Welcome to the School of Criminal Justice & Criminalistics, a leading program in the study of criminal justice and criminalistics in California. Our faculty are dedicated to bridging research, policy, and practice in the classroom and through their research.
We currently have fifteen tenured or tenure-track faculty and approximately twenty lecturers whose interests and backgrounds include a variety of disciplines, which inspires a diverse and comprehensive examination of the issues related to crime, forensic science, the criminal justice system, and social justice.
The School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics is located in the Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Building, a state-of-the-art facility shared with operating crime labs for the Los Angeles Police Department and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. The building offers classrooms equipped with the latest technology as well as modern laboratories which provide students the opportunity to fully engage in their educational experience.
We offer several degree programs, including:
· A Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice
· A Minor in Criminal Justice
· A Master of Science Degree in Criminalistics
Students in our criminal justice programs learn and discuss the causes and correlates of crime, how the criminal justice system operates, critical issues related to criminal justice, and how to improve our responses to crime. Students in our criminalistics programs learn and discuss forensic science perspectives and apply scientific concepts uniquely related to the forensic sciences—such as crime-scene reconstruction, the legal integrity of scientific evidence, courtroom testimony, and individualization of physical evidence.
Both the undergraduate and graduate programs are highly competitive programs that require students to apply directly to the School as well as to the University. The number of undergraduate and graduate students accepted each year is limited and is based on applicants’ previous and current academic performance.
Thank you for your interest in the School of Criminal Justice & Criminalistics! I encourage all interested students to explore our website for more information on our application processes, our degree requirements, and our faculty backgrounds. If you have additional questions about our program, please call our main office at 323-343-4610.
Katharine Tellis, PhD MSW
Professor & Director
School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics
Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Room 253
Phone: 323-343-4610
Fax: 323-343-4646
[email protected]
