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Selected Educational Outcomes

The major program in Criminal Justice seeks to prepare students for entry level positions in the criminal justice system at all levels of the system, as well as for related positions in the private sector. Educational outcomes will include the following:

  1. To develop in students an understanding and appreciation of the structure and function of the criminal justice system as it applies to adults and juveniles; federal, state, and local criminal laws and procedures; and the relationship of these to the Constitution of the United States.
  2. To apply knowledge about diverse criminal justice systems.
  3. To apply scientific research techniques and related statistical techniques in the study of crime.
  4. To develop an understanding of various theories in criminology, their strengths and weaknesses, and their role in gaining an understanding of crime.

Examples of Outcome Assessments

The assessment of educational outcomes is a continuing process throughout the entire undergraduate program. Means of assessment will include the following:

  1. The on-going evaluation of student examinations, research projects, the Senior Seminar project, and reports of other scholarly and internship work.
  2. Exit questionnaires to be administered to each student completing work for the major.
  3. Surveys of graduates of the program to assess the relevancy of the program to their current work and their suggestions for refinements.
  4. The use of university or external data that may become available to assess the quality of the program and the performance of its graduates.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree with a Major in Criminal Justice

Core Curriculum60
Core Curriculum Areas A-E (See VSU Core Curriculum) 42
Criminal Justice majors are advised to take the first 3 hours of the 9-hour foreign language requirement in Area C.
Core Curriculum Area F
Introduction to Criminal Justice
Survey of Law Enforcement
Corrections
Survey of Juvenile Justice
Foreign Language and Culture (additional hours)
If a student has taken any of the above courses to meet requirements in other areas of the core curriculum, credit must be taken from the following courses: SOCI 1101, SOCI 1160, ANTH 1102, CS 1000, or any Area E course.
Senior College Curriculum60
Upper-level courses in Criminal Justice
CRJU 3300Criminal Law3
CRJU 3310Criminal Procedure3
CRJU 3401Criminal Justice Data Analysis3
CRJU 3402Criminal Justice Research Methods3
CRJU 3600Criminology3
CRJU 3700Ethics in Criminal Justice3
CRJU 4800Seminar in Criminal Justice3
Upper-level Criminal Justice Electives18
Any CRJU course number 4000 or above (except 4800) may be used as an elective. CRJU 4700, CRJU 4900, and CRJU 4910 may each be taken for a maximum of 6 hours.
Open Electives21
CRJU 4910 Criminal Justice Internship may be taken as an open elective for 3 to 6 hours of credit. At least 6 hours of coursework numbered 3000 or above must be taken in a single discipline outside the major.
Total hours required for the degree120

Additional Departmental Requirement

The grade earned in all Area F courses, required foreign language courses taken for the major, and each CRJU course taken for the major must be a “C” or better.