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Majors and Minors
Skull and bones being studies in Forensics Criminal Justice lab

welcome to hartwick criminal justice

WHY STUDY CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT HARTWICK?

You want to play a role in upholding the law and keeping your community safe. You want the skills to assess, interpret and enforce justice in the 21st century.

Here’s why our criminal justice program stands out:

  • Explore exciting electives on white collar crime, deviance and social control, and race and ethnicity.
  • Gain internships and real-world work experiences with law enforcement, victims advocates, county courts and more.
  • Take cross-disciplinary courses in social work or sociology.
  • Collaborate with faculty members on their research and publications.

Put your Hartwick studies to work in:

  • Law enforcement
  • Child Protective Services
  • Social Work
  • Legal counsel
  • Politics
  • Security Consultant

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN:

  • Build a strong foundation with core courses in policing in a democratic society, quantitative analysis, and juvenile delinquency.
  • Define your specific focus with elective classes, including white collar crime, deviance and social control, and race and ethnicity.
  • Learn on-the-job, alongside Oneonta police and firefighters, intern as an advocates for victims of domestic violence or child abuse or get real-world work experience in the courts system.
  • Work alongside faculty for research, and present your findings at Student Showcase.
Criminal Justice Major and Minor Requirements

HARTWICK ALUMNI LAND SUCCESSFUL CAREERS

Politics

Like Nadja Pope ’20, a legislative aide in the US House of Representatives working for Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20). A criminal justice and sociology double major, Nadja had two internships as a student: one with the Albany Public Defender and another with the Albany District Attorney’s Office. She studied biology in the Bahamas during a J Term and was a leader of Hartwick’s Orchesis dance club.

Social Work

Like Rebecca Lelles ’20, now working on her master’s in social work at Syracuse University. A John Christopher Scholar, she fed her passion for social work by connecting with social work administrator and alumni mentor Michelle Brown ’87. Lelles’s real-world experiences included two internships: one on campus at Hartwick’s AccessAbility Services Center and another with the Literacy Volunteers of Otsego and Delaware Counties.

INSTITUTE OF PUBLIC SERVICE

The Hartwick College Institute of Public Service is dedicated to strengthening democracy across the region by serving as a hub of collaboration and innovation between state and local government, and through civic engagement and legal studies.

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Faculty

Elena Chernyak

Associate Professor of Sociology and Department Chair
chernyake@hartwick.edu
607-431-4327

Ryan Ceresola

Associate Professor of Sociology
ceresolar@hartwick.edu
607-431-4272

Cheryl Johnson

Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice
johnsonc6@hartwick.edu
607-431-4890

Amber M. Kerwin

Professor of Practice in Criminal Justice
kerwina2@hartwick.edu

Michael Branch

Assistant Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice, Co-coordinator of Women's and Gender Studies
branchm@hartwick.edu
607-431-4283

Zachary McKenney

Assistant Professor of Sociology
mckenneyz@hartwick.edu
607-431-4894

Three-Year Bachelor’s Degree Program

Ready to move faster? Get the complete criminal justice education and the full Hartwick experience in three-quarters the time at three-quarters the cost.

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