Criminal Justice BA Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Students in this program are subject to additional academic policies and requirements.

Degree Plan

General Education Curriculum (30 hours)

All majors contain the same General Education Curriculum Requirements . Programs may require specific GEC courses, indicated in the Degree Plan (DEG 01, etc.).

University Requirements (7 hours)

First Year Experience (1 hour)

Must be taken first semester.

Select 1 course:

UNV 100 - First Year Experience 1 hr. (FYE)
Select any First Year Experience (FYE) designated course approved by advisor.

Writing-Intensive (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

APT 380 - Organizational Communication 3 hrs. (WI)
ENG 333 - Technical Writing 3 hrs. (WI)

Speaking-Intensive (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

CMS 111 - Public Speaking 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 305 - Interpersonal Communication 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 320 - Professional Communication 3 hrs. (SI)
CMS 330 - Small-Group Communication 3 hrs. (SI)

Capstone (Major Area)

Must be taken Senior Year.

CJ 435 - Organization and Management of Criminal Justice 3 hrs. (Capstone)

Program Curriculum

DEG 01. Major Area of Study Requirements (51 hours)

CJ 200 - Introduction to Criminal Justice 3 hrs. +
CJ 201 - Professionalism and Success in Criminal Justice 3 hrs. +
CJ 325 - Criminal Justice Theory 3 hrs.
CJ 330 - Criminal Law 3 hrs.
CJ 420 - Methods of Criminal Justice Research and Planning 3 hrs.
CJ 435 - Organization and Management of Criminal Justice 3 hrs. (Capstone)
CJ 482 - Criminal Justice Ethics 3 hrs. +

Criminal Justice Systems Electives

Select 2 courses:

CJ 341 - Police Methods and Organization 3 hrs.
CJ 352 - Introduction to Modern Corrections 3 hrs.
CJ 360 - Introduction to Juvenile Justice 3 hrs.

Procedure and Evidence Elective

Select 1 course:

CJ 430 - Criminal Procedure 3 hrs.
CJ 433 - Evidence, Search and Seizure 3 hrs.

Special Issues Elective

Select 1 course:

CJ 364 - Child Abuse and the Law 3 hrs.
CJ 445 - Drugs and Society 3 hrs.
CJ 460 - Juvenile Law and Administration 3 hrs.
CJ 461 - Juvenile Corrections 3 hrs.
CJ 471 - Victims of Crime 3 hrs.
CJ 480 - Seminar in Criminal Justice 3 hrs.

Miscellaneous Electives

Select 18 hours:

SEC 200 - Introduction to Security Studies 3 hrs.
SEC 301 - Homeland Security 3 hrs.
SEC 310 - Intelligence Institutions, Operations, and Analysis 3 hrs.
Select any additional CJ courses.

DEG 02. Additional Requirements (27-30 hours)

Select any ANT, ECO, GHY, PS, PSY, or SOC course not used to satisfy GEC 05 requirements. 3 hrs. *
Select any minor in another discipline. 18-21 hrs.
Select 6 hours in a single world language or sign language. **

DEG 03. Electives

Select electives as needed with advisor’s approval. See Hours to Degree below.

Note:

+ Students must earn a grade of “C” or better in this course.

* ANT 101 , PSY 110 , SOC 101 , and PS 101 are recommended.

** Spanish is recommended for the world language. If selecting sign language, students must select two of the following courses: SHS 323 , SHS 329 , SHS 340 .

Hours to Degree

120 hours are needed to graduate with a BA in Criminal Justice. Of the total hours applied to this degree, 30 hours must be in courses numbered at the 300 level or above. The student must earn at least 21 of the last 30 hours of course work and at least 12 hours in the major area of study from Southern Miss. See Residence Hour Requirements for more information.