Criminal Justice (BA)
Degree: Bachelor of Arts
Major: Criminal Justice
Program Code: 3706
About This Major . . .
The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is designed to provide students interested in careers in the justice system with the knowledge, communication and critical thinking skills necessary for success in their field. Graduates secure positions in policing, courts, and corrections. Many also use this degree as the starting point in their pursuit of a law degree. Finally, the degree will assist students in their upward mobility in their area of employment.
For more information on what you can do with this major, visit Career Services’ What to Do with a Major? resource.
Important information for this degree:
- Students must maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
- Selective Admissions: All students intending to obtain a BA or BAS in Criminal Justice will initially be enrolled as pre-criminal justice majors. Students must earn a “C” or better in CRMJ 110 and CRMJ 201 prior to enrolling in any additional program specific courses. Core courses CRMJ 110, CRMJ 201, CRMJ 310, CRMJ 320, and CRMJ 328 must be completed with a “C” or better before students will be admitted into the BA/BAS major. Students must also complete MATH 110 (or higher), ENGL 111, and STAT 215 – all with a “C” or better prior to acceptance as a Criminal Justice major. GPA within these subjects must be at least 2.5. Overall cumulative GPA after 45 credit hours (approximately 3 semesters) must be at least 2.5. Please see the Criminal Justice Student Handbook for more information. Transfer students will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
All CMU baccalaureate graduates are expected to demonstrate proficiency in specialized knowledge/applied learning, quantitative fluency, communication fluency, critical thinking, personal and social responsibility, and information literacy. In addition to these campus-wide student learning outcomes, graduates of this major will be able to:
- Discuss the history and practice of each segment of the Criminal Justice System: police, courts, and corrections.
- Analyze ethical issues surrounding the practice of criminal justice in a diverse society.
- Use knowledge of the nature and causes of crimes, typologies, and theories of offenders and victims in critiquing current crime prevention policies.
- Practice quantitative and qualitative research methods including interpretation of statistical analyses.
- Demonstrate proficient oral communication and writing skills that are formal and professional in nature.
Institutional Degree Requirements
The following institutional degree requirements apply to all CMU baccalaureate degrees. Specific programs may have different requirements that must be met in addition to institutional requirements.
- 120 semester hours minimum.
- Students must complete a minimum of 30 of the last 60 hours of credit at CMU, with at least 15 semester hours in major discipline courses numbered 300 or higher.
- 40 upper-division credits (an alternative credit limit applies to the Bachelor of Applied Science degree).
- 2.00 cumulative GPA or higher in all CMU coursework.
- A course may only be used to fulfill one requirement for each degree/certificate.
- No more than six semester hours of independent study courses can be used toward the degree.
- Non-traditional credit, such as advanced placement, credit by examination, credit for prior learning, cooperative education and internships, cannot exceed 30 semester credit hours for a baccalaureate degree. A maximum of 15 of the 30 credits may be for cooperative education, internships, and practica.
- Pre-collegiate courses (usually numbered below 100) cannot be used for graduation.
- Capstone exit assessment/projects (e.g., Major Field Achievement Test) requirements are identified under Program-Specific Degree Requirements.
- The Catalog Year determines which program sheet and degree requirements a student must fulfill in order to graduate. Visit with your advisor or academic department to determine which catalog year and program requirements you should follow.
- See “Requirements for Undergraduate Degrees and Certificates” in the catalog for a complete list of graduation requirements.
Essential Learning Requirements
(31 semester hours)
See the current catalog for a list of courses that fulfill the requirements below. If a course is an Essential Learning option and a requirement for your major, you must use it to fulfill the major requirement and make a different selection for the Essential Learning requirement.
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| English 1 | ||
| ENGL 111 | English Composition-GTCO1 | 3 |
| ENGL 112 | English Composition-GTCO2 | 3 |
| Mathematics 1 | ||
| MATH 110 | College Mathematics-GTMA1 | 3 |
| History | ||
| Select one History course | 3 | |
| Humanities | ||
| Select one Humanities course | 3 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 | ||
| Select one Social and Behavioral Sciences course | 3 | |
| Select one Social and Behavioral Sciences course | 3 | |
| Fine Arts | ||
| Select one Fine Arts course | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences 3 | ||
| Select one Natural Sciences course | 3 | |
| Select one Natural Sciences course with a lab | 4 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 31 | |
| 1 | Must receive a grade of “C” or better and must be completed by the time the student has 60 semester hours. |
| 2 | |
| 3 | One course must include a lab. |
Other Lower Division Requirements
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Wellness Requirement | ||
| KINE 100 | Health and Wellness | 1 |
| Select one Activity course | 1 | |
| Essential Learning Capstone 1 | ||
| ESSL 290 | Maverick Milestone | 3 |
| ESSL 200 | Essential Speech | 1 |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
| 1 | Essential Learning Capstone must be taken after completion of the Essential Learning English and Mathematics requirements, and when a student has earned between 45 and 75 hours. |
Foundation Courses
(6 semester hours - must receive a grade of C or better in all courses)
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Select two consecutive classes in the same foreign language | 6 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 6 | |
FLAS 114 & FLAS 115 will NOT fulfill this requirement.
Program Specific Degree Requirements
(59-60 semester hours - must receive a grade of “C” or better in all core and restricted elective courses and maintain a 2.5 cumulative GPA or higher in coursework in this area.)
