Director’s Welcome and School Mission

Jane Gauthier new headshot



Welcome to the School of Criminal Justice & Criminalistics, a leading program in California's study of criminal justice and criminalistics. Our faculty are dedicated to bridging research, policy, and practice in the classroom and through their research.

We currently have fourteen tenured or tenure-track faculty and approximately twenty lecturers whose interests and backgrounds include various disciplines, inspiring 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 and modern laboratories, which allow students 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. 

The undergraduate and graduate programs are highly competitive and require students to apply directly to the School and the University.  The number of undergraduate and graduate students accepted each year is limited 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, degree requirements, and faculty backgrounds.  If you have additional questions about our program, please call our main office at 323-343-4610. 

 

Jane Gauthier, Ph.D.
Director
School of Criminal Justice and Criminalistics
Hertzberg-Davis Forensic Science Center, Room 253
Phone: 323-343-4610
Fax: 323-343-4646
[email protected]