Corrections
Undergraduate Programs
Description
Corrections is designed to prepare students for entry-level professional work in corrections and a commitment to understanding and transforming correctional practice. Professionals in the field of corrections promote public safety through research-based practices that motivate behavioral changes and community healing after criminal behavior occurs. Corrections emphasizes approaches to working with and enhancing the lives of a diverse population of justice-involved individuals. Students in this program will be able to promote, within corrections and to the community at large, a commitment to the principles of social justice, respect, tolerance, dignity and worth of all people.
Majors |
Program | Locations | Major / Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrections BS | BS - Bachelor of Science |
|
45 / 120 |
Minors |
Program | Locations | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corrections Minor |
|
24 |
Policies & Faculty
Policies
Admission to Major. Students enrolling in 300-400 level courses must be admitted to the program. Admission is granted by the Department. Minimum university admission requirements are:
- a minimum of 32 earned semester credit hours.
- a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00.
Residency Requirements: Excluding CJ 101 and SOC 101, all majors must complete 39 of the required 48 credits within the Department of Criminal Justice. Transfer courses that will not be accepted are Field Practice, Capstone and Experiential courses such as CORR 350, CORR 355 CORR 485 and CORR 449.
Normally the department will not accept transfer courses at the 200-level for our upper level courses, except on a case-by-case basis.
Excluding CJ 101, all students minoring in corrections must complete 12 of the required 18 credit hours within the Department of Criminal Justice.
GPA Policy: A minimum grade of “C” is required for all courses counting towards the Corrections major.
Combined BS, BA/MS, MA Program: Undergraduate students in our Sociology and Corrections programs interested in pursuing a master’s degree in either of these two fields may be granted permission to double count up to 12 credits for both the undergraduate and the graduate program. To apply for this option, students must have completed their sophomore year, have and maintain a GPA of at least 3.0, and declare their intent to complete the graduate program following the completion of the baccalaureate degree. If accepted, students must obtain special permission to register for double counted courses and will receive graduate student credit when the undergraduate degree has been conferred and they have been fully admitted into one of our graduate programs. Please contact the Department Graduate Coordinator for detailed information.
CORR 450 Repeat Policy: Corrections 450: Evidence Based Practices in Corrections may be repeated for major restricted elective credit. Students may count up to 4 credits earned in CORR 450 towards major restricted elective credit.
Contact Information
109 Morris Hall
Department of Criminal Justice
https://sbs.mnsu.edu/academics/corrections/
Faculty
Chair
- Pat Nelson, Ph.D.
Academic Advisor
- Jonathan Moore, M.S.
Field Experiences Coordinator
- Jessica McLaughlin, M.S.
Faculty
100 Level
Credits: 3
Examines the making of criminal law, the evolution of policing, the adjudication of persons accused of criminal law violations, and the punishment of adult offenders.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-09
Diverse Cultures: Purple
200 Level
Credits: 3
Introduction to academic concepts and issues in corrections, with emphasis on student professional development. The course includes a 50-hour service learning component to be completed outside of class. Correction majors should take this course as early as possible.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Introduction to academic concepts and issues in corrections, with emphasis on student professional development. The course includes a 50-hour service learning component to be completed outside of class. Correction majors should take this course as early as possible.Prerequisites: CJ 101 and SOC 101
Credits: 3
This course will introduce students to the numerous agencies and organizations that make up the criminal justice system and its components. A primary goal for this course is to help students prepare for, as well as succeed in, a criminal justice system career.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The foundational tenets of peacekeeping are based on building relations between peace officers and the communities they serve. The student will be introduced to the value of positive interactions between peace officers and the populations they serve, as well as how negative interactions can impact public perception, funding, and trust. Students will also learn ways to incorporate problem-solving strategies and critical analysis on both micro and macro levels to address community and peacekeeping concerns.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Addresses the justifications and the historical development of punishment, the legal and policy issues concerning capital punishment, and the use of incarceration as a response to crime.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
The history, development, and application of criminal laws and criminal procedures in the criminal justice system.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A critical consideration of definitions of juvenile delinquency, emphasis on micro and macro level of struggle in which delinquent behavior takes place, critique of current theories on delinquency, and the juvenile justice response to delinquency.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-05, GE-09
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
May be used to explore areas of interest not covered in regular courses. A maximum of three hours applicable toward a major or minor in the department with consent of an advisor.Prerequisites: Consent
300 Level
Credits: 3
