Criminal Justice, BA

About the Program

The Criminal Justice degree is designed to provide an understanding of the nature, extent, causes, and consequences of crime as well as the criminal justice system (law enforcement, the courts, and corrections) and other responses to crime, such as victim advocacy. It prepares students for a variety of careers in criminal justice and social services.

Degree Requirements

• 120 Credit Hours
• Minimum grade of C- required for BHS 10300, ENGL 10400 and 10500, SOC 22000, and all Modern Language courses
• Minimum GPA of 2.0 required for graduation
• Certain courses may only be available at one campus location

PNW General Education Core (30 Credits)

• English Composition (6 Credits):  and   
• Speech Communication (3 Credits):   
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits):   
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits):  
• Technology (3 Credits):  
• Humanities (3 Credits):   
• Social Sciences (3 Credits):   
• Additional Credits (3 Credits):  
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credit):   

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• CHSS 10000 - Topics In Self & World (3 credits)
• CHSS 20000 - Topics In Knowledge (3 credits)
• CHSS 30000 - Topics In Individual & Society (3 credits)
• CHSS 40000 - Topics In Happiness (3 credits)
• World Language - Proficiency through Level IV in one world language (12 Credits)

Major Core (33 Credits)

• CRJU 15000 - Introduction To The Criminal Justice System
• CRJU 30700 - Victimology
• CRJU 38500 - Ethics In Criminal Justice
• CRJU 44300 - Field Experience In Criminal Justice
• SOC 22000 - Social Problems
• SOC 32400 - Criminology
• SOC 33100 - Inequality And Crime
• SOC 38200 - Introduction To Statistics In Sociology
• SOC 38300 - Introduction To Research Methods In Sociology

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Major Electives (12 Credits)

Choose four additional courses from:

•  or  or    
• CRJU 31500 - Incarceration And Society
• CRJU 32000 - Murder In America
• CRJU 34100 - Criminal Investigation
• CRJU 37500 - Community Corrections
• CRJU 39000 - Selected Topics In Criminal Justice
• CRJU 44000 - Criminal Law
• CRJU 44300 - Field Experience In Criminal Justice
• FIS 14000 - Introduction To Forensic Science: Criminalistics
• FIS 14005 - Introduction To Forensic Science: Evidence Handling
• FIS 35000 - Courtroom Demeanor
• POL 31600 - Family Law
• POL 34600 - Law And Society
• POL 36000 - Women And The Law
• PSY 33200 - Forensic Psychology
• PSY 35000 - Abnormal Psychology

Other Required Courses (21 Credits)

Free Electives or Minor Requirements (21 Credits)

Civics Literacy Proficiency

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue Northwest students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.

Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic knowledge, and completing one of three paths:

• Attending six approved civics-related events and completing an assessment for each; or
• Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and completing an assessment for each; or
• Earning a passing grade for one of the approved courses (or transferring in approved AP or departmental credit in lieu of taking a course)

For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

Total 120 Credits Required

Degree Map

Resources

The 8 semester plan of study is a recommended sequence of classes designed to show how this program can be completed within four years.

Visit the 15 to Finish website for information and resources.

For career information, click here to visit the Careers and Employment Trends page.

For Financial Aid eligibility, click here. Annual FAFSA filing deadline is March 10. Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to stay eligible for the standard financial aid award.

Financial Guarantee: If you follow the degree map and find a course unavailable, you may be able to take the course for free in a future semester.  Certain exclusions apply.