Springfield, Missouri 65897
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Why Study Criminology at Missouri State?

For the faculty and students at MSU the answer to this question is obvious. We have a terrific program! And here's why.

The Criminology Faculty:
We have created a robust, interesting and useful program of study in the field of criminology and criminal justice. All aspects of the justice system are explored (i.e., law, law enforcement, courts, corrections, community involvement, prevention, etc.) as is the area of criminology (why people behave the way they do). Our faculty are experienced in the field of criminology / criminal justice and are dedicated to their teaching, advising, research and service endeavors.

Among the intellectual, teaching and research interests of our faculty are:
 

Our Community Partners:
Springfield, Missouri, is a community of about 300,000 people and, as a result, we have a wide range of criminal justice agencies in our community. This is relevant to our students as we incorporate representatives from these many agencies into our classroom presentations. We also bring these representatives to campus to make presentations out of class and to meet with our students individually. In several of our courses, and through our students' Criminal Justice Society, we visit some of agencies from which the representatives come. Among our community partners are:

•  As concerns Law and the Courts our community partners include:

Greene County Criminal Courts
Greene County Juvenile Court
Greene County and Springfield (City) Prosecutors' offices
The Public Defenders Office

•  Related to Law Enforcement, among others, our community partners include:

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA)
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
United States Marshals Service
United States Border Patrol
National Park Service
Missouri Highway Patrol (Troop D)
Greene County Sheriff's Office (and surrounding county sheriffs' offices)
Springfield (MO) Police Department (and surrounding city police agencies)
Several private/corporate security operations

•  As concerns Institutional and Community-Based Corrections our community partners include:

  Federal Bureau of Prisons (The U.S. Medical Center for Federal Prisoners)
  Missouri Department of Corrections (Ozark Correctional Center)
  Missouri Department of Probation and Parole (District #10 and #10R)
  Missouri Division of Youth Services
  Other community-based treatment programs including services related to substance abuse, family violence, child abuse, illiteracy, school failure, conflict management and resolution, restorative justice, drug court, family court, mental health court and more.

The Resources our Students Have:
In addition to having access to so many justice-related agencies and an outstanding faculty, the Criminology (CRM) Program offers a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses, excellent library resources, a state-of-the-art office- and classroom facility (shown on the left and right below), an elective internship in the field (for CRM Majors only), active student organizations (like our Criminal Justice Society), scholarships, excellent one-on-one advising in the department, and all of this is set in the youthful, beautiful, and exciting community of Springfield, Missouri.

Our Community Setting:
Known for its parks, public libraries, excellent shopping, live theater, ballet and opera, restaurants galore, lakes, rolling hills, forests, fishing, skiing, boating, swimming, biking and hiking trails and other outside sports, Springfield has much to offer.

The Criminology Program!:
Our Criminology program offers a non-comprehensive major (34 hours of CRM courses) and a minor in Criminology  (21 hours) as well as a Master of Science in Criminology and a Master of Science in Administrative Science with a Criminal Justice Component. MSU, as you probably know, offers a wide variety of academic majors and minors which may also be of interest to those wanting a career related to the field of criminology.

Our Students!:
Last, but certainly not least, are the students in our undergraduate Criminology Program and the students in both of our graduate programs - the Master of Science in Criminology Program and Master of Science in Administrative Studies Program. They are a hard working bunch - taking classes, volunteering in the community and on campus, interning and otherwise advancing their knowledge about crime and justice in society and their public affairs contributions. We have literally hundreds of undergraduate students and a vibrant and serious group of graduate students.
 

Some of our CRM students during their food drive for a local food bank.

The undergraduate degree program in Criminology emphasizes the importance of bringing a variety of perspectives to the study of crime and justice. The faculty who teach our Criminology courses have established records of achievement in both sociology and criminology.

Missouri State University offers baccalaureate degrees in 83 disciplines, several of which coincide meaningfully for Criminology students who wish to complete a major or minor in addition to their major in Criminology. Likewise, students minoring in Criminology should have no difficulty in finding one or more majors suitable for their graduate study and/or career plans.

Exterior of
Strong Hall

Strong Hall
Atrium