Student ID:__________________________ Student Name:_______________________ Advisor Name:_______________________ Catalog: 2024-2025 Undergraduate Catalog Program: Criminal Justice, BSCJ
This is for planning purposes only, please check with your advisor with questions about your degree progress

Criminal Justice, BSCJ

The Criminal Justice Program offers two degree options-a general criminal justice program and a Specialization in Forensic Investigation. Both programs integrates coursework and interaction with professionals in various disciplines to prepare students for careers throughout the criminal and juvenile justice systems as well as graduate school and law school. Graduates of the program work in local law enforcement, state and federal investigative agencies, correctional institutions, adult and juvenile probation and parole, victim’s services, private security, and other human service-related fields. The graduate of the program receives a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree or a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice - Specialization in Forensic Investigation degree.

The Specialization in Forensic Investigations focuses on investigation of various forms of crime, especially in terms of gathering and analysis of varying forms of evidence in ways that enhance the ability of the criminal justice system to arrest and convict those responsible for the crimes. Students selecting this specialization follow a distinct course check sheet.

Students must take all core courses and core electives for a grade and earn a “C” or higher. Students must also maintain a BGSU GPA of at least 2.5 to remain in the major. Dropping below a 2.5 GPA will result in being placed on departmental probation for one semester, during which the student has the opportunity to raise his/her GPA above the 2.5 level. Failure to do so will result in the student being moved to the PRE-CRJU category and barred from taking any CRJU or DHS courses. One may not graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice without an overall Bowling Green State University GPA of at least 2.5.

The program places emphasis on superior academic attainment, ability to communicate verbally and in writing, and research potential. Every student must complete a field internship (practicum) with an agency of the student’s choice. However, all internships are subject to the approval and supervision of the program faculty. It is anticipated that CRJU graduates will enter the field or go on to graduate school or law school with the tools needed to succeed in a demanding profession.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the baccalaureate degree, students in criminal justice are expected to:

  • Identify, investigate, and propose solutions to problems/issues facing the criminal justice system;
  • Critically evaluate policies and practices of the criminal justice system;
  • Communicate effectively, both orally and in written form.

Internship

480 agency hours for nine credit hours (CRJU 4910) and practicum seminar for three credit hours (CRJU 4920)

Core Electives

All Criminal Justice students must take 20-21 hours of Core Electives. Those following the general degree requirements select a list of pre-approved courses, and those for which special permission is granted should be selected carefully, to supplement and enrich the criminal justice core courses. Students opting for the Specialization in Forensic Investigations must choose 6 credit hours of Core Electives specifically related to forensic science topics in consultation with their advisor. These students then choose 14+ hours of Core Electives from the pre-approved list.

BG Perspective (BGP) Requirements

Must complete at least 1 course in each of the following:

   English Composition and Oral Communication
   _____________________________    ________

   Quantitative Literacy
   _____________________________    ________

Must Complete at least 2 courses in each of the following:

   Humanities and the Arts
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________    

   Natural Sciences - at least one Lab Science required
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                                      

   Social and Behavioral Sciences
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                        

Complete total required BGP credit hours by selecting courses from any of the above categories:

   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________ 
   _____________________________    ________                                                                                    

University Requirements

Designated courses in Humanities and the Arts and the Social and Behavioral Sciences domains may be used to fulfill both the BGP requirement and one of the following university requirements:

Cultural Diversity in the US    ____________
International Perspective       ____________

Composition Requirement:
WRIT 1120                             

Total BGP Credits: Must be at least 36                      

Prerequisites

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
POLS 1100 - American Government: Processes and Structure
PSYC 1010 - General Psychology
SOC 1010 - Principles of Sociology

Degree Program Core Courses

(45-46 Hours)

(S/U option not permitted in core courses)

Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
CRJU 2100 - Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRJU 2200 - Law Enforcement in American Society
CRJU 2500 - Institutional and Community Corrections
  • CRJU: Elective Contact Hours: 3
  • CRJU 3200 - Crime Prevention and Security
    CRJU 3300 - Juvenile Justice Subsystems
    CRJU 4200 - The Criminal Courts
    CRJU 4800 - Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice
    DHS 3000 - Research Methods for the Human Services
    DHS 3300 - Interviewing and Observation
    POLS 3030 - Introduction to Public Administration

     

