Criminal Justice

Major Requirements

Major: Criminal Justice

Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 120

University Degree Requirements

  1. Satisfactory completion of all requirements of the curriculum in which one is enrolled.
  2. Earn a minimum total of 120 credits in approved coursework.  Some academic programs exceed this minimum.
  3. Satisfactory completion of the general education requirements as specified by the university.
  4. A minimum institutional GPA of 2.00 based on work taken at NDSU.
  5. At least 30 credits must be NDSU resident credits.  Resident credits include credits registered and paid for at NDSU.
  6. At least 36 credits presented for graduation must be in courses numbered 300 or higher.
  7. Students presenting transfer credit must meet the NDSU residence credits and the minimum upper level credit. Of the 30 credits earned in residence, a minimum of 15 semester credits must be in courses numbered 300 or above, and 15 semester credits must be in the student’s curricula for their declared major.

For complete information, please refer to the Degree and Graduation Requirements section of this Bulletin.

University General Education Requirements

A list of university approved general education courses and administrative policies are available here.

Category C: Communication12
ENGL 110
College Composition I
ENGL 120
College Composition II
COMM 110
Fundamentals of Public Speaking
Upper Division Writing †
Category R: Quantitative Reasoning †3
Category S: Science and Technology †10
Category A: Humanities and Fine Arts †6
Category B: Social and Behavioral Sciences †6
Category W: Wellness †2
Category D: Cultural Diversity *†
Category G: Global Perspectives *†
Total Credits39
*

Courses for category D & G are satisfied by completing D & G designated courses in another general education category.

†

General education courses may be used to satisfy requirements for both general education and the major, minor, and program emphases, where applicable. Students should carefully review major requirements to determine if specific courses can also satisfy these general education categories.

Major Requirements

CJ 201Introduction to Criminal Justice3
CJ 210Introduction to Policing3
CJ 230Criminology3
CJ 270Introduction to Corrections3
CJ 325Applied Research Methods3
CJ 330Criminal Law and Procedure3
CJ 406Crime and Delinquency 13
CJ 407Deviant Behavior 13
CJ 460Criminal Court System 13
CJ 461Corrections 13
or CJ 410 Police & Society
CJ 465Gender, Race and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice 13
PSYC 111Introduction to Psychology (May satisfy general education category B)3
SOC 110Introduction to Sociology (May satisfy general education category B)3
STAT 330Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R)3
Criminal Justice Elective: Select 3 additional CJ prefix credits.3
Using CJ 494 or CJ 496 to fulfill these electives requires permission from the department chairperson.
Total Credits45
1

Students approved to complete the accelerated B.S. in Criminal Justice to M.S. in Criminal Justice program will take the graduate level courses (CJ 606 Crime and Delinquency, CJ 607 Deviant Behavior, CJ 660 Criminal Court System, CJ 661 Corrections, and CJ 665 Gender, Race and Ethnicity in Criminal Justice).

Minor Requirements

Minor: Criminal Justice

Required Credits: 18

Required Courses
CJ 201Introduction to Criminal Justice3
CJ 210Introduction to Policing3
CJ 230Criminology3
CJ 270Introduction to Corrections3
CJ 300-400 Level6 credits of CJ credits at the 300-400 level required. Using CJ 494 and CJ 496 to fulfill these electives requires permission from the department chairperson. *6
Total Credits18
*

Students who do not complete a Research Methods course in their major program of study will be required to complete CJ 325 Applied Research Methods as part of their minor requirement.