This is an archived copy of the 2016-17 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.

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.
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 Credits40

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:

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: Humanities3
ARB, ENGL, FREN, GERM, HIST, HUM, PHIL, RELS, SPAN, or WGS
Area Two: Social Sciences3
ANTH, CJ, COMM, EMGT, POLS, SOC, or WGS
Area Three: Fine Arts3
ARCH, ART, ENVD, LA, MUSC, or THEA
Total Credits9

Major Requirements

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 201Introduction to Criminal Justice3
CJ 210Introduction to Policing3
CJ 230Criminology3
Professional Major Requirements
Professional courses require a minimum 3.0 GPA
CJ 325Applied Research Methods4
or POLS 325 Applied Research Methods
CJ 330Criminal Law and Procedure3
or POLS 431 Constitutional Law-Criminal Justice
CJ 406Crime and Delinquency3
CJ 407Deviant Behavior3
CJ 460Criminal Court System3
CJ 461Corrections3
CJ 465Women and Minorities in Criminal Justice3
CJ 489Senior Capstone in Criminal Justice1
Additional CJ Requirements:
PSYC 111Introduction to Psychology (May satisfy general education category B)3
PSYC 211Introduction To Behavior Modification3
PSYC 212Psychological Aspects of Drug Use and Abuse3
or PSYC 380 Clinical Psychology
PSYC 270Abnormal Psychology3
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 102Fundamentals of Accounting3
ANTH 111Introduction to Anthropology (May satisfy general education category B and D)3
POLS 230Judicial Process3
SOC 110Introduction to Sociology (May satisfy general education category B)3
STAT 330Introductory Statistics (May satisfy general education category R)3
Total Credits62

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

Required Courses
CJ 201Introduction to Criminal Justice3
CJ 210Introduction to Policing3
CJ 230Criminology3
CJ 460Criminal Court System3
CJ 461Corrections3
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 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.

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.