College of Humanities and Social Sciences

In answer to student demand and a growing interest in criminal justice, Grand Canyon University (GCU) will begin offering a master of science degree in the subject beginning in spring 2010. “Criminal justice is one of our more popular programs for incoming students, and has been a growing area of interest over the past decade,” said GCU Dean of College of Liberal Arts Lisa St. Louis. “A master’s program enables us to offer our students – many whom are working professionals wishing to advance their career and education – a way to do this through rich online curricula.” Like many higher education institutions, Grand Canyon University has seen a tremendous increase of students enrolling in its criminal justice programs – likely due to the growing popularity of network programs such as “Law and Order” and “CSI” as well as the growth of public safety and homeland security sectors. Many of GCU’s online classes utilize supplemental learning tools such as 3D models, simulations, flash movies and audio lecture recordings lending to a fresh, visually appealing online learning environment. “It’s a very interesting professional pursuit – and an advanced degree in criminal justice can help those who are in government or public […]

A few years ago, GCU had a major in Martial Arts. Dr. Jim Helfers taught a few courses, including one on traditional Okinawan weapons. Today he sticks with literature and humanities courses. That range in itself is a testament to what a good liberal arts education can do for a person. Dr. Helfers graduated from college with intentions to become a journalist. Working to break into newspapers in San Francisco, he ended up working as a technical writer. “All of my coworkers were checking off their calendars for vacation and retirement,” he says. “I could do the work, but it was not exciting work.” Inspiration for a change came from Harper’s magazine. After another day of technical writing, Dr. Helfers sat down to a story about a group of scholars translating the works of philosopher Thomas Aquinas. The project was decades in the making. “I was reading this and thinking, ‘This is exactly what I want to do,’” says Dr. Helfers. “I applied to graduate school and was accepted at the University of Michigan. That is how I got into teaching.” Dr. Helfers came to Arizona in 1990 as an instructor at ASU. In 1992, he responded to an opening […]