B.S.C.J in Criminal Justice
Description
The course of study leading to the B.S.C.J. degree offers students the opportunity to study law enforcement, corrections, or homeland security/emergency management and the administration of justice.
Minimum Total Credit Hours: 120
Goals/Mission Statement
Our mission is to educate students in a learning environment conducive to excellence in meeting the complex challenges present in justice- related services. Our faculty's goal is to expand the knowledge base and to integrate cutting-edge information into the learning experiences of students. In addition, the Department of Legal Studies' mission is to extend service to our constituents to enhance learning, program development, and justice-related service in Mississippi, the region, and the nation.
General Education Requirements
See the General Education Core Curriculum for the School of Applied Sciences. Criminal justice students may use CJ 202 as an option to complete the statistics requirement.
An additional 3 hours is required in the following related subject: either 3 hours of Writ 250 or CJ 322.
Course Requirements
The B.S.C.J. degree requires 42 credit hours of criminal justice courses. The following 18 hours of coursework are required of all criminal justice majors:
- CJ 100: Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 hours)
- CJ 210: Criminal Law (3 hours)
- CJ 300: Ethics in Legal Studies (3 hours)
- CJ 324: Theories of Criminal Behavior (3 hours)
- CJ 450: Criminal Justice Research (3 hours)
- CJ 490: Criminal Justice Internship (3 hours) or CJ 499: Colloquium in Criminal Justice (3 hours)
The remaining 24 hours of major coursework are taken under the student's chosen area of emphasis: corrections, homeland security or law enforcement.
Other Academic Requirements
For majors in this field, a minimum grade of 2.5 must be maintained on all criminal justice coursework.
All CJ majors must complete a minor or second major selected by the student and approved by the student's academic adviser.