Law and Justice Department

College of the Sciences
Ellensburg
Farrell Hall, room 309
Mail Stop 7580
509-963-3219
https://www.cwu.edu/academics/law-justice/

Faculty and Staff
Chair
Cody Stoddard, PhD

Professors
Teresa Francis Divine, JD, LLM, criminal law, correctional law
Rodrigo Murataya, PhD, criminal investigation, police-community relations, police personnel administration
Krystal Noga-Styron, JD, PhD, criminal law, crime, and the media

Associate Professors
Roger Schaefer, PhD, corrections, research methods, criminal justice policy
Cody Stoddard, PhD, courts and law, decision making, policing, criminal justice theory, and quantitative method

Assistant Professors
Trye Price, PhD, victimization, and quantitative methods
Sara Toto, PhD, corrections, victimization, and quantitative methods

Senior Lecturers
Saul Chacon, MA, corrections, policing
R. Shaffer Claridge, JD, civil practice, courts and trails, legal writing, legal research

Lecturer
Todd Mildon, JD, civil practice, paralegal, courts, legal writing, legal research, community and social justice, constitutional law

Staff
Megan Dickinson, secretary supervisor

Department Standards
Admission to the major and to the minor

Grade requirement: overall grade point average of 2.25 or higher. The department chair may admit a limited number of students with grade point averages below 2.25 under extenuating circumstances.
Students applying to the major must submit a major application form.
The law and justice department reserves the right to modify these requirements in special cases or as the needs of the department change.

Exit Requirements
A minimum grade of C- must be earned in all courses used to fulfill the requirements of the major and of the minor.

(NOTE: for all 400-level LAJ courses, student must have completed either a DTA or ENG 101 and 102, MATH 101 or 153 or 154 or 164 or 170 or 172, MATH 102 or MATH 130 or CS 105 (basic skills in these categories.)

Graduate Information

Program Description
The MS in Law and Justice program is designed to serve two distinct groups: (1) those in law and justice fields with professional experience, and (2) those without professional experience who aspire to law and justice careers, including research and data analysis.

The MS program focuses on the concept of empirical and research-based practices in criminal justice, criminology, law, social justice, and public policy. Classes are designed to provide students with an advanced understanding of the mechanics of social science research and how research informs best practices in the field. Core classes in the program provide students with the detailed knowledge of social science methods of inquiry in law and justice where elective courses allow students understand how the science is applied to practice. During the culminating experience, students use social-scientific inquiry to address current issues and challenges in law and justice option A includes a comprehensive examination as the culminating experience and option B includes a thesis or research project as the culminating experience. Both options are 60 credits to complete. Option B is primarily designed for those interested in research or pursuing further graduate level work.

Program Delivery
With the idea of accommodating a diverse group of students, the courses MS in Law and Justice program are typically delivered in person during the evenings or online.

Admission Requirements
Applicants should have the following:

a bachelor’s degree related to the social sciences
a statement of objectives and purpose that outlines how the M.S. in Law and Justice would apply to their future goals
three letters of recommendation
an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or higher
applicants may include a writing sample as a supplement to their application.

All materials for admission consideration should be submitted to the Central Washington School of Graduate Students and Research. Applications will be accepted in early January and review of applications will occur around mid-March. Applications after mid-March will be accepted and admission decisions after this point will be made on a rolling bases based on program capacity.

MS in Law and Justice: 4 +1 Option:

Overview
The Department of Law and Justice’s 4 + 1 program is designed to allow students, who meet eligibility criteria, to enroll in select 500 level courses during their Senior year to allow them to potentially complete the MS in law and justice the following year. Ultimately, this allows students to complete their MS degree in law and justice in one year following completion of the bachelor’s degree.

Requirements
In order to participate in the 4+1 program, students must:

meet with the graduate director, or other designee of the department, to discuss planning and expectations in program;
apply for admission to the MS in law and justice 4+1 program during the junior year;
have completed LAJ 400, or an equivalent research methods course approved by the law and justice department, with a B or higher prior to fall of senior year when students would be taking graduate level courses;
maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher; and
have declared a major in law and justice, or a major another approved social science area.

NOTE: In compliance with CWU graduate courses taken during the senior year may not be applied towards the undergraduate degree - they must be reserved for graduate credit only.

Course Offerings
Frequency of course offering information can be found at the department website: https://www.cwu.edu/academics/law-justice/ or by contacting the department directly.

Programs

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.)

Law and Justice Major, BA

Master of Science (M.S.)

Law and Justice, MS

Non-degree Undergraduate Minors or Certificates

Law and Justice Minor

Courses

Law and Justice (LAJ)