Division of Criminology and Criminal Justice

 
Criminology and Criminal Justice is an academic discipline that critically examines the establishment of legal norms and their use by public and private agencies to control such symptoms of social disorder as crime, delinquency, mental illness, civil wrongs, and discrimination. Criminal justice education began at Portland State University in 1949 with the offering of a limited number of professional courses for police officers. A Law Enforcement Certificate Program was implemented in 1965. This certificate program served the needs of the law enforcement community throughout the urban and campus unrest of the late 1960's. It also provided the instructional base for the further development of a comprehensive degree-granting program which could be responsive to the total educational requirements of persons involved in the criminal justice process.

A baccalaureate degree was established in 1972. This undergraduate program has evolved over time and today provides a coordinated series of educational experiences within an interdisciplinary social science curriculum. The subject matter reflects the urban environment in which the program operates, and examines the entirety of the process by which justice is administered in modern American society. This examination includes a balanced inquiry into the nature of crime, law and social control, and the functional interrelationships of enforcement, judicial, and correctional agencies.

The Division was previously known as Administration of Justice. In 2004 the Division changed to its current name, Criminology and Criminal Justice, to better reflect the expertise of the faculty and the emphasis of the program.

The Division offers the Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees, an online Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice, a minor, a postbaccalaureate certificate, and a Master of Science degree. It is also a participating division in the Public Administration and Policy and Urban Studies doctoral programs.

The Division hosts the Pi Sigma Upsilon chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, the National Criminal Justice Honor Society.

• For Pi Sigma Upsilon Membership information call 503-725-8356 or stop by the Division for an application.