Western New Mexico University's Criminal Justice (formerly Administration of Justice) program offers students the opportunity to prepare for careers in law enforcement and corrections. Students learn about the practical aspects of work in these fields. The program is also interdisciplinary... that is, students not only study the procedures and legal issues related to law enforcement and corrections, they also study sociology, psychology, political science, management, social work and other subjects relevant to an understanding of crime and the criminal justice system.
WNMU's Criminal Justice program offers three levels of training. The Law Enforcement Academy is a two-semester program which meets legislative requirements for police officer training in New Mexico. When a student completes the program, he or she takes the state certification exam. If the exam is passed, the student is automatically certified as a police officer upon employment with a law enforcement agency. Our students are very attractive to law enforcement agencies because they are saved the time and expense of training.
WNMU also offers associate (2 years) and bachelors (4 years) degrees in Criminal Justice. Many larger police departments now require an associate or bachelors degree. A bachelors degree is required for many jobs in corrections such as probation officer and parole officer and for most Federal law enforcement jobs.
No other program in New Mexico offers the range of degree and certificate programs that are available at WNMU. The Criminal Justice faculty have years of professional experience in law enforcement, corrections and/or the court system. They are able to provide the practical training you need to work in the criminal justice field.
The Criminal Justice Program sponsors two of the most active student groups on campus; a chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma, a national honor society for criminal justice students, and the Criminal Justice Club. Both organizations participate in community service projects such as Ident-a-kid, food drives, and helping with university events such as Homecoming and the Great Race. They also take trips to visit law enforcement and corrections employers throughout the Southwest and to attend national and regional criminal justice conferences.
The Criminal Justice program is part of the Department of Business Administration and Criminal Justice. Information about criminal justice faculty can be found on the department web page.