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| CRMJ 110 | Orientation to Criminal Justice Inquiry | 1 |
| CRMJ 201 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| STAT 215 | Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
| CRMJ 302 | Ethics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRMJ 310 | The Police Process | 3 |
| CRMJ 315 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRMJ 320 | Corrections | 3 |
| CRMJ 328 | American Court Systems | 3 |
| CRMJ 370 | Criminology | 3 |
| Capstone | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice | ||
| Comparative Criminal Justice | ||
| Internship | ||
| Structured Research | ||
| Criminal Justice Electives | ||
| Select at least one course from each subfield: 1 | 12-13 | |
| Policing | ||
| Emergency Dispatching | ||
| Crime Scene Processing and Crime Scene Processing Laboratory | ||
| Community Policing | ||
| Criminal Investigations | ||
| Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement | ||
| Courts | ||
| Criminal Procedure | ||
| Civil Liability for Law Enforcement and Corrections | ||
| Constitutional Law | ||
| Criminal Law | ||
| Trial, Evidence and Legal Advocacy | ||
| Corrections | ||
| Community Corrections | ||
| Capital Punishment | ||
| Inside-Out Prison Exchange | ||
| Criminal Justice Theory | ||
| Victimology | ||
| Juvenile Justice and Delinquency | ||
| Domestic Violence | ||
| Crime and Deviance | ||
| Women and Crime | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 41-42 | |
| 1 | Criminal Justice Electives taken beyond the required 12-13 semester hours can also satisfy the restricted elective requirement. |
| Code | Title | Semester Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Restricted Electives | ||
| Select 18 semester hours chosen from the following courses (or additional Criminal Justice Electives above): | 18 | |
| Survey of Forensic Science and Survey of Forensic Science Laboratory | ||
| Forensic Anthropology | ||
| Introduction to Emergency Management | ||
| State and Local Government | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Topics 1 | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Topics 1 | ||
| Internship 2 | ||
| Public Management | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Drugs and Human Behavior | ||
| Forensic Psychology | ||
| Social Inequality | ||
| Race and Ethnic Relations | ||
| Classical Social Theory | ||
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 18 | |
| 1 | Topics may be taken more than one time if the course has a different topic |
| 2 | May only count as 1 to 3 credits toward the 18 restricted credits. If taken to meet the capstone requirement, must be 3 credits and cannot be used as a restricted elective. |
General Electives
All college level courses appearing on your final transcript, not listed above that will bring your total semester hours to 120 hours. 17-18 semester hours; additional hours of upper division may be needed.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Semester Credit Hours | |
| ENGL 111 | English Composition-GTCO1 | 3 |
| Essential Learning - Natural Science with Lab | 4 | |
| Essential Learning - Natural Science | 3 | |
| KINE 100 | Health and Wellness | 1 |
| CRMJ 201 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRMJ 110 | Orientation to Criminal Justice Inquiry | 1 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| ENGL 112 | English Composition-GTCO2 | 3 |
| Essential Learning - Mathematics | 3 | |
| CRMJ 328 | American Court Systems | 3 |
| CRMJ 310 | The Police Process | 3 |
| CRMJ 320 | Corrections | 3 |
| Activity Course Selection | 1 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Foundation Course - Foreign Language | 3 | |
| STAT 215 | Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences | 4 |
| Essential Learning - Social/Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| Essential Learning - History | 3 | |
| Essential Learning - Humanities | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Foundation Course - Foreign Language | 3 | |
| Essential Learning - Fine Arts | 3 | |
| ESSL 290 | Maverick Milestone | 3 |
| ESSL 200 | Essential Speech | 1 |
| Essential Learning - Social/Behavioral Sciences | 3 | |
| CRMJ 315 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CRMJ 302 | Ethics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Elective - Policing | 3 | |
| Criminal Justice Elective - Courts | 3 | |
| Criminal Justice Elective - Corrections | 3 | |
| Criminal Justice Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CRMJ 370 | Criminology | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Elective - Criminal Justice Theory | 3 | |
| General Elective | 3 | |
| Restricted Electives (2 courses) | 6 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Restricted Electives (2 courses) | 6 | |
| General Electives (3 courses) | 9 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Capstone Course | 3 | |
| Restricted Elective | 3 | |
| General Electives (2 courses) | 6 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 12 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
Advising Process and DegreeWorks
Documentation on the pages related to this program is intended for informational purposes to help determine what courses and associated requirements are needed to earn a degree. The suggested course sequencing outlines how students could finish degree requirements. Some courses are critical to complete in specific semesters, while others may be moved around. Meeting with an academic advisor is essential in planning courses and altering the suggested course sequencing. It is ultimately the student’s responsibility to understand and fulfill the requirements for her/his intended degree(s).
DegreeWorks is an online degree audit tool available in MAVzone. It is the official record used by the Registrar’s Office to evaluate progress towards a degree and determine eligibility for graduation. Students are responsible for reviewing their DegreeWorks audit on a regular basis and should discuss questions or concerns with their advisor or academic department head. Discrepancies in requirements should be reported to the Registrar’s Office.
Graduation Process
Students must complete the following in the first two months of the semester prior to completing their degree requirements:
- Review their DegreeWorks audit and create a plan that outlines how unmet requirements will be met in the final semester.
- Meet with their advisor and modify their plan as needed. The advisor must approve the final plan.
- Submit the “Intent to Graduate” form to the Registrar’s Office to officially declare the intended graduation date and commencement ceremony plans.
- Register for all needed courses and complete all requirements for each degree sought.
Submission deadlines and commencement details can be found at http://www.coloradomesa.edu/registrar/graduation.html.
If a student’s petition for graduation is denied, it will be her/his responsibility to consult the Registrar’s Office regarding next steps.