Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Major
The criminal justice practitioner deals with the broad areas of law enforcement, courts, corrections, and social services. Professional positions may include federal law enforcement, municipal law enforcement, juvenile and adult probation, counseling and correctional work in institutions, victim advocacy programs, and halfway houses. Within these broad areas the practitioner enjoys exciting professional challenges and opportunities for serving society and helping people.
Examples of agencies that have employed NDSU graduates include: the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, local police departments, sheriff ’s departments, Border Patrol, juvenile courts, Bureau of Criminal Investigation, U.S. Secret Service, probation and parole departments, juvenile and adult correctional instructions, halfway houses, and crime and delinquency prevention programs.
The Criminal Justice curriculum is an interdisciplinary program drawing on the social sciences, behavioral sciences, humanities, computer sciences, and accounting. A total of 62 credits in criminal justice and related coursework is required for the major. A basic background in the social sciences, behavioral sciences, and civics is helpful.
Criminal Justice Minor
The minor in Criminal Justice provides an opportunity for students with majors in fields outside of the Criminal Justice program to gain valuable knowledge regarding criminological theory and the history, operation and effectiveness of various parts of the criminal and juvenile justice system.
Major Requirements
Major: Criminal Justice
Degree Type: B.A. or B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
General Education Requirements for Baccalaureate Degree
- A dynamic list of approved general education courses offered by term is available on the NDSU General Education Requirements website.
- 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 the major, minor, and program emphases requirements for minimum grade restrictions, if applicable.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| First Year Experience (F) | 1 | |
| Skills For Academic Success (Also offered with the following prefixes: ABEN, AGRI, BUSN, HD&E, ME, NURS, PHRM) | ||
| Communication (C) | 12 | |
| College Composition I | ||
| College Composition II | ||
| Fundamentals of Public Speaking | ||
Upper Division Writing † | ||
| Quantitative Reasoning (R) † | 3 | |
| Science and Technology (S) † | 10 | |
| Humanities and Fine Arts (A) † | 6 | |
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (B) † | 6 | |
| Wellness (W) † | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D) *† | ||
| Global Perspectives (G) *† | ||
| Total Credits | 40 | |
| * | May be satisfied by completing courses in another General Education category. |
| † | May be satisfied with courses required in the major. Review major requirements to determine if a specific upper division writing course is required. |
Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Degree Requirements
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) Degree – The completion of a minor program of study, a second major, or a second degree is required.
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) Degree – Second year language proficiency at college level required.
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences College Requirements
An additional 9 credits are required by the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences for all Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts degree programs of study, except the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, the Bachelor of Music degree, Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree, and the Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| AH&SS College Requirements | ||
Courses used to satisfy any general education requirement cannot be used to also count toward the AH&SS College Requirements. A minimum of three credits is required in each of the 3 following areas for a total of 9 credits. Choose only those courses with the prefixes listed for each area. A course with the WGS prefix can only be used in one area. | ||
| Area One: Humanities | 3 | |
ARB, ENGL, FREN, GERM, HIST, HUM, PHIL, RELS, SPAN, or WGS | ||
| Area Two: Social Sciences | 3 | |
ANTH, CJ, COMM, EMGT, POLS, SOC, or WGS | ||
| Area Three: Fine Arts | 3 | |
ARCH, ART, ENVD, LA, MUSC, or THEA | ||
| Total Credits | 9 | |
Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Criminal Justice Requirements | ||
| Complete 9 credit hours with an average GPA of 3.0 or higher in the courses listed. Only one re-take per CJ course is allowed. | ||
| CJ 201 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 210 | Introduction to Policing | 3 |
