with basic research methodology that is useful in understanding criminological and criminal justice scholarship. By the end of the course the students should: (1) understand the language of research, (2) understand and apply the research process and data gathering strategies, and (3) have a basic understanding of research appearing in professional journals. This course fulfills students' scientific perspectives requirement.

Career Outcomes

99% of Xavier students, including those in the criminal justice major, are working, volunteering or in graduate school within six months of graduating (Class of 2022). Explore Xavier's Career Outcomes Dashboard to view career outcomes by major.

Alumni of the criminal justice program have gone on to work at: Cincinnati Police Department, U.S. Department of Justice, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Ohio State Highway Patrol, the FBI

Careers: Highway patrol officers, correctional officers, correctional counselors, local and federal law enforcement officers, forensic science specialists, attorneys, probation officers

More: Xavier's Career Development Office assists students in their search for employment by offering individual career counseling sessions, conducting workshops and maintaining an employer database. More than 100 nationally known companies visit the campus annually to interview graduating seniors for open positions.

Student Clubs

• Criminal Justice Society- The mission of the Criminal Justice Society is to provide an opportunity for students to learn about those working in and impacted by the criminal justice system. The club emphasizes educational and hands on experiences to enhance the students' professional development.
• St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society- Pre-law students are strongly advised to join the St. Thomas More Pre-Law Society. This group meets several times a year to discuss the law school application process and careers in the legal profession.
• Xavier Mock Trial Club- Xavier’s Mock Trial Club participates in regional and national intercollegiate competitions. Club members—who consist of students interested in acting or Pre-Law--use legal cases to participate in trial simulations where they are assigned specific roles, such as attorneys, witnesses, etc. in order to improve their skills in public speaking, critical thinking, and legal reasoning. The advisors for this club are professional attorneys from the Cincinnati area.
• OIP-u- OIP-u is Ohio's collegiate network of innocence advocates. Their mission is to bring awareness to wrongful convictions, specifically in Ohio. The Xavier OIP-u chapter works to prevent wrongful conviction by promoting awareness on college campuses and to generate student and community support for the nonprofit Ohio Innocence Project.

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