“There are a couple of things that we’re doing to make this major unique,” said Gus Martin, associate professor of public administration and public policy. “One is to bring a homeland security spin to it. As far as I know, we’re one of the first programs to have developed a terrorism course as part of our criminal justice major. In addition to that, it’s going to have a public administration spin, because it’s coming from public administration anyway. There’ll be administrators as well as knowing the basics of theory for criminal justice, and they’ll understand homeland security. I found when I was writing my book that many [employers] now are interested in people who are trained in homeland security concepts, so it’s a good thing that we are doing this.”

“Cal State Los Angeles and Cal State Long Beach have full-blown programs, even master’s programs in criminal justice,” said Martin. “We did surveys of our students, and they all wanted to do it here, rather than at these other institutions. It’s a growing major and more than 100 students are already criminal justice concentrators. So we’re really addressing their needs. That’s why it was approved.”

Martin underscores the versatility of the criminal justice degree.

“I always joke that the criminal justice major is a pre-law and pre-cop major,” he says. “One will be prepared for post-undergraduate studies and careers in a variety of fields, including graduate school, law school and law enforcement. There are options in local courts, law, police agencies, juvenile agencies and federal departments. It also includes work in the burgeoning field of homeland security, which opens up a huge range of careers at the federal level.”

Since its release in February 2003, Martin’s textbook, Understanding Terrorism: Challenges, Perspectives and Issues has sold more than 3,000 copies and he is editing its second edition. His course, “Terrorism and Extremism,” debuted in the spring of 2004.

At press time, the official startup semester had not been announced. According to Martin, there should be no shortage of applicants.

“Students are impatient for this to start,” says Martin. “Someone told me that this is the sixth largest major in California. It really didn’t take off around the country until about 20 or 25 years ago. Before that, most law related courses were political science or sociology. Then you began to see separate majors. We’re meeting their needs.”

-Joanie Harmon