Welcome to the GVSU School of Criminal Justice. As part of the College of Community and Public Service at Grand Valley State University we are focused on increasing the understanding of justice based issues for students, practitioners, policymakers and community members. The School of Criminal Justice offers undergraduate degree programs in criminal justice and legal studies; graduate degree in criminal justice; special certification program in our police academy and military basic training academy; paralegal studies certificate.

The School of Criminal Justice faculty consists of full-time faculty and part-time adjunct faculty members providing local, regional, national, and global perspectives of crime and justice issues in the classroom and through their scholarship.

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CONSIDER JOINING THE 47TH CLASS OF GVSU'S POLICE ACADEMY FOR 2021

The GVSU Police Academy is a 16-week intensive program that meets the Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) training requirements and prepares students for the Michigan Law Enforcement Licensing Examination. The academy is conducted during the spring and summer semester, April through August. Admission is highly competitive and enrollment is limited.

For more information, see the Police Academy website or contact Williamson Wallace at (616) 331-8515 or wallacew@gvsu.edu.

GVSU POLICE ACADEMY CLASS OF 2020

The GVSU Police Academy's 2020 class.

Established in 1974
Conducted on the Allendale campus
GVSU Police Academy graduates to date = 1,261
Instructional & support staff = 65 (95% active / former law enforcement)
Length of program = 16 weeks
MCOLES mandatory curriculum = 594 hrs. (GVSU enhanced to 681 hrs.)
GVSU academic credit hours earned = 15 hrs. (CJ 415, 416, 417, 418, & 419)
Average class size* = 26
Program completion rate* = 96%
Licensing exam pass rate* = 100%
Employment rate* = 81%

* 10-year average

Regional strategies work best during times of disaster, GVSU researcher says

#GVLakerEffect | College of Community and Public Service (CCPS)

Spotlights

KAYLA BATES, '18 & '20, RECEIVES AWARDS AND MORE

Class of 2020 graduate, Kayla Bates, has set her goals high

Faculty honored for scholarship, teaching excellence at annual awards convocation

Dr. Brian Johnson, professor of criminal justice, receives the Outstanding University Service Award from President Philomena V. Mantella.

Grand Rapids Police Chief builds career on relationships

Eric Payne had a series of influencers in his life before that term was trendy. Payne `86 is chief of police for the Grand Rapids Police Department. He was sworn-in as the city's first African American police chief in late July after a national search

View More Spotlights

News

CCPS Advising Updates

You are already half-way through your first week of remote learning. We thought it would be helpful to provide some additional resources to you. Please see below for both academic and non-academic services and tools.

Mar 19, 2020

Presidential Inauguration

On November 15th, graduate assistant, Chase (Sky) Christenson represented the school of criminal justice at Philomena V. Mantella's presidential inauguration by presenting his research on intimate partner violence offenders.

Nov 20, 2019