Criminal Justice, BA

The Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Criminal Justice program utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to capture both the academic liberal arts emphasis and the professional and policy knowledge required to educate criminal justice professionals. Students who complete this degree may seek employment in law enforcement, corrections, courts, and related areas. This employment can be within the public, nonprofit, or private sectors, providing multiple options for Criminal Justice graduates.

Learning Outcomes

Criminal Justice is a broad and increasingly interdisciplinary field. Students who complete the BA in Criminal Justice will:

Be able to draw on multiple disciplines and research traditions to identify and understand the social and behavioral contributors to crime and delinquency.
Have a comprehensive understanding of the institutions in the criminal justice system and how politics and policymaking affect these institutions.
Have effective critical thinking and oral and written communication skills.
Have a comprehensive knowledge of the ethical concerns of the criminal justice field.
Understand how perceptions of the criminal justice system vary cross-culturally, and how such differences influence policy and public perception.

In addition, the BA in Criminal Justice will provide the foundation for students who are interested in pursuing the Master of Criminal Justice degree.

General Requirements

The degree requires completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including:

33 credit hours of Criminal Justice core coursework
9 elective credit hours in Criminal Justice
51 credit hours of general education requirements as outlined in your degree progress report
27 other elective credit hours

Students must also meet the following requirements:

A 4-credit-hour internship is required for those who do not have at least one year of paid criminal justice work experience
A grade of C or better in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy Criminal Justice major requirements
Major requirements may not be taken pass/fail

Upper-Division Requirement

Students must complete at least 45 credit hours of upper-division coursework (courses numbered 3000-4999) to be eligible for the bachelor’s degree. At least 27 hours of Criminal Justice major coursework must be completed at the upper-division level. Students may register for upper-division courses if they have met prerequisites or obtained departmental approval. Courses approved for transfer from a junior/community college carry lower-division credit.

Course Requirements

Core Courses

Electives

9 elective credit hours in Criminal Justice

Option Areas

Students may utilize their major electives (and in some cases core and/or required courses) to form a concentration or ‘option’ area in one or more of the following areas: 1) Forensic Studies; 2) Law; and 3) Law Enforcement.

Students must meet with a Criminal Justice advisor in Academic Advising to declare an option area and then follow the requirements on the degree progress report.

The courses listed below are recommended for creating a specific concentration. A minimum of 12-15 credit hours is required for the option areas. Nine (9) of the 12-15 credit hours completed for the option area may count toward the BA in Criminal Justice elective credit hours requirement if they are Criminal Justice (CJ) or Public Administration (PAD) courses.