A sociological perspective to examine the history of drug use and abuse in the United States. Multicultural issues in drug abuse, international drug distribution networks, prevention efforts, and legal issues will be discussed.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Research methodologies as they apply to correctional evidence-based practices are covered, as are strengths and limitations of various research practices, especially with respect to central correctional concepts such as risk, recidivism, and program evaluation. Students will gain experience with data sources, data collection, and basic interpretation of data analysis.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Overview of the characteristics of victims, victim-offender relationships, societal victimization, victim's rights and services, and restorative justice. The focus will be on developing effective criminal justice responses to the victims/survivors and the perpetrators.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course is designed to provide peace officer students with the foundational information, tools, and skills needed to improve interpersonal communications with coworkers and the public from all ethnic and cultural groups. This course also provides some historical information so students can contextualize and better understand why particular groups may distrust and resist peace officers and the criminal justice system as a whole.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The mental and physical wellbeing of peace officers will be focused on and students will be required to assess their vulnerabilities to intrapersonal and interpersonal stressors. Students will develop tactics and strategies for managing their mental and physical wellbeing, while understanding how those strategies may have to change over time. Must be a major or minor in Corrections, Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement, or Peace Officer Program.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The course will provide the student with a solid foundation in effective peace officer communications and prepare the student analytically for a career as a peace officer. This course also has a writing intensive requirement that involves drafting, editing, and reviewing a variety of written assignments.Must be a major or minor in Corrections, Criminal Justice, and/or Peace Officer (Law Enforcement) Programs.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
JOLT is a collaborative effort between the University and several probation offices. Students will mentor delinquents in the community and be mentored by local probation officers. This is a year-long commitment.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
JOLT is a collaborative effort between the University and several probation offices. Students will mentor delinquents in the community and be mentored by local probation officers. This is a year-long commitment.Prerequisites: CORR 200
Credits: 3
JOLT-II is a second semester continuation of CORR 350. Can only enroll after completing CORR 350.Prerequisites: CORR 350
Credits: 1
Students will engage in community experiences, public service interactions, experiences with a variety of diverse groups, and/or interactive panels that will provide for opportunities to reflect, observe, conceptualize, and grow as a future criminal justice professional.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
An examination of issues facing criminal justice today in constantly changing legal, social and cultural environments. Topics will vary and may be repeated for credit.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A critical examination of current issues in the correctional field.Prerequisites: none
400 Level
Credits: 3
Advanced Crime Theory & Prevention provides an overview of the nature and causes of crime and victimization. Using a multidisciplinary approach, the course surveys theories of criminal behavior at the macro- & micro-level. Students will learn how to evaluate criminological theories. The course also covers the link between theory and crime prevention efforts, focusing primarily on how crime prevention efforts employed by legislatures, police, courts, and corrections agencies in the United States are derived from theory.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Implications of Sociological Knowledge for the administration of Human Services programs. Theoretical and practical aspects of administration with the Social Service systems.Prerequisites: SOC 101
Credits: 3
Addresses theoretical roots, historical developments, and current practices of probation, parole, and other community corrections programs. Special attention is given to innovative, future approaches to community corrections. Writing intensivePrerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Principles and methods of individual and group counseling with juvenile and adult offenders; development of interpersonal helping skills, negotiation, and mediation skills.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The course will examine ethics and leadership theory, interpretation, and application. Concepts such as vision, ownership, integrity, accountability, attitude, teamwork capability, monitoring, evaluation, and decision making will be interpreted through case studies of ethics and leadership in criminal justice.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course will cover the basic techniques of writing reports, memoranda, forms, and other documents used in the peace officer profession. This is a writing-intensive course that will not only fulfill MN POST Report Writing requirements, but will also require students to compose numerous documents and respond to writing feedback throughout the semester.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course is designed to provide peace officer students with a more thorough understanding of a variety of ethnicities, cultures, and groups in Minnesota and elsewhere throughout the country.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1
Senior Seminar is a capstone course that is specifically designed for Peace Officer Program students to be eligible to become licensed peace officers. This course will assist the student in several areas to include preparation for the MN POST test, interviewing skills, critical thinking and decision making skills, scenario based learning, and job application skills.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Sociological perspective on social deviance; overview of theoretical approaches; emphasis on symbolic interactionism; issues of social control; research examples and policy implications.Prerequisites: SOC 101
Credits: 3
A critical consideration of myths concerning crime, perspectives on crime and their assumptions, current criminology theory, and construction of alternative explanations related to crime.Prerequisites: SOC 101
Credits: 3
This course focuses on the experiences of women in the criminal justice system--as victims, offenders, and professionals. Women's involvement in this system (whether they were a defendant, an attorney, an inmate, a correctional officer or a crime victim) has often been overlooked or devalued. The goal of this course is to bring the special needs and contributions of women in the criminal justice system into sharper focus.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
