Criminal Justice, BA or BS

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Requirements for the Criminal Justice Major

1.

Complete at least 67 credits in the major, 63 of which must be CCJ credits. Students may take up to 4 elective credits from a list of pre-approved courses outside the department at the direction of their academic advisor. Students must complete a minimum of 50 upper division required and elective credits in the major.

2.

Have earned a 2.5 GPA or above in all CCJ coursework; have earned no lower than a C- in any CCJ coursework.

3.

Fulfill the baccalaureate degree requirements.

Admission to the Major:

1.

Students intending to major in CCJ must contact CCJ Program Coordinator, Tanya Blakeley (blakeleyT@sou.edu). Students will first be designated as either CRIP (pre-criminal justice majors) or CJOP (online, pre-criminal justice majors). Students will be assigned an academic advisor within the department at that time.

2.

Transfer students wishing to major in CCJ should contact Program Coordinator Tanya Blakeley (blakeleyT@sou.edu) immediately upon transferring and asked to be designated as a pre-major (CRIP or CJOP) and to be assigned an academic advisor.

3.

When students have completed the following courses (or their equivalents) at a 2.75 GPA or above, they will be allowed to advance to CCJ major status: CCJ 230 , CCJ 231 , CCJ 241 , CCJ 251 , CCJ 271 , CCJ 298 , CCJ 300 .

Criminal Justice Capstone

Criminal Justice majors complete the capstone experience after earning at least 135 credits and finishing at least half of all required upper division coursework. The capstone involves an internship and research. The internship (CCJ 409L - Capstone: Practicum/Internship ) is usually a field experience appropriate for the student’s projected career. Students must complete 2 academic credits (60 internship hours) but may complete up to 14 academic credits (420 internship hours) of CCJ 409L. They are also required to enroll in a 4-credit research course (CCJ 400 ) in which they write a significant research paper on a criminal justice topic and make an oral presentation.

Required Courses for CCJ Majors

Lower Division

(21 credits)

CCJ 230 - American Criminal Justice System 4 credits
CCJ 231 - Introduction to Criminology 4 credits
CCJ 241 - Introduction to Law Enforcement 4 credits
CCJ 251 - Introduction to Criminal Law 4 credits
CCJ 271 - Introduction to Corrections 4 credits
CCJ 298 - Orientation to Criminology and Criminal Justice at SOU 1 credit

Upper Division

(34 credits)

CCJ 300 - Essentials of Criminal Justice Research and Writing 4 credits
CCJ 309 - Research Methods in Criminology/Criminal Justice 4 credits
CCJ 331 - Theories of Criminal Behavior 4 credits
CCJ 361 - Juvenile Delinquency 4 credits
CCJ 400 - Capstone: Research 4 credits
CCJ 409L - Capstone: Practicum/Internship 1 to 14 credits (2 credits required for major)
CCJ 411 - Criminal Law 4 credits
CCJ 413 - Law of Criminal Procedures 4 credits
CCJ 430 - Crime Control Theories and Policies 4 credits

Elective Courses

(12 credits)
Students must select at least three of the following elective courses.

CCJ 321 - Criminal Investigation 4 credits
CCJ 346 - Computer Forensics 4 credits
CCJ 347 - Crime in Cyberspace 4 credits
CCJ 371 - Correctional Institutions 4 credits
CCJ 381 - Serial Killers 4 credits
CCJ 382 - The Making of a Criminal 4 credits
CCJ 383 - Women and Crime 4 credits
CCJ 384 - Criminal Violence 4 credits
CCJ 399 - Special Studies 1 to 18 credits
(only 4 credit courses qualify)
CCJ 407 - Seminar: Special Topics 4 credits
CCJ 412 - Law of Criminal Evidence 4 credits
CCJ 414 - Constitutional Issues in Corrections 4 credits
CCJ 417 - Contemporary Issues in Policing 4 credits
CCJ 451 - Criminal Justice Leadership 4 credits
CCJ 460 - Comparative Criminal Justice 4 credits
CCJ 461 - Terrorism 4 credits
CCJ 462 - Criminal Forensic Investigations 4 credits
Students may count one of the following courses as a criminology and criminal justice elective with prior aproval of their academic advisor:
COMM 324 - Nonverbal Communication 4 credits
COMM 330 - Interviewing and Listening 4 credits
COMM 448 - Mediation and Conflict Management 4 credits
PSY 414 - Humanistic Psychology 4 credits
PSY 438 - Group Dynamics 4 credits
PSY 444 - Topics in Cognitive Processes 4 credits
PSY 445 - Organizational Psychology 4 credits
PSY 453 - Stress Management 4 credits
PSY 463 - Psychopathology of Childhood 4 credits
PSY 475 - Crisis Intervention Strategies 4 credits