| CJ 230 | Criminology | 3 |
| Professional Major Requirements | ||
| Professional courses require a minimum 3.0 GPA | ||
| CJ 325 | Applied Research Methods | 4 |
| or POLS 325 | Applied Research Methods | |
| CJ 330 | Criminal Law and Procedure | 3 |
| or POLS 431 | Constitutional Law-Criminal Justice | |
| CJ 406 | Crime and Delinquency | 3 |
| CJ 407 | Deviant Behavior | 3 |
| CJ 460 | Criminal Court System | 3 |
| CJ 461 | Corrections | 3 |
| CJ 465 | Women and Minorities in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 489 | Senior Capstone in Criminal Justice | 1 |
| Additional CJ Requirements: | ||
| PSYC 111 | Introduction to Psychology (May satisfy general education category B) | 3 |
| PSYC 211 | Introduction To Behavior Modification | 3 |
| PSYC 212 | Psychological Aspects of Drug Use and Abuse | 3 |
| or PSYC 380 | Clinical Psychology | |
| PSYC 270 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Elective: Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Punishment and the Death Penalty | ||
| Criminal Investigation | ||
| Women and Policing | ||
| Media, Crime and Justice in America | ||
| Study Tour Abroad | ||
| Additional Program Requirements: | ||
| ACCT 102 | Fundamentals of Accounting | 3 |
| ANTH 111 | Introduction to Anthropology (May satisfy general education category B and D) | 3 |
| POLS 230 | Judicial Process | 3 |
| SOC 110 | Introduction to Sociology (May satisfy general education category B) | 3 |
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R) | 3 |
| Total Credits | 62 | |
Degree Requirements and Notes
- Students should refer to www.ndsu.edu/cjps for information regarding application to professional program.
- To apply, a student must have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours and achieved a minimum GPA of 2.75 in all coursework, including transfer work.
- Students are allowed only one re-take of any pre-professional or upper level criminal justice core course.
- Once admitted to the professional Criminal Justice program, failure to maintain the minimum GPA of 3.00 in the core upper-level criminal justice courses will result in an academic warning issued from the department for the first violation. Students will receive notification of this warning at their NDSU email address. If the GPA falls below 3.00 for a second semester in professional-level core CJ courses, the student will be administratively removed from the criminal justice professional program.
- Internal and external transfer students will be handled similarly to students who commence their studies in the pre-professional program.
- Students who entered the University and/or declared criminal justice as their major prior to fall 2012 will be grandfathered into the program and will not be subject to these guidelines.
- These guidelines apply for all majors and minors of criminal justice.
Minor Requirements
Criminal Justice Minor
Minor Requirements
Required Credits: 18
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| CJ 201 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 210 | Introduction to Policing | 3 |
| CJ 230 | Criminology | 3 |
| CJ 460 | Criminal Court System | 3 |
| CJ 461 | Corrections | 3 |
| Electives: Select 3 credits from the following: | 3 | |
| Punishment and the Death Penalty | ||
| Criminal Investigation | ||
| Women and Policing | ||
| Applied Research Methods * | ||
| Criminal Law and Procedure | ||
| Media, Crime and Justice in America | ||
| Study Tour Abroad | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Crime and Delinquency | ||
| Deviant Behavior | ||
| Women and Minorities in Criminal Justice | ||
| Senior Capstone in Criminal Justice | ||
| Total Credits | 18 | |
| * | 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. |
Minor Requirements and Notes
- Students should refer to www.ndsu.edu/cjps for information regarding the application for minor.
- A minimum of 8 credits must be taken at NDSU.
- A minimum 3.0 GPA is required for all courses needed to complete the minor.
- To apply, a student must have completed a minimum of 45 credit hours and achieve a minimum GPA of 2.75 in all coursework including any transfer work.
- A student must average a 3.0 GPA or higher in these courses: (CJ 201 Introduction to Criminal Justice, CJ 210 Introduction to Policing, and CJ 230 Criminology).
- Only one re-take of any minor course is allowed.
- Failure to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.00 in the minor courses for criminal justice will result in an academic warning issued from the department for the first violation. Students will receive notification of this warning via their NDSU email address. If the GPA falls below 3.00 for a second semester in criminal justice minor courses, the student will be administratively removed from the program.
