BA in Criminal Justice

Possible career paths for students in this degree are:

• Law Enforcement: Government agencies (Federal, State, Local)-- police officer, special agent, investigations, dispatcher, crime scene analyst
• Court Workers: Prosecution or Defense Attorney, Judge, Restorative Justice mediator, Court reporter, Paralegal
• Corrections: Victim advocate, Case Manager, Probation/Parole officer, Restorative Justice Program Director, Correctional Officer, Prison Counselor/Teacher
• Private Security- Loss prevention, fraud specialist, investigator

Marketable Skills

Students will develop the following marketable skills:

1. Critical thinking: Analyze and evaluate issues in order to solve problems and develop informed opinions
2. Social responsibility: Act ethically and responsibly for the benefit of society and the public good
3. Social skills: Effectively use body language, verbal and non-verbal communication skills and personal appearance to communicate and interact with others
4. Writing: Be able to write in a clear and comprehensible manner to the reader

In addition, students will learn:

1. Compassion and understanding of social problems (child abuse/neglect, addiction, homelessness, mental illness) that may later contribute to legal problems and reasons why people commit crime
2. Understanding of the law and legal processes for suspects, defendants, and convicted persons
3. Ability to distinguish effective crime policies that control crime and/or reduce recidivism

The Criminal Justice Department offers an interdisciplinary major leading toward a BA degree designed to provide students with a broad social science background for understanding crime, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system, and to offer the opportunity to prepare for a professional career in criminal justice.

For both ON-CAMPUS and ON-LINE BA in Criminal Justice, student must complete:

1. Complete a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 39 hours at the advanced (33XX or 43XX) level.
2. Fulfill the general education, block electives, and foreign language core requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts.
   1. Criminal Justice majors need to fulfill the mathematics requirements by taking MATH 1320 or its equivalent.
   2. Criminal Justice majors are encouraged to take Sociology and Psychology courses to fulfill the social/behavioral science requirements.

   Complete electives as needed to bring the total semester hours of credit to 120. Elective credit cannot be used in meeting any other degree requirement. Electives advanced (3000 or 4000) level can, however, be applied toward satisfaction of the requirement of 39 advanced-level hours.

   Degree Plan

   Required Credits: 120

   University Core Curriculum ( A program may recommend specific courses. All courses require a C or better.)

   I. Communication (six hours)

   II. American History (six hours)

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility, and Personal Responsibility.
   HIST 1301	History of U.S. to 1865	3
   HIST 1302	History of U.S. Since 1865	3
   TOTAL HOURS		6

   III. Language, Philosophy & Culture (three hours)

   IV. Mathematics (three hours)

   V. Life & Physical Sciences (six hours)

   VI. Political Science (six hours)

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations. Course objectives for this component are: Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, Social Responsibility and Personal Responsibility.
   Required Courses:
   POLS 2310	Introduction to Politics	3
   POLS 2311	American Gover & Politics	3
   TOTAL HOURS		6

   VII. Social & Behavioral Sciences (three hours)

   VIII. Creative Arts

   IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

   Block Electives

   (Core courses and courses from major or minor area cannot be counted as block electives)

