Criminal Justice, B.S.
Completion of this major prepares one to assume the responsibilities of the following professions: Police officer (municipal and state), special agent (in federal law enforcement agencies), criminal investigator (in state prosecutor offices), court administrator (state and federal), probation officer (state and federal), parole officer (state), correctional officer (state and federal), juvenile counselor, victim advocate (government or community), and others. Continued study may include a master’s and/or doctoral degree in criminal justice or public administration or a doctoral degree in law.
The requirement for admission to this degree track is a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 2.0.
Various discipline-specific concentrations that will prepare students for multiple fields of employment or areas of additional undergraduate/graduate study are noted below. Course requirements for each concentration are explained in detail. The requirements for graduation, in addition to completion of the major area, are listed on "Undergraduate Degree Requirements."
Major Concentration
The requirement for admission to this degree track is an overall 2.0 GPA. Additionally, the 2.0 minimum overall GPA and a 2.0 minimum average GPA in the major is a requirement for continuation in the major, as well as for graduation.
Criminal Justice (Law Enforcement, Courts, Probation, Corrections, Parole, Juvenile Justice, Victim Advocacy; Government or Community)
Students concentrating in Criminal Justice will be required to complete 39 semester hours in Criminal Justice Courses in residence at NJCU:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| CJ 111 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 112 | Crime and Delinquency | 3 |
| CJ 215 | Police Organization & Administration | 3 |
| CJ 216 | Court System & Admin | 3 |
| CJ 217 | Correctional Systems & Administration | 3 |
| CJ 305 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 372 | Criminal Justice Research | 3 |
| CJ 463 | Management of Public Safety Agencies | 3 |
| Students are required to take a minimum of five electives from the following courses listed below to satisfy the remaining 15 semester hours left to be completed alongside the eight required courses mentioned above: | ||
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select a minimum of 15 credits from the following courses: | 15 | |
| Juvenile Justice | ||
| Careers in Criminal Justice | ||
| Writing for Criminal Justice | ||
| Law, Order, and Justice in Society | ||
| Community Corrections | ||
| Crime Prevention | ||
| Crisis Intervention | ||
| Criminal Investigation | ||
| Police & Community | ||
| Victimless Crimes/Organized Crime | ||
| Terrorism | ||
| White Collar Crime | ||
| Women and Criminal Justice | ||
| Crime and the Movies | ||
| Multi-Cultural Law Enforcement | ||
| Hate Crimes Seminar | ||
| Violence, Victims, & Criminal Justice | ||
| Seminar in Criminal Justice Problems | ||
| Criminal Procedure | ||
| Criminal Evidence | ||
| Victims Of Crime | ||
| Minorities & Criminal Justice | ||
| International Criminal Justice | ||
| Criminal Justice Ethics | ||
| Management of Information Systems | ||
| Total Credits | 39 | |
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Criminal Justice BS program, students will be able to:
- Apply critical reasoning skills to solve problems in selected areas of criminal justice.
- Demonstrate research skills necessary to enter into criminal justice fields, or alternatively pursue graduate studies.
- Demonstrate writing skills required to enter into professional criminal justice fields, or alternatively to pursue graduate studies.
- Identify the multi-disciplinary concepts of criminal justice, criminology, and law, and the workings of major components of the criminal justice system: police, courts, and corrections.