Criminal Justice Major

Criminal Justice Overview

The criminal justice major, for professionals in police, corrections or other forms of criminal justice work, provides students with psychological, sociological and humanistic perspectives to bring to their work experiences. Students are expected to complete eight units in the criminal justice field. Transfer credit is awarded for completion of the Police Academy training program.

Requirements

Students must complete 32 units of credit (128 semester hours) to earn a B.S. degree. The requirements for the B.S. degree fall into four categories:

• major area courses; varies according to major
• courses meeting general distribution requirements-17 units
• elective courses-6 units
• a “perspectives”  course-1 unit

The Major

Through study of a major, a student specializes and deepens academic and professional knowledge in a subject area. Students pursuing the bachelor of science degree must meet with an academic advisor for information about degree requirements.

Transfer students must take at least half the courses in their major area and all upper-level major requirements at Clark.

The following eight courses are required for the major:

CJ 2010 Criminology

CJ 1220 The American Criminal Justice System

CJ 2000 Crime and Deviance

CJ 1240 Drugs and Crime in Society

Four additional major courses selected in consultation with your academic advisor.

Please note any course substitutions must be approved by Associate Dean.

Distribution Requirements

Students are required to take 17 course units to meet the liberal arts distribution requirement. This requirement is designed to give students perspectives on human affairs, which will enrich their academic background and their professionalism. Industry, government and nonprofit organizations continue to emphasize breadth of knowledge and capability in those they employ.

A general outline of courses falling within discipline areas may be found preceding the course descriptions. Students should also review all interdepartmental (IDND) courses, many of which fulfill one or more area requirements. The student’s School of Professional Studies Undergraduate academic advisor can identify which courses meet particular requirements.

The 17 units must be distributed as follows:

• English/Verbal Expression- two units
• Humanities- five units These courses must be distributed among at least three disciplines. One unit must be met by professional ethics.
• Science/Mathematics - four units At least one course in each of these disciplines is required.
• Social Sciences- six units These courses must be distributed among at least three disciplines.

Electives

Six electives are required for the B.S. degree. These electives may be selected from the entire spectrum of courses. One course must be taken in computer/information science. Students already computer literate may have this requirement waived by the associate dean.

Perspectives Course

In the senior or graduating year, degree candidates are required to take a “perspectives” course.  As perspective courses vary from year to year, students should consult with their academic advisors. Current perspective courses must be international in their focus.

Note that these requirements are the same for any B.S. major. Requirements for the B.A. majors are different.