Criminal Justice, BS

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 , ENGL 10500 , SOC 22000 , and all CHESS College Core Science, Math, and Reasoning 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): ENGL 10400 - English Composition I  and ENGL 10500 - English Composition II   
• Speech Communication (3 Credits): COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication  
• Quantitative Reasoning (3 Credits):  Select from the Gen Ed Quantitative Reasoning Core List   
• Natural Sciences (3 Credits): Select from the Gen Ed Natural Sciences Core list   
• Technology (3 Credits): Select from the Gen Ed Technology Core list   
• Humanities (3 Credits): Select from the Gen Ed Humanities Core list   
• Social Sciences (3 Credits): SOC 10000 - Introductory Sociology    
• Additional Credits (3 Credits): HDFS 21000 - Introduction To Human Development   
• First-Year Experience (FYE) (3 Credit): BHS 10300 - First-Year Experience In Behavioral Sciences  

CHESS College Core (24 Credits)

• Four (4) College of Humanities, Education, and Social Sciences (CHESS) electives from courses outside of the student’s major. Electives may not be used toward the fulfillment of General Education requirements (*See notes below) (12 Credits)
• Science, Math, & Reasoning (12 Credits)

*Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

1. Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
2. Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
3. Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
4. Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 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

• Choose one:

  • CRJU 23000 - Introduction To Law Enforcement  
  • CRJU 24000 - Introduction To Corrections  
  • CRJU 27000 - Introduction To Courts In The United States  
  • HDFS 24500 Interventions With At-Risk Youth  

  Choose one:

  • CRJU 31500 - Incarceration And Society  
  • CRJU 34100 - Criminal Investigation  
  • CRJU 37500 - Community Corrections  
  • CRJU 44000 - Criminal Law  
  • SOC 42100 - Juvenile Delinquency    

Major Electives (12 Credits)

Choose four additional courses from:

• CRJU 23000 - Introduction To Law Enforcement  or CRJU 24000 - Introduction To Corrections  or CRJU 27000 Introduction To Courts In The United States  or HDFS 24500 Interventions With At-Risk Youth   
• CRJU 31500 - Incarceration And Society
• CRJU 32000 - Murder In America
• CRJU 31800 - Wrongful Convictions
• CRJU 34100 - Criminal Investigation
• CRJU 34400 - Terrorism
• CRJU 37500 - Community Corrections
• CRJU 39000 - Selected Topics In Criminal Justice
• CRJU 44000 - Criminal Law And Procedure
• 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
• PSY 35500 - Child Abuse And Neglect
• SOC 30300 - Sociology Of Violence
• SOC 35201 - Drugs Culture And Society
• SOC 42100 - Juvenile Delinquency
• SOC 42600 - Social Deviance And Control
• SOC 45300 - Intimate Violence

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

Additional Information and Guidelines

Note 1:  Freshman Seminar Behavioral Sciences (FYE) requirement also met with any other PNW (FYE) 1-3 credit course.

Note 2:  Requirements for transfer students are based on the number of transfer credits accepted at PNW as follows:

• Students who transfer with less than 30 credits need to take 4 CHESS Core Electives (12 credits)
• Students who transfer with 30 credits or more and with less than 60 credits need to take 3 CHESS Core Electives (9 credits)
• Students who transfer with 60 credits or more and with less than 90 credits need to take 2 CHESS Core Electives (6 credits)
• Students who transfer with 90 credits or more need to take 1 CHESS Core Elective (3 credits)

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.  See Important Dates and Deadlines for annual FAFSA filing deadlines and Indiana state aid deadlines. State Financial Aid recipients are required to complete 30 credits per calendar year to maintain eligibility for the 21st Century Scholars award and the On-time Frank O’Bannon grant.

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.