Overview
Prerequisites
Requirements for Major
Requirements in Related Areas
Requirements for Minor
The Criminal Justice major provides the opportunity to systematically examine criminal justice systems and the administration of justice, examining the causes and patterns of crime and criminal behavior and the ways in which criminal justice institutions have responded in trying to solve these social problems. Criminal Justice courses emphasize practical problem solving and theoretical skills, useful to careers in criminal justice, legal studies, community and social service.
Core courses in the major are designed to expose students to the range and variation of crime and criminal behavior and the criminal justice systems and the administration of justice that attempt to control and mitigate these social problems. Students will review: the major systems of social control, policies, and practice; consider the social and personal consequences of crime and criminal behavior on victims; look at the issues of juvenile justice; corrections, including the history and practice of corrections and the range of institutions meant to treat offenders; understand the nature and causes of crime, crime typologies, offenders, and victims; examine criminal law and procedure, understanding how the courts work and how legal decisions are made; examine the history, theory, and practice of police organizations, including internal views that consider police subculture; issues of ethics in law enforcement and criminal justice; study deviance and social control; and be grounded in methods, both quantitative and qualitative, for conducting and analyzing criminal justice research, and theory.
Elective courses in the major are designed to provide a detailed focus on some area of criminal justice and consider the broader theoretical issues of significant social problems such as violence. Related requirements are courses found outside of the major in other liberal arts disciplines that have strong relevance for criminal justice.
For the criminal justice course offerings, 1000-level courses provide a comprehensive descriptive overview at the introductory level, 2000-level courses provide an in-depth specialized study of a particular case, area, or social phenomenon and introduce theoretical perspectives, and 3000-level courses analyze case materials applying theory critically in specific cases and consider the consequences of various theories on social policy and strategies for social change.
A 1000-level criminal justice course is required as a prerequisite for any 2000-level criminal justice course and any 2000-level criminal justice course is a prerequisite for any 3000-level criminal justice course. Any student who has grounds to request a waiver of this requirement may do so by contacting the criminal justice area coordinator for a decision. This request must be made prior to enrolling in the upper-level criminal justice course.
Prerequisites:
| Course # |
Course Name |
Credits |
| SOC 1000 |
Perspectives on Society and Culture |
3 |
| or |
|
|
| SOC 1600 |
Social Problems |
3 |
| CJ 1000 |
Introduction to Criminal Justice Systems and
the Administration of Justice |
3 |
|
|
|
| Total Credits: |
|
6 |
Core Requirements:
| CJ 2000 |
Criminology |
3 |
| CJ 2010 |
Criminal Law and Procedure |
3 |
| CJ 2100 |
Corrections |
3 |
| CJ 2018 |
Ethics and Law Enforcement |
3 |
| CJ 2212 |
Policing |
3 |
| CJ 3640 |
Deviance and Social Control |
3 |
Core Requirements in Method and Theory Courses:
| CJ/SOC 2600 |
Research Methods |
3 |
| CJ 3900 |
Capstone Seminar: Criminal Justice |
3 |
Criminal Justice Electives:
| Six credits at the 2000-or 3000-level |
6 |
|
|
| Total Credits: |
30 |
Requirements in Related Areas:
-
MATH 1150 Statistics (must be taken before CJ/SOC 2600 Research Methods) 3
-
Six credits chosen from among the following 3 credit courses. The six credits must be from two different academic disciplines (excepting SPAN 1030 & 1040):
| BIOL/CHEM 2700 |
Introduction to Forensic Science |
| COM 2100 |
Managerial Communication |
| MGT 2500 |
Human Resource Management |
| MGT 2510 |
Organizational Systems & Processes |
| MGT 2511 |
Public Administration |
| MGT 2610 |
Crisis Mgt. and Contingency Planning |
| MGT 3600 |
Seminar: Developing an Emergency Response Plan |
| P&H 2200 |
Political Tactics |
| P&H 2310 |
American Constitutional Law |
| P&H 2330 |
African Americans in the United States |
| P&H 2390 |
American Constitutional Issues |
| PSY 2100 |
Adolescent Psychology |
| PSY 2205 |
Dysfunctional Families |
| PSY 2310 |
Psychology of Criminal Behavior |
| PSY 2320 |
Psychology and the Law |
| PSY 2330 |
Drugs and Behavior |
| PSY 3260 |
Psychology of Violence and Terror |
| REL 2210 |
Faith and Fanaticism |
| SPAN 1030 |
Spanish for Health, Criminal Justice, and Social Services I |
| SPAN 1040 |
Spanish for Health, Criminal Justice, and Social Services II |
Recommended Courses:
| P&H 3380 |
Public Policy in the United States |
| SOC 2660 |
Sociology of Women |
| SOC 2670 |
Minorities and Majorities |
| SOC 3390 |
Crisis Intervention |
| SOC 3760 |
Wealth, Poverty and Social Class in America |
Requirements for Criminal Justice Minor:
Students can earn a minor in Criminal Justice by taking CJ 1000 and four courses in the Criminal Justice curriculum at the 2000-level or above, with at least one course at the 3000-level. (Sociology majors wishing to minor in Criminal Justice may not use CJ 2600.)
Experiential Learning (Internships):
Traditional undergraduate Criminal Justice students are encouraged to do CJ 3450 internships in practitioner settings and are required to take the co-requisite CJ 3450 SM Criminal Justice Internship Seminar.
Prerequisites:
1. Completion of EXP 2340, Introduction to Experiential Learning (which may not be used as an elective to fulfill the requirements in the major or minor), with a grade of C or better;
2. A 2.75 cumulative average overall;
3. A 3.0 average in the major;
4. No outstanding “Incomplete” in an earlier field placement.