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Criminal Justice
The B.A. in Criminal Justice from Georgian Court University is a truly multidisciplinary effort designed to maximize student’s preparation for a rapidly expanding field of professional opportunities and research.
Students who pursue a major in criminal justice at GCU will find that our faculty are passionate about their areas of scholarship and professional experiences in the field. We aim to instill in our students the ability to think critically about criminal justice systems and a desire to act with extraordinary integrity and professionalism. Our curriculum is designed with social justice and the development of concrete and translatable skills in mind. Such skills include the ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing, to understand strategies and tools of effective problem solving, and to evaluate the impact of diversity on criminal justice systems.
Graduates of our criminal justice program will be equipped for careers in local, state or federal government agencies; law; consulting, security, research, international agencies, social services, corrections, and nonprofit organizations.
Criminal justice majors who would like to focus on courses specific to their career or academic interests may elect to do a concentration in one of three areas: cyber crime, global justice and society, or law enforcement and corrections.
To gain a deeper understanding of how politics, laws, and history shape society today, consider a minor in politics, law, and history.
To earn this degree, you must successfully complete at least 120 credits, including your General Education requirements and the major requirements below.
Major Sequence
A minimum of 42 core credits, plus courses in related areas, is required for the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Students who have no applied experience in the field must also complete an additional 3-credit internship. It is strongly recommended that students take MA103 Introduction to Statistical Thinking to satisfy the General Education Quantitative Analysis requirement.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| CJ111 | The Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ167 | Race, Ethnicity & Criminal Justice | 3 |
| or AN112 | Cultural Anthropology | |
| CJ/SO200 | Theories of Crime | 3 |
| CJ210 | Introduction to Law Enforcement | 3 |
| or CJ212 | Introduction to Corrections | |
| CJ213 | Criminal Law & Practice | 3 |
| CJ320 | Special Populations in the CJ System | 3 |
| CJ325 | Gender & Crime | 3 |
| CJ331 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ435 | Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ495 | Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| SO101 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| SO/PO201 | Social Statistics | 3 |
| 2 CJ electives. PS321 may be used as a CJ elective. | 6 | |
| Additional Course 1 | ||
CJ333 | Internship in Criminal Justice | |
| General Education Course 2 | ||
| World Language 2 | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 45 | |
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Students who have no applied experience in a work or voluntary capacity in a criminal justice agency or related organization will also be required to complete a 15th course, CJ333 Internship in Criminal Justice.
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World Language is required; Spanish is strongly recommended. Another language may be substituted with the approval of the student’s advisor.
Concentrations in Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice majors who would like to focus on courses specific to their career or academic interests may elect to do a concentration in one of three areas: Cyber Crime, Global Justice and Society, or Law Enforcement and Corrections. Students wanting to add a concentration take courses as listed in the groups below; two of the courses in the concentration may count toward the electives required for the major. Concentrations are an elective part of their major. Students may request to take alternate courses (e.g. in other departments, special topics courses) relevant to the concentration upon department chair and advisor approval. Note: Several Special Topics courses that are regularly offered will also count toward these concentrations.
