Understanding and Addressing Crime and Victimization

Majors: Criminal Justice | Criminology
Minors: Criminal Justice

“Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.”

Eleanor Roosevelt

The United States’ criminal justice system has undergone dramatic growth and witnessed many challenges over the past fifty years. This has fueled the Criminal Justice-Criminology Department at Lycoming College to focus on understanding the causes and responses to crime and victimization, and advocating for a more efficient, equitable, and fair system. Extensive hands-on opportunities, intimate class sizes, and interaction with local and national experts provides students with a deep understanding of criminological theory, research, and practice. With a healthy emphasis on real-world experience and a strong liberal arts foundation, our students graduate with the critical thinking and leadership skills necessary to succeed in a full range of careers across law enforcement, court services, and corrections.

Student Opportunities

  • Intern at law enforcement agencies, probation offices, prisons, or residential treatment centers.
  • Network with potential employers, such as the Pennsylvania State Police, the U.S. Supreme Court Police, and United States Customs and Border Protection Services.
  • Experience learning outside the classroom by participating in police ride-alongs, observe county court hearings, tour local correctional institutions, or volunteer with agencies.
  • Work closely with faculty on collaborative and independent research projects and present at national conferences.
  • Engage with prominent researchers, practitioners, and Lycoming alumni at academic and social events, like our annual Strauser Lecture in Criminal Justice.
  • Apply for Lycoming’s chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the national criminal justice honor society, and receive recognition for academic achievements.

Why Lycoming?

  1. An interdisciplinary curriculum enriches student understanding of crime and facilitates the pursuit of double majors or minors in related disciplines, such as Spanish, accounting, chemistry or biology.
  2. Students take courses with experienced faculty members and adjuncts, who provide a well-rounded perspective on the criminal justice system.
  3. Small class sizes allow for rich discussion and applied learning opportunities, which enhance students’ critical thinking skills.
  4. Our location in northcentral Pennsylvania provides access to many local-, state-, and federal-level opportunities, including internships.
  5. The coursework trains students to conduct their own independent or applied research.

Why Lycoming is the Right Choice →