Criminal Justice, BS

Criminal justice is the system of practices and institutions of governments directed at upholding social control, deterring and mitigating crime, and sanctioning those who violate laws with criminal penalties and rehabilitation efforts.  Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary field of study. Included are the contributions and approaches of many of the social and behavioral sciences, as well as areas of study such as law and ethics, as they relate to the phenomenon of crime.

Program Advisor: Eric Coleman at Eric.Coleman@untdallas.edu

Building Blocks for the Degree

1. Texas Core Curriculum: All students are required to complete 42 hours of the Texas Core Curriculum to earn a degree.
2. Major Requirements:  The criminal justice major requires 39 hours of required and 18 hours of elective courses for the major.
3. Supporting Major Requirements:  Students are required to complete 12 hours of courses to enhance the understanding of the major requirements.
4. Other Courses:   Students must have a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate with a degree from UNTD.  Students may complete a minor, certificate program or general elective courses to meet this requirement.

Core Curriculum Recommendations

UNTD adheres to the Texas Core Curriculum established in Texas Education Code Chapter 61, Subchapter S.  Courses designated on the transcript as a Core Foundation Area will be applied to the Texas Core Curriculum.  As a new Freshman student starting at UNTD (or transfer student looking ahead to attend UNTD), taking the recommended UNTD courses (or equivalent) can reduce hours to degree and provide more opportunities for elective courses.

Texas Core Curriculum (42 hours)

Courses in (parentheses) also count in the major.

Designation	Core Foundation Area	UNTD Recommended Course	Course Name	Credit Hours
010	Communication	ENGL 1313	College Writing I (grade of C or better required)	3
010	Communication	ENGL 1323	College Writing II (grade of C or better required)	3
020	Mathematics	(MATH 1580) or (MATH 1100)	Survey of Mathematics with Applications or College Algebra	3
030	Life & Physical Sciences	Varies	Any course in the Core Foundation area	3
030	Life & Physical Sciences	Varies	Any course in the Core Foundation area	3
040	Language, Philosophy & Culture	Varies	Any course in the Core Foundation area	3
050	Creative Arts	Varies	Any course in the Core Foundation area	3
060	American History	HIST 2610	US History to 1865	3
060	American History	HIST 2620	US History since 1865	3
070	Government & Political Science	PSCI 1040	American Government: Laws & Institutions	3
070	Government & Political Science	PSCI 1050	American Government: Process & Policy	3
080	Social & Behavioral Science	(SOCI 1510)	Introduction to Sociology	3
090	Component Area Option	(COMM 1010)	Introduction to Communication	3
090	Component Area Option	(CJUS 2100)	Crime & Justice in the US	3

Major Requirements (39 hours)

UNTD #	Course Name	Co/Prerequisite	Credit Hours
(CJUS 2100)	Crime & Justice in the US		3
CJUS 2600	Diversity Issues		3
CJUS 2300	Fundamentals in Criminal Law	PREQ: CJUS 2100	3
CJUS 2302	Police Systems & Practices	PREQ: CJUS 2100	3
CJUS 2301	Correctional Systems & Practices	PREQ: CJUS 2100	3
CJUS 3600	Criminology	PREQ: CJUS 2100 & SOCI 1510 & PSYC 1100	3
CJUS 3610	Juvenile Justice		3
CJUS 3700	Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice	PREQ: CJUS 2100	3
CJUS 3350	Statistics in Criminal Justice	PREQ: CJUS 2100 and one of the following courses with grade of C or better: MATH 1580, MATH 1100, or DSCI 2710	3
CJUS 4200	Criminal Procedure	PREQ: CJUS 2100 & 2300	3
CJUS 4300	Comparative Criminal Justice	PREQ: CJUS 2100, 2300, & 3600	3
CJUS 4700	Research Methods in Criminal Justice	PREQ: SR standing & 18 hours in CJUS with 12 hours from the Major Requirements	3
CJUS 4901	Senior Seminar: CJUS & Public Policy	PREQ: SR standing & 33 hours in CJUS and 18 hours of Major Requirements	3

Major Electives (18 hours)

UNTD #	Course Name	Co/Prerequisite	Credit Hours
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3
CJUS 3/4XXX	Advanced Criminal Justice course		3

Supporting Coursework (12 hours)

UNTD #	Course Name	Co/Prerequisite	Credit Hours
TECM 2700	Technical Writing	PREQ: ENGL 1313	3
PSYC 1100	Introduction to Psychology		3
(SOCI 1510)	Introduction to Sociology		3
(COMM 1010)	Introduction to Communication		3

Other UNTD Degree Requirements

All students must meet the General University Requirements  as well as the major requirements.

Cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher

Criminal Justice major GPA of 2.5 or higher