Faculty

Chairperson: Associate Professor Richard Wright

Graduate Program Coordinator: Assistant Professor Jennifer Hartsfield

Professor: Carolyn Petrosino

Associate Professors: Kyung-shick Choi, Jo-Ann Della-Giustina, Aviva Twersky Glasner, Mitchell Librett

Assistant Professors: Robert Grantham, Khadija Monk, Mia Ortiz, Wendy Wright

Department Telephone Number: 508 .531.2107
Location: Maxwell Library, Room 311
Website: www.bridgew.edu/criminaljustice

Degree Programs

• BS in Criminal Justice
  Concentration: Victimology
• MS in Criminal Justice
  Concentrations: Administration of Justice, Crime and Corrections

Undergraduate Minor

• Criminal Justice

Click on Academic Programs  for program information and requirements.

The Department of Criminal Justice offers a major program in criminal justice and a minor in criminal justice.

The department provides a rigorous discipline-specific curriculum aimed at developing well-rounded graduates with strong critical thinking abilities. Department programs also impart skills to students, preparing them for a wide range of career options in the field of criminal justice or closely related fields. Career options include positions in the criminal justice system, education, research, private treatment agencies and various state and federal justice agencies. The department encourages students to continue on to graduate study.

Many department faculty members engage in research and the department encourages student-faculty collaborative research. Students may also carry out internships.

Honors Program

The honors program in criminal justice provides highly motivated criminal justice majors with opportunities to enhance their academic program through intensive scholarly study and research designed to be of assistance in postgraduate employment or in the pursuit of an advanced degree. Contact the Department of Criminal Justice for further information concerning eligibility and application.

Overseas-Study Opportunities

The Department of Criminal Justice urges its majors and minors to study abroad, both via Bridgewater State University sponsored study tours and as exchange students at universities. The Office of Study Abroad can assist students. Any student contemplating study abroad should consult the department with all pertinent documentation. Final acceptance of credit will be determined upon receipt of official transcripts and supporting material and, in some cases, may not be equivalent to the credits earned in a regular semester or year at Bridgewater State University.

Master of Science - Early Acceptance Program

Bridgewater State University offers students enrolled in the BS in Criminal Justice program the opportunity for early acceptance into the MS program. 

Admission Requirements to the Criminal Justice Master’s of Science Program via Early Acceptance

A criminal justice major may apply to the MS program while enrolled in the senior year of their BS program. Although students may be accepted into the graduate program at this point, they will be classified as undergraduate students until all requirements of the Bachelor’s degree have been fulfilled and the BS degree has been awarded. Under the early acceptance program, students will be admitted and classified as graduate students in the semester immediately following conferral of the Bachelor’s degree. Students accepted under the early acceptance program must begin taking graduate courses the semester after receipt of their Bachelor’s degree.

The Department of Criminal Justice waives the GRE requirement and application fee for the Masters Degree Early Acceptance applicants.

The following are required to be accepted into the program:

1.) Students must have achieved an overall Bridgewater State University earned GPA of 3.0 at the time their application is accepted.

2.) Three appropriate letters of recommendation, two of which must come from full-time BSU criminal justice faculty.

This program is Quinn Bill-approved.

Master of Science in Criminal Justice

The Master of Science in Criminal Justice provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in a variety of professional positions in criminal justice or in closely related fields and prepares students for doctoral programs as well. Students in the program will acquire detailed knowledge of the seven broad areas of criminal justice, learn about the role of information technology in the criminal justice system, become familiar with major data sources and learn to carry out research and data analysis in criminal justice. Students will also develop skills in critical thinking and in oral and written communications. In addition to providing a solid foundation in contemporary criminal justice, the program emphasizes diversity in criminal justice issues. Students may choose from two concentrations. The concentration in administration of justice is offered in cooperation with the Master of Public Administration program. Students may also concentrate in crime and corrections.