Criminal Justice Administration, BS

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The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration is designed to permit the pursuit of specific career goals while integrating the general study of criminal justice and law with other relevant disciplines. A degree in criminal justice administration promotes and enhances communication and critical thinking skills, and prepares students for entry-level employment in law enforcement, corrections, and loss prevention, for promotion and leadership roles, and for graduate study and law school. The degree requires completion of an internship at approved locations, and may be a better choice for those without career experience in the field. Students who have completed a state police academy or the corrections basic training academy should refer to the Partners in Law Enforcement program (PILE), or Partners in Corrections program for transfer credit possibility. A Crime Scene Investigation certificate is also available to students completing a Criminal Justice degree.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Describe the history, present structure and current operating practices of the criminal justice system.
Explain, evaluate and apply important criminal justice and legal terminology and theories .
Analyze and evaluate the ethical and cultural dilemmas faced by criminal justice professionals.
Demonstrate and apply communication and critical thinking skills.
Perform and evaluate research, and apply research to problems with crime or the criminal justice system.

Program CIP: 43.0103 - Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration.

Program SOC: 33-1012 - First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives

General Education Requirements (39-42 sem. hrs)

For a complete list of general education courses click here . For additional information on general education requirements click here .

Ethics Course Requirement (3 sem. hrs)

CJAD 345 - Ethics and Morality in Criminal Justice 3 hours

Core Requirements (54 sem. hrs)

All must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Courses in the major cannot be taken as Pass/Fail:

Behavioral, Forensic, and Social Sciences Electives (9 sem. hrs)

Nine hours of electives from the following:

Criminal Justice
Forensic Science
Homeland Security
Human Services
Legal Studies
Philosophy
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology

Electives (without CSI certificate) (15-18 sem. hrs)

Certificate in Crime Scene Investigation (Optional) (15 sem. hrs)

Note (s):

Candidates for the baccalaureate degree with a major in Criminal Justice must pass, with a grade of C or higher, CJAD 495 - Integrative Seminar 3 hours , as a culminating evaluative experience.

If the student chooses to pursue the CSI option, an additional 3-6 credit hours of electives are required.

Total: 120 (sem. hrs)

The total reflects the minimum number of hours to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Some courses listed above may fulfill more than one requirement block. Please speak to your academic advisor to plan your specific degree path.