Addresses theoretical roots, historical developments, and current practices of probation, parole, and other community corrections programs. Special attention is given to innovative, future approaches to community corrections. Writing intensivePrerequisites: SOC 101 and CJ 101
Credits: 3
Examines the rights of inmates, probationers, and parolees.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Principles and methods of individual and group counseling with juvenile and adult offenders; development of interpersonal helping skills, negotiation, and mediation skills.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-6
This class will be taught in modules where students will gain learn how to determine if practices in Corrections are evidence based, the types of programming in Corrections that are supported by research, and skills and knowledge necessary to implement these practices.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Legal procedures by which state and federal administrative agencies exercise legislative, judicial and executive powers. Emphasis is placed on the constitutional position of administrative agencies, the rule making process, the power of agencies to decide rights and obligations concerning individual cases, and judicial control of administrative action.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Overview of characteristics of victims, victim offender relationships, societal victimization, victim's rights and services, and restorative justice.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Review of selected U.S. Supreme Court decisions relating to the powers of the President, Congress and the Judiciary, as well as the division of power between the states and the federal government. Focus is on case briefing, underlying rationales, and the development of individual analytical abilities.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Review of selected United States Supreme Court decisions interpreting important freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment. Focus is on the rationale which underlies decisions and its impact on American political social processes. Provides an opportunity to exercise and develop individual analytical abilities through analysis of Court's reasoning. Same as POL 454.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Assist the students in starting a healthy conversation on cultural competencies for correctional professionals, and develop resources, skills, and strategies needed to address racism and inequity. The idea is to take a journey in building a more inclusive, connected, and effective correctional organization. Students will discover a framework to help discuss issues related to cultural competency: learn about methods, practices, and values that define cultural competency and culturally based work in various fields and organizations; understand the complexities within ethnic communities; and gain insights into the nature of institutionalized racism.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
A sociological perspective to examine the history of drug use and abuse in the United States. Multicultural issues in drug abuse, international drug distribution networks, prevention efforts, and legal issues will be discussed.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 4
An examination of the structure, jurisdiction and processes of federal and state courts. Emphasis is placed on selection of judges and justices and on the dynamics of judicial decision-making. Same as POL 475.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
This course explores topics in criminal justice beyond what is covered in the existing curriculum. Students study specialized topics of current importance in the field. Specific topics will change depending on the term and instructor. May be retaken with a change of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 2-6
Topics vary as announced in class schedule. May be retaken for credit if topic varies.Prerequisites: SOC 101
Credits: 1-6
Topics vary as arranged by students and instructor. May be retaken for credit.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1
For Honors students only.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 12
Field Practicum & Capstone Experience is a hybrid experiential learning course where students complete a 400-hour internship experience within an agency that manages justice-involved persons while participating in other professional development & experiential learning opportunities that vary from semester to semester. In addition to their internship experiences, students can expect guest speakers, facility tours, training, and/or other educational experiences to be offered in-person, or via teleconference. Required for the Corrections major. Formal application required. Contact Director of Criminal Justice Field Studies to apply.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 10
Full time experience in a corrections agency with an emphasis on the development of skills. For Corrections majors only. Required for major. Formal application required.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 2
Capstone is an evaluative course which allows students to document their learning and provide an assessment of their personal learning and the effectiveness of the Corrections Program. To be taken concurrently with CORR 496. Prereq: Completion of all other required CORR courses.Prerequisites: Completion of all other required CORR courses.
Credits: 1-12
Field placement with a criminal justice agency or related organization. Provides a learning experience in which the student can integrate and apply knowledge and theory derived from curriculum. Can only be taken P/N, must have permission to register.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-12
The internship in Corrections is designed to provide opportunities to apply classroom learning, to practice and enhance skills, to experience professional socialization, and to explore a career. It also serves as a vehicle for the student to become more aware of personal strengths and to identify areas in which further growth is needed.Prerequisites: Consent
Credits: 1-3
Advanced study and research on topics not currently available in existing courses. May be repeated with a change of topic. Requires advisor and instructor approval of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-6
A maximum of six credits is applicable toward a single major in the department; three credits toward a minor.Prerequisites: Consent
