Newberry College Launches New Major in Criminal Justice

Newberry College has added the Criminal Justice major to its programs of study. Criminal Justice has been a minor at Newberry College since 1997 and has maintained annual enrollment of approximately 25 students for the past five years. With steadily increasing interest in the major, the faculty and Board of Trustees approved the new major for the fall 2016 semester.

“Current and prospective students have been eagerly awaiting this major, as have faculty in complementary degree programs frequently paired with Criminal Justice,” said vice president for Academic Affairs Timothy Elston.

Newberry’s Criminal Justice program is a four-year, liberal arts major established specifically with the needs in mind of students transferring from two-year institutions.

“We developed the Criminal Justice major in consultation with our local technical colleges to ensure the courses students take at their two-year institutions map to our program requirements for the bachelor’s degree,” said Dr. Vinetta Witt, chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, who developed the new major. “As a result, transfer students are able to make a smooth transition to the major with a clearly defined roadmap to ensure they graduate on time.”

Based on research findings by the American Sociological Association, the Criminal Justice program at Newberry College is grounded in the liberal arts and shares foundational courses with the Social Sciences. This approach ensures that graduates are well-prepared for a wide variety of career options beyond law enforcement and the justice system.

For those who do enter law enforcement, the program’s foundation in the Social Sciences prepares them to be well-rounded professionals who are better equipped to interact with the ethnically, culturally and socioeconomically diverse populations they will encounter on the job.

The liberal arts foundation of Newberry’s Criminal Justice program challenges students to conduct original research, analyze and interpret data and demonstrate mastery of the subject matter through a capstone project. They also apply classroom concepts in real-world settings through required internship experiences.

Newberry College offers a variety of majors, minors and concentrations that are complementary to the Criminal Justice major, such as Forensic Psychology, Forensic Chemistry, Political Science/Pre-Law and Sociology.

“It is rare to find such a wide variety of interrelated program options,” Witt said. “It gives tremendous depth to the interest areas students can explore while they attend Newberry College and to the career paths open to them after graduation.”

For more information about the Criminal Justice degree program at Newberry College, visit www.newberry.edu or call 803.321.5127 or email admission@newberry.edu.