Criminal Justice, BSCJ
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
The Department of Justice Studies houses undergraduate programs leading to Bachelor of Science degrees in Criminal Justice and Juvenile Justice. The Criminal Justice degree has five concentrations to choose from (policing, corrections, juvenile justice, legal studies, and criminalistics) or no concentration selection. The BS in Criminal Justice may be completed in person or fully online.
Departmental Requirements
Only courses passed with grades of "C" or higher may be applied to the forty-two (42) semester hours constituting the Major Requirements for Criminal Justice.
Criminal Justice Degree Program Requirements
Complete Core Curriculum Listing at https://catalog.pvamu.edu/universitycorecurriculum/
| Core Curriculum 42 Credit Hours | ||
| Communication Core (Select Two) | 6 | |
| Mathematics (Select One) | 3 | |
| Life and Physical Sciences (Select Two) | 6 | |
| Language, Philosophy, and Culture (Select One) | 3 | |
| Creative Arts (Select One) | 3 | |
| American History (Select Two) | 6 | |
| Government/Political Science | 6 | |
| American Government | ||
| Texas Government | ||
| Social and Behavioral Sciences (Select One) | 3 | |
| Component Area Option One (Select One) | 3 | |
| Component Area Option Two (Select One) | 3 | |
| College of Juvenile Justice Language Requirements | 6 | |
Foreign Language Electives (One Language; One Sequence) | ||
| Support Area Requirement | 3 | |
Select one from the following: | ||
| Elementary Statistics | ||
| Statistical Methods in Psychology | ||
| Social Statistics | ||
| Major Requirements for Criminal Justice | 27 | |
| Introduction to Criminal Justice | ||
| Court Systems and Practices | ||
| Juvenile Justice Systems | ||
| Correctional Systems and Practices | ||
| Police Systems and Practices | ||
| Criminal Law | ||
| Criminal Justice Research Methods I | ||
| Criminology | ||
| Ethical Decision-Making in Criminal Justice | ||
| Unrestricted Electives 1 | 27 | |
| Concentration Courses or CJ Electives if no Concentration is selected | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Students may use their unrestricted electives to complete a minor. The student is responsible for ensuring that all of the requirements are met. Students are advised to select minors in areas that are supportive of the criminal justice field such as psychology, human development, sociology, social work, political science, economics, or foreign language. If the minor requires less than 27 credit hours the difference should be made up in unrestricted electives. If no minor is selected, the total unrestricted electives would be 27 hours. Students are advised to select electives in areas that are supportive of the criminal justice field.
Juvenile Justice Concentration
| Concentration in Juvenile Justice | ||
| CRIJ 2372 | Theory and Development of Juvenile Gangs | 3 |
| CRIJ 2374 | Law of Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| CRIJ 3373 | Juvenile Probation and Parole | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Elective | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Childhood Disorders | ||
| Early Childhood Environments | ||
| Parenting Issues and Education | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Social Work with At-Risk Juveniles | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Policing Concentration
| Concentration in Policing | ||
| CRIJ 2311 | Intro Geog Info System | 3 |
| CRIJ 2314 | Introduction to Criminal Investigation and Identification | 3 |
| CRIJ 2343 | Police Community Relations | 3 |
| Criminal Justice elective | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Homeland Security | ||
| Introduction to Emergency Management | ||
| Criminal Justice Management Principles | ||
| Constitutional Rights of the Criminally Accused | ||
| Technical and Business Writing | ||
| Social Work with Children and Families | ||
| Multicultural Issues in Mental Health | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Legal Studies Concentration
| Concentration in Legal Studies | ||
| CRIJ 2323 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| CRIJ 2374 | Law of Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| CRIJ 4365 | Constitutional Rights of the Criminally Accused | 3 |
| Criminal Justice elective | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Legal Studies | ||
| Judicial Politics | ||
| Evidence Law | ||
| Multicultural Issues in Mental Health | ||
| Writing for Legal Professions | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Corrections Concentration
| Concentration in Corrections | ||
| CRIJ 2301 | Alternatives to Incarceration | 3 |
| CRIJ 3331 | Prevention and Control | 3 |
| CRIJ 3373 | Juvenile Probation and Parole | 3 |
| Criminal Justice elective | 3 | |
| Choose one from the following: | 3 | |
| Social Psychology | ||
| Multicultural Issues in Mental Health | ||
| Human Behavior and the Social Environment I | ||
| Childhood Disorders | ||
| Drugs, Crime and Society | ||
| Criminal Justice Management Principles | ||
| Constitutional Rights of the Criminally Accused | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
Criminalistics Concentration
| Concentration in Criminalistics | ||
| CRIJ 2391 | Practical Forensic Science 1 | 3 |
| CRIJ 3351 | Crime Scene Investigation 2 | 3 |
| Choose three from the following: | 9 | |
| Forensic Investigation of Sex Crimes | ||
| Technology and Crime | ||
| Forensic Photography | ||
| Interview and Interrogation Techniques | ||
| Death Investigations | ||
| Enterprise Crime Investigation | ||
| Courtroom Testimony and Procedure | ||
| Evidence Processing | ||
| Internship in Criminal Justice and Criminalistics | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
- 1
Pre-requisite for CRIJ 2391, two courses (6 hours) from the CORE Life & Physical Sciences courses. Select two from the following:
BIOL 1308 College Biology I
BIOL 1309 College Biology II
BIOL 2401 Human Anatomy & Physiology I
BIOL 2402 Human Anatomy & Physiology II
CHEM 1303 General Organic Chemistry
CHEM 1306 Introduction to General Chemistry
- 2
CRIJ 3351 is a pre-requisite for many of the criminalistics electives.
