Criminal Justice, B.S.

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Criminal Justice Mission Statement

The mission of the criminal justice program is to provide students with a comprehensive practical and professional knowledge of the Criminal Justice System, consisting of law enforcement, courts, and corrections. Students will develop a knowledge of the application of the law, social sciences, and natural sciences to the problems of crime and delinquency.

We will fulfill this mission statement by:

Providing a positive learning environment for students to develop the general working knowledge, ethical foundation, and technical skills to prepare them for professional careers in the Criminal Justice field.
Providing well prepared instruction from knowledgeable and qualified faculty.
Providing counsel and guidance regarding career opportunities, including exposure to professional agencies through an internship program.

General Education Core (32-35 Credits)

See General Education

Core Course Requirements 12-13 credits
Knowledge Area Requirements 20-22 credits

Experiential Education University Requirement - EDGE Program (3 Credits)

NOTE: As of 7/12/2019, students pursuing this bachelor’s degree are no longer required to complete the EDGE courses for graduation.

See Experiential Education .

BS Degree Requirements (12 Credits)

BS Degree - Math or Science minimum requirement (12 credits)

Criminal Justice Curriculum Summary

Core Requirements (21 credits)

Criminal Justice is a designated major. No grade below a “C-” will be accepted for credit toward the major.

CJ 1010 - Introduction to Criminal Justice 3 credits
CJ 1330 - Criminal Law 3 credits
CJ 2500 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice 3 credits
CJ 3020 - Criminal Justice Management 3 credits
CJ 3270 - Criminology 3 credits
CJ 4200 - Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice 3 credits
CJ 4990 - Criminal Justice Capstone 3 credits

CJ Electives (21 credits)

Select 21 credits, 12 of which must be upper division credit. All CJ classes not included in the core count as CJ electives. Additionally, the following cross-listed courses may be taken as CJ elective credit: POLS 3120 , POLS 3510 , PSY 4310 , SOC 3500 , SOC 3610 .

All CJ majors are encouraged to complete an internship (CJ 4890 ) as part of their degree. Although as many as 12 credits can be counted toward the student’s overall degree, no more than 6 credits of internship can be counted toward the CJ major.

Other Electives

Free Electives may be taken (to complete BA/BS requirements, recommended free electives from the Department, etc.) as required to reach 120 total credits.