   Fine and Performing Arts

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   ART 3300	Art Exploration	3
   ARTE 3307	3
   ARTH 3353	Pre-Columb Art & Arch	3
   CHIC 3302	Chicano Cinema	3
   CHIC 3303	Border Image in Mexican Film	3
   CHIC 3304	Chicano/Latino Music in the US	3
   CHIC 3335	Regional Mexican Music	3
   CHIC 3343	Latino/a Voices in Perf Activi	3
   CHIC 3344	Chicana/o Theatre	3
   CHIC 3345	The Roots of Latina/o Hip Hop	3
   CHIC 3346	Dances of Mexico and Spain	3
   CHIC 3347	AmerCinema of the US-Mex Bord	3
   DANC 3303	Critical Dance Histories	3
   DANC 3322	World Dance	3
   DANC 3347	Jazz & Other Stage Danc Form I	3
   DANC 3348	American Dance Forms - Jazz	3
   DANC 3349	Hip Hop Dance I	3
   FILM 3302	Chicano Cinema	3
   FILM 3303	The Border Image in Mex. Film	3
   FILM 3315	Screenwriting	3
   FILM 3391	African-American Filmmakers	3
   FILM 3394	Documentary Cinema	3
   FILM 3395	Women and Film	3
   FILM 4340	Selected Topics/ Film Studies	3
   FREN 4389	Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage	3
   MUSL 3324	Music in World Cultures	3
   MUSL 3325	Cumbia: Mus, Diff, & Id. in Am	3
   MUSL 3326	Social History of Rock	3
   MUSL 3327	History of Jazz	3
   MUSL 3329	Topics in Music Hist & Culture	3
   MUSL 3332	Music and Film	3
   MUSL 3333	Music of the Middle East	3
   MUSL 3334	Intro to Ethnomusicology	3
   SPAN 4341	Modern Drama	3
   THEA 3335	Latinx/Latine Theatre	3
   THEA 3340	History of Costume Design	3
   THEA 3341	Principles of Costuming	3
   THEA 3342	Lighting Design	3
   THEA 3343	Scenic Painting	3
   THEA 3350	Creative Drama	3
   THEA 3351	Theatre Hist and Literature I	3
   THEA 3352	Theatre Hist and Literature II	3
   THEA 3355	Broadway Musicals-A History	3
   THEA 3356	Women in Drama	3
   THEA 4304	Theatre Pract/Non-Majors	3
   WS 3331	Gender & Popular Culture	3
   WS 3335	Feminist Film	3
   WS 3382	Gender Issues in the Arts	3

