Criminology & Criminal Justice, BS
Bachelor of Science in Criminology & Criminal Justice (380001BS)
More on the Criminology & Criminal Justice major
The criminology and criminal justice program prepares students for careers in policing, courts, corrections, and criminology at any level of government or in the private sector. This program is also appropriate for students who desire to pursue graduate or law school. Students will take a broad core of criminal justice courses, and then select courses from concentrations in policing, courts, corrections, or criminology. Students have a number of electives to tailor their degrees to particular career paths of interest.
The following information has official approval of The Department of Criminal Justice Studies and The Buchtel College of Arts & Sciences, but is intended only as a supplemental guide. Official degree requirements are established at the time of transfer and admission to the degree-granting college. Students should refer to the Degree Progress Report (DPR) which is definitive for graduation requirements. Completion of this degree within the identified time frame below is contingent upon many factors, including but not limited to: class availability, total number of required credits, work schedule, finances, family, course drops/withdrawals, successfully passing courses, prerequisites, among others. The transfer process is completed through an appointment with your academic advisor.
Requirements
Summary
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education Requirements | 34 | |
| Core Requirement | 18 | |
| Foundation Requirements | 17-27 | |
| Foreign Culture | 6 | |
| Concentration Requirement | 18 | |
| Additional Credits for Graduation * | 27-17 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
| * | Bachelor's degrees require a minimum of 120 credit hours for graduation. |
General Education Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree must complete three tiers of General Education coursework. Tiers I and II provide students with foundational skills and breadth of disciplinary knowledge. Tier III courses require students to integrate knowledge, understand diverse perspectives, and think critically about complex issues. Courses tagged for Tier III may also fulfill major or Disciplinary Area requirements. | ||
| Tier I: Academic Foundations | 12 | |
Quantitative Reasoning: 3 credit hours | ||
Speaking: 3 credit hours | ||
Writing: 6 credit hours | ||
| Tier II: Disciplinary Areas | 22 | |
Arts/Humanities: 9 credit hours | ||
Natural Sciences: 7 credit hours | ||
Social Sciences: 6 credit hours | ||
| Tier III: Tagged Courses | ||
Select one class from each of the following subcategories: | ||
Complex Systems | ||
Critical Thinking | ||
Domestic Diversity | ||
Global Diversity | ||
Review the General Education Requirements page for detailed course listings. | ||
| Total Hours | 34 | |
College of Arts & Sciences Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Students must also complete a minimum of 40 credits (excluding workshops) consisting of either: | ||
Upper-level (300/400) courses both in and outside of the student’s major; | ||
or other courses outside the major department approved by the student’s major department chair (permission should be obtained prior to enrollment); these may not include workshops | ||
Core Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 3700:100 | Government & Politics in the United States | 3 |
| 3800:100 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| 3800:102 | Principles of Criminal Law | 3 |
| 3800:103 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| 3800:105 | Introduction to Police Studies | 3 |
| 3850:100 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Total Hours | 18 | |
Foundation Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Part I | ||
| 3700:301 | Introduction to Political Research | 3 |
| or 3850:301 | Methods of Social Research I | |
| Part II | ||
| 3700:361 | Politics of the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| 3700:395 | Internship in Government & Politics 1 | 3-9 |
| 3850:320 | Social Inequalities | 3 |
| 3850:330 | Criminology | 3 |
| Part III | ||
| 3700:401 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | 3-6 |
| or 3700:480 | Policy Problems in Political Science | |
| or 3850:302 | Methods of Social Research II | |
| or 3850:401 | Advanced Topics in Research Methods | |
| Total Hours | 18-27 | |
| 1 | Minimum Internship requirement is three credit hours. |
Foreign Culture
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foreign Culture 1 | 6 | |
| Select at least six credits | ||
| Total Hours | 6 | |
| 1 | At least six credits of coursework which will introduce the student to a foreign culture. Such courses shall be selected from the department approved list. |
Concentration Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select one of the following concentration areas: | 18 | |
| Policing Concentration | ||
| Policing Administration and Management | ||
| Foundations of Crime Analysis | ||
| Policing Theory and Strategy | ||
Select three of the following elective courses: | ||
| Law, Mediation, and Violence | ||
| Public Administrtion: Concepts & Practices | ||
| The Challenges of Police Work | ||
| Advanced Crime Analysis | ||
| Crime Analysis Applications | ||
| Crisis & Trauma: Assessments & Interventions | ||
| Courts and Law Concentration | ||
| Law & Society | ||
or 3850:441 | Sociology of Law | |
| The Judicial Process | ||
| Theory of Criminal Law | ||
Select three of the following elective courses: | ||
| Law, Mediation, and Violence | ||
| Terrorism and the Constitution | ||
| Public Administrtion: Concepts & Practices | ||
| The Supreme Court & Constitutional Law | ||
| The Supreme Court & Civil Liberties | ||
| Constitutional Problems in Criminal Justice | ||
| Courtroom Communication | ||
| Victim in Society | ||
| Corrections Concentration | ||
| Administering Prisons, Probation, and Parole | ||
or 3850:431 | Theories and Practices of Correctional Systems | |
| Drugs in Society | ||
| Juvenile Delinquency | ||
Select four of the following elective courses: | ||
| Crime, Punishment, Politics: A Comparative Perspective | ||
| Public Administrtion: Concepts & Practices | ||
| Crisis & Trauma: Assessments & Interventions | ||
| Women in Prison | ||
| Sociology of Deviant Behavior | ||
| Sociology of Mental Health and Well-Being | ||
| Family Violence | ||
| Social Work Practice I | ||
| Practice I Skills Lab | ||
| Criminology Concentration | ||
| Law & Society | ||
or 3850:441 | Sociology of Law | |
| Sociology of Deviant Behavior | ||
Select four of the following elective courses: | ||
| Drugs in Society | ||
| Women in Prison | ||
| Women and Crime | ||
| Victim in Society | ||
| Juvenile Delinquency | ||
| Theories and Practices of Correctional Systems | ||
| Family Violence | ||
| Total Hours | 18 | |