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Degree Sequence
Core: https://catalog.pvamu.edu/universitycorecurriculum/
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall - Semester 1 | Hours | Spring - Semester 2 | Hours |
| Communication Core | 3 | Communication Core | 3 |
| Mathematics Core | 3 | Life and Physical Science Core | 3 |
| Language, Philosophy & Culture Core | 3 | Creative Arts Core | 3 |
| American History Core | 3 | American History Core | 3 |
| CRIJ 1301 | 3 | CRIJ 1306 | 3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
| Total Hours: 30 | |||
| Sophomore | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall - Semester 1 | Hours | Spring - Semester 2 | Hours |
| Life and Physical Sciences Core | 3 | Social and Behavioral Sciences Core | 3 |
| Government/Political Science Core | 3 | Government/Political Science | 3 |
| Component Area Option One Core | 3 | Support Required Social Statistics | 3 |
| CRIJ 2328 | 3 | CRIJ 1313 | 3 |
| CRIJ 2313 | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
| Total Hours: 30 | |||
| Junior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall - Semester 1 | Hours | Spring - Semester 2 | Hours |
| Component Area Option Two Core | 3 | Foreign Language II | 3 |
| Foreign Language I | 3 | Concentration or CRIJ Elective | 3 |
| Concentration or CRIJ Elective | 3 | CRIJ 3382 | 3 |
| CRIJ 3362 | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| Concentration or CRIJ Elective | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
| Total Hours: 30 | |||
| Senior | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall - Semester 1 | Hours | Spring - Semester 2 | Hours |
| CRIJ 4392 | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| CRIJ 4398 | 3 | Concentration or CRIJ Elective | 3 |
| Unrestricted Elective | 3 | Concentration or CRIJ Elective | 3 |
| Unrestricted Elective | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| Unrestricted Elective | 3 | Unrestricted Elective | 3 |
| Total | 15 | Total | 15 |
| Total Hours: 30 | |||
| Name | Unit |
|---|---|
| Total Semester Credit Hours: 120 |
Marketable Skills
Marketable skills, as defined by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board's 60x30TX Plan, include interpersonal, cognitive, and applied skills that are valued by employers, and can be either primary or complimentary to a major. Marketable skills are acquired by students through education, including curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities.
BSCJ Criminal Justice
Degree Skills
- Working knowledge and application of criminal justice terminology
- Ability to supervise and manage workforce and clients
- Ability to work with diverse individuals and communities with issues related to criminal justice and social justice.
- Effective use of verbal communication in the workplace
- Written and communication skills appropriate in criminal justice service agencies.
- Problem-solving skills
Concentration Skills
- Appropriate use of terminology related to their area of concentration (Policing, Corrections, Legal Studies, Juvenile Justice, Criminalistics)
- Effective understanding and application of knowledge to their area of concentration (Policing, Corrections, Legal Studies, Juvenile Justice, Criminalistics)
- Working knowledge of legal analysis
- Ability and interest in working with children and adolescents
- Working knowledge of crime trends and analysis
- Management skills in various settings such as Social Services, Emergency Management
Co-curricular and Extracurricular Skills
- Leadership
- Time management
- Teamwork
- Good judgment and work ethic
- Cultural competency and awareness of diversity issues
- Grit
- Resourcefulness