   Humanities

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   AFST 3390	Topics in African/Amer Studies	3
   CHIC 3301	La Chicana	3
   CHIC 3305	Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen	3
   CHIC 3311	Chicano Studies: Societal Issu	3
   CHIC 4301	Chicano Legal History	3
   CHIC 4308	Chicana/o Thought	3
   CRW 3362	Intro to Creative Writing	3
   CRW 3373	Writing in Society	3
   ENGL 3300	Intro. to Literary Studies	3
   ENGL 3301	Literary Studies	3
   ENGL 3302	Literature and Film	3
   ENGL 3304	Gothic Literature	3
   ENGL 3305	Children's Literature	3
   ENGL 3306	Young Adult Literature	3
   ENGL 3309	Detective Fiction	3
   ENGL 3310	Chicana/o Literature	3
   ENGL 3311	American Literature to 1865	3
   ENGL 3312	Am. Literature 1865 to Present	3
   ENGL 3315	African American Literature	3
   ENGL 3316	Native American Literature	3
   ENGL 3317	Postcolonial Literature	3
   ENGL 3318	British Literature Before 1485	3
   ENGL 3319	Sixteenth-Cent. Prose & Poetry	3
   ENGL 3320	Shakespeare	3
   ENGL 3321	Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry	3
   ENGL 3323	17th Century Prose and Poetry	3
   ENGL 3325	Literature of the Bible	3
   ENGL 3327	Jewish American Literature	3
   ENGL 3328	Holocaust Literature and Film	3
   ENGL 3330	Restoration & 18th Century Lit	3
   ENGL 3331	World Literature	3
   ENGL 3333	Romantic Literature	3
   ENGL 3337	Victorian Literature	3
   ENGL 3341	History of Form I	3
   ENGL 3344	Am. Poetry 1900 to Present	3
   ENGL 3360	Women in Literature	3
   ENGL 3371	Southwestern Literature	3
   ENGL 3374	Folklore Of Mexican American	3
   ENGL 4308	Chaucer	3
   ENGL 4309	Milton	3
   ENGL 4314	Literary Criticism	3
   ENGL 4316	Am. Nonfiction/Poetry To 1900	3
   ENGL 4317	American Fiction To 1900	3
   ENGL 4318	Early 20TH Cent Am. Fiction	3
   ENGL 4319	Am. Fiction 1945 to Present	3
   ENGL 4322	The American Drama	3
   ENGL 4325	British Drama Since 1880	3
   ENGL 4340	Advanced Literary Studies	3
   ENGL 4347	British Novel thru 18th Cent	3
   ENGL 4348	British Novel: 19th Century	3
   ENGL 4349	British Novel: 20th Century	3
   ENGL 4350	Maj Am. Writer(s) through 1900	3
   ENGL 4351	Maj Am Writer(s) since 1900	3
   FREN 3301	French Literature to 1715	3
   FREN 3303	French Literature Since 1715	3
   FREN 3320	French Civilization	3
   FREN 3355	Assuming the Power of Speech	3
   FREN 4387	Poetry, Art of Ages:Lai to Rai	3
   FREN 4388	Pleasure of Text: Genre, Narra	3
   FREN 4389	Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage	3
   FREN 4390	Topics in French	3
   all HIST 3300 - HIST 4300 except HIST 4325, HIST 4330, HIST 4390
   all HUMN 3300 - HUMN 4300
   JS 3300 - JS 4300
   LABS 3300	The Americas	3
   LABS 3301	The Border	3
   LING 3313	English Historical Linguistics	3
   LING 3315	History of Spanish Language	3
   MS 3313	U.S. Military History	3
   all PHIL 3300 - PHIL 4300
   all RS 3300 - RS 4300
   RWS 3305	Intro to Tec Wrt and User Exp	3
   RWS 3354	Methods for Inquiry & Design	3
   RWS 3355	Workplace Writing	3
   RWS 3359	Technical Writing	3
   RWS 3367	Foundations of User Exp	3
   RWS 4320	Web Authoring	3
   all SPAN 3300 - SPAN 4300 except SPAN 3309, SPAN 3311, SPAN 4301
   WS 3351	Gender & Religion	3
   WS 3360	Women in Literature	3
   WS 3383	Gender Issues in Humanities	3
   WS 4310	Feminist Theory	3