Cyber Crime
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ301 | Cyber Security & GIS | 3 |
| CJ302 | Cyber Crime | 3 |
| CS123 | Computer Programming I | 4 |
| IS320 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| IS422 | Enterprise Cybersecurity | 3 |
| Total Credits | 16 | |
Global Justice & Society
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
CJ/PO313 | Constitutional Law | |
CJ351 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | |
CJ353 | Victimology | |
CJ/PO355 | Political Crimes & Terrorism | |
CJ365 | International Human Rights Law | |
CJ375 | Global Justice & Law | |
CJ398 | Selected Topics in Criminal Justice | |
SO304 | Globalization & Sustainability | |
PO211 | American National Government | |
SW253 | Human Rights & Social Justice | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
Law Enforcement & Corrections
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Select four of the following: | 12 | |
CJ221 | Introduction to Forensic Science | |
CJ231 | Juvenile Justice | |
CJ343 | Criminal Investigation | |
CJ353 | Victimology | |
IH335 | Integrative Stress Management & Health | |
PO221 | State & Local Government in America | |
PO211 | American National Government | |
PS321 | Criminal Profiling | |
| Total Credits | 12 | |
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SO101 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| CJ111 | The Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ/SO200 | Theories of Crime | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
CJ210 | Introduction to Law Enforcement | |
CJ212 | Introduction to Corrections | |
CJ213 | Criminal Law & Practice | |
| Any two 300-level CJ, AN, or SO electives. PS321 may be used as a CJ elective. | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ200 | Theories of Crime | 3 |
| CJ301 | Cyber Security & GIS | 3 |
| CJ302 | Cyber Crime | 3 |
| CS123 | Computer Programming I | 4 |
| IS320 | Management Information Systems | 3 |
| IS422 | Enterprise Cybersecurity | 3 |
| Total Credits | 19 | |
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ111 | The Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ213 | Criminal Law & Practice | 3 |
| Any three 300-level Global Justice and Society courses | 9 | |
| Any other Global Justice and Society course | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Global Justice & Society Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ/PO313 | Constitutional Law | 3 |
| CJ351 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems | 3 |
| CJ353 | Victimology | 3 |
| CJ/PO355 | Political Crimes & Terrorism | 3 |
| CJ365 | International Human Rights Law | 3 |
| CJ375 | Global Justice & Law | 3 |
| CJ398 | Selected Topics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| SO304 | Globalization & Sustainability | 3 |
| PO211 | American National Government | 3 |
| SW253 | Human Rights & Social Justice | 3 |
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Minor Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ111 | The Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CJ210 | Introduction to Law Enforcement | 3 |
| or CJ212 | Introduction to Corrections | |
| Any two 300-level Law Enforcement and Corrections courses | 6 | |
| Any other two Law Enforcement and Corrections courses | 6 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Law Enforcement and Corrections Courses
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CJ221 | Introduction to Forensic Science | 3 |
| CJ231 | Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| CJ343 | Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| CJ353 | Victimology | 3 |
| IH335 | Integrative Stress Management & Health | 3 |
| PO221 | State & Local Government in America | 3 |
| PO211 | American National Government | 3 |
| PS321 | Criminal Profiling | 3 |
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
This minor assists students in developing significant skills of social analysis and gain knowledge and the capacity to assess social structures, processes, and relationships. Courses focus on power, culture, socialization, stratification and inequality, control and deviance, and social change as well as the development of social research skills.
Minor Requirements
Students must complete 18 credits. At least 9 credits must be completed at Georgian Court University, and at least 3 credits must be earned in courses at the 300 or 400 level. Criminal Justice majors and Social Work majors may not count more than 9 credits for both their major and the sociology minor. Criminal Justice minors and Social Work minors may not count more than 6 credits for those minors and the sociology minor.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| CJ200 | Theories of Crime | 3 |
| SO101 | Principles of Sociology | 3 |
| Electives | 12 | |
Any course in anthropology | ||
Any course in sociology | ||
CJ167 | Race, Ethnicity & Criminal Justice | |
CJ325 | Gender & Crime 1 | |
CJ351 | Comparative Criminal Justice Systems 1 | |
CJ353 | Victimology | |
CJ375 | Global Justice & Law | |
CJ398 | Selected Topics in Criminal Justice | |
SW213 | Selected Topics in Social Work | |
SW251 | Family Systems | |
SW253 | Human Rights & Social Justice | |
SW305 | Human Behavior & Social Environment I 1 | |
SW306 | Human Behavior & Social Environment II 1 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
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Prerequisites must be taken or permission granted, per catalog.
For more information on program requirements, consult the Undergraduate Catalog.
Fast Facts
