°Ù»¨ÊÓƵ

The Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary liberal arts degree with a foundation in social science inquiry. The program prepares students to serve the community in the operation and management of local, state, and federal criminal justice agencies which include: law enforcement, courts, corrections, and other related agencies. It also prepares students to continue their studies in graduate programs in criminal justice, criminology, law, or related fields. The program courses focus on problem-solving and critical thinking, which provide students with the skills necessary to understand and interpret the scientific literature and contemporary criminal justice issues in the real world. The program courses also provide unique opportunities to include emerging technologies related to crime analysis and crime mapping.

Criminal Justice students are required to choose a minor that complements and supports the major area of study. Students interested in law enforcement careers will consider sociology, political science, psychology, accounting, modern language and literatures, communication, and technical education; students interested in the legal profession will consider philosophy, political science, sociology, and psychology; and students interested in the field of forensics will consider biology or chemistry. These are a few examples of how related areas of study can supplement the criminal justice degree to contribute to career success.

The curriculum for the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice encourages volunteer work and involvement in the field as part of students' training. Internships can be undertaken for course credit. The Criminal Justice degree requires a minimum of 49-50 semester hours, with no more than 12 lower division hours, distributed as follows:

Required Core (18-19 hours)

• SOC-100 Introduction to Sociology (3 hours) JUST-104 Introduction to the Justice System (3 hours) SOSCI-387 Social Research Design (3 hours) SOSCI-388 Social Research Analysis (4 hours) or PSYCH-389 Research Methods in Psychology I (3 hours) SOC-547 Criminology (3 hours) JUST-695 Senior Seminar in Justice Issues (3 hours) or SOC-691 Senior Seminar in Sociology (3 hours)

Emphases available: Criminology , Sociology.

• Sociology
• Criminology