   Social and Behavioral Sciences

   Course List

   Code	Title	Hours
   AFST 4304	Envir. Just. & Min. Comm. U.S.	3
   all ANTH 3300 - ANTH 4300
   CHIC 3301	La Chicana	3
   CHIC 3305	Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen	3
   CHIC 3311	Chicano Studies: Societal Issu	3
   CHIC 3339	Cultural Diversity & Youth: US	3
   CHIC 4301	Chicano Legal History	3
   CHIC 4304	Envir. Just. & Min. Comm U.S.	3
   CHIC 4306	Comm Formation on US/MX Border	3
   CHIC 4307	Hispanic Entrepreneurship	3
   CHIC 4308	Chicana/o Thought	3
   CHIC 4309	American Immigration & Soc Jus	3
   COMM 3322	Communication and Conflict	3
   COMM 3323	Comm & Org Leadership	3
   COMM 3344	Media Programming for Radio/TV	3
   COMM 3345	Media Scriptwriting	3
   COMM 3353	Intercultural Communication	3
   COMM 3354	Small Group	3
   COMM 3355	Organizational Communication	3
   COMM 4341	Media Announcing & Performance	3
   COMM 4350	Selected Topics	3
   COMM 4352	Contemporary Rhetoric	3
   COMM 4360	Environmental Communication	3
   COMM 4361	Environmental Conflict & Comm	3
   COMM 4362	Gender and Communication	3
   COMM 4363	Political Communication	3
   COMM 4364	Communicating Positive Devian	3
   COMM 4365	Comm Healthy Communities	3
   COMM 4366	Communication of Public Herit	3
   COMM 4368	Borderlands Communication	3
   CRIJ 3321	Family Violence	3
   CRIJ 3351	Crim Just on US-Mexico Border	3
   CRIJ 4303	Crime, Criminal Justice & Film	3
   CRIJ 4311	Immigration Law and Admin	3
   CRIJ 4385	Study Abroad in Crim Justice	3
   INSS 3301	Historical Dev of Nat'l Sec	3
   INSS 3302	Sem in Intel and Nat'l Sec	3
   INSS 4350	Selected Problems in Intel	3
   INSS 4351	Professional Practices	3
   LABS 3300	The Americas	3
   LABS 3301	The Border	3
   LABS 4301	Topics Lat Amer/Border Stud	3
   LEAD 3300	Contemporary Theories of Lead	3
   LEAD 4350	Leadership and Social Change	3
   LEAD 4351	Community Engaged Leadership	3
   LEAD 4380	Special Topics in Leadership	3
   all LING 3300 - LING 4300 except LING 3313, LING 3315
   all POLS 3300 - POLS 4399
   PSYC 3315	Psychology and the Law	3
   PSYC 4309	History & Systems Psychology	3
   PSYC 4316	Language and Cognition	3
   all SOCI 3300 - SOCI 4300
   WS 3301	La Chicana	3
   WS 3370	Gender Roles & Society	3
   WS 3372	Women & Work in the Sex Indust	3
   WS 3380	Social Justice Values at Work	3
   WS 3384	Gender Issues in Social Scincs	3
   WS 4310	Feminist Theory	3
   WS 4360	Jr/Sr Seminar/Women's Studies	3
   RWS 3345	Editing	3
   RWS 3355	Workplace Writing	3
   RWS 3357	Issues in Tech & Rhetoric	3
   RWS 3358	Special Topics in Writing	3
   RWS 3359	Technical Writing	3
   RWS 3365	Adv Composition:Rhet Theory	3
   RWS 3366	Advanced Composition: Argument	3
   RWS 4300	Senior Writing Practicum	3

   The courses below will apply to different blocks based on the term and section completed

   • Please see dept or schedule book (online) for details
     • CHIC 4350 Topics in Chicano Studies
     • WS 3390 Women's Studies:Special Topics

     4-Year Sample Degree Plan

     Course List

     Code	Title	Hours
     BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
     FRESHMAN
     Fall
     MATH 1320	Math for Social Sciences I	3
     CRIJ 1301	Intro to Criminal Justice I	3
     RWS 1301	Rhetoric & Composition I	3
     Component Area Option		3
     Creative Arts		3
     Spring
     RWS 1302	Rhetoric & Composition 2	3
     CRIJ System Elective		3
     Language Philosophy and Culture		3
     Component Area Option		3
     Life and Physical Science-Lecture & Lab		4
     SOPHOMORE
     Fall
     HIST 1301	History of U.S. to 1865	3
     Life and Physical Science Lecture		3
     CRIJ Any level Elective		3
     CRIJ System Elective		3
     Social and Behavioral Sciences		3
     Spring
     HIST 1302	History of U.S. Since 1865	3
     POLS 2310	Introduction to Politics	3
     Minor Class		3
     Block Elective		3
     CRIJ System Elective		3
     JUNIOR
     Fall
     CRIJ 3300	Applied Research Methods in CJ	3
     POLS 2311	American Gover & Politics	3
     Foreign Language		3
     Block Elective		3
     Minor Class		3
     Spring
     CRIJ 3313	Criminology	3
     Foreign Language		3
     CRIJ Upper-Division Elective		3
     Minor Class		3
     Minor Class		3
     SENIOR
     Fall
     CRIJ 4312	Criminal Procedure	3
     Block Elective		3
     Open Elective		3
     CRIJ Upper-Division Elective		3
     Minor Class		3
     Spring
     CRIJ Upper-Division Elective		3
     CRIJ Upper-Division Elective		3
     Minor Class		3
     Block Elective		3
     Open Elective		3
     Total Hours		121

     

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