    PSYC 3080 - Introduction to Clinical Psychology

    or

    PSYC 3110 - Social Psychology

     

    SOC 2160 - Race, Ethnicity & Inequality

    or

    ETHN 3120 - Chicanos in the United States or
    ETHN 3010 - Ethnicity in the United States or
    ETHN 3050 - Women of Color in the United States

    or

    HDFS 2080 - Family Diversity

     

    SOC 4410 - Criminology

     

    MATH 1150 - Introduction to Statistics

    or

    STAT 2000 - Using Statistics

    Core Electives

    (20-21 Hours)

    • Students must complete an approved minor with at least 20 credit hours (students may not count courses in the Program Core Courses as a part of the 20 hours for the minor requirement).
      or
    • Select 20 hours of electives from the suggested list. 

    Approved Minors and Pre-approved Core Elective Courses

    Students musts complete one of the approved minors with at least 20 credit hours (students may not count courses required in the Program Core Courses as part of the 20 hours for the minor) OR any combination of the pre-approved core elective courses totaling 20 hours or more. Suggested grouping of courses for different interest areas can be obtained from the Program Office. If you are interested in taking any courses other than those listed here, you must receive your faculty advisor’s approval by completing a blue program change request.

    (S/U option not permitted in core electives).

    MINORS:

    • Computer Science, Minor
    • Ethnic Studies, Minor
    • Management Information Systems
    • Philosophy, Politics, Economics, and Law, Minor (PPEL)
    • Political Science, Minor
    • Psychology, Minor
    • Sociology, Minor
    • Any Foreign Language
    • Military Science, Minor
    • Aerospace Leadership, Minor
    Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
  • ACCT: Any Accounting course
  • CS: Any Computer Science course
  • CRJU: Any Non-Core Course
  • ECON 3230 - Poverty and Discrimination
    ETHN 4150 - Contemporary U.S. Immigration
    GEOG 3210 - Cartography and Map Communication
    GEOG 4250 - Applied Geographic Information Systems–Human Dimensions
    GEOG 4260 - Urban Geography
    GERO 1010 - Aging, the Individual and Society
    HIST 3365 - Drugs and Alcohol in American History
    HDFS 2020 - Contemporary Marriages and Families
    HDFS 2080 - Family Diversity
    HDFS 2210 - Child Development
    HDFS 2280 - Preadolescent and Adolescent in Family and Community
    HDFS 4220 - Cognitive Development of the Young Child
  • IS: Any IS course
  • KNS 3130 - Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, First Aid, and Safety
    LEGS 3050 - Comparative Legal Philosophy
    MDIA 4750 - Privacy, Dissent, and the Surveillance Society
    MGMT 3050 - Principles of Organization and Management
    MGMT 3600 - Organizational Theory and Behavior
    PACS 2000 - Introduction to Peace and Conflict Studies
    PHIL 2180 - Philosophy of Law
    POLS 3010 - Modern Political Ideologies
    POLS 3310 - State and Local Government
    POLS 4210 - Bureaucratic Politics
    POLS 4300 - Local Government Management and Politics
    PSYC 3030 - Psychology of Child Development
    PSYC 3040 - Psychology of Adolescent Development
    PSYC 3060 - Psychology of Gender
    PSYC 3070 - Human Sexuality
    PSYC 4050 - Psychology of Abnormal Behavior
    SOC 3170 - Wealth, Power, & Inequality
    SOC 3190 - Alcohol, Drugs, and Society
    SOC 3400 - Deviance and Social Control
    SOC 3610 - The Family
    WS 2000 - Introduction to Women’s Studies: Perspectives on Gender, Class and Ethnicity
    WS 3000 - Topics in Women’s Studies
  • Any Foreign Lanuage
  • Practicum

    (Required) (12 Hours)

    Course NameTerms TakenGradeCore
  • CRJU 4910 - Practicum Contact Hours: 9
  • CRJU 4920 - Internship Seminar

    Total Hours: 122

    A grade of “C” or higher is required in all program core courses and core electives.

    Students must have a 2.50 GPA in order to graduate with a degree in Criminal Justice.

    1. Students can graduate within four years (8 semesters) if they are admitted to the Program at the end of their freshman year AND they make adequate arrangements to undertake the practicum (field placement) during a regular academic term. Most students opt to do their internship over a summer, either between junior and senior years, or after they complete all their course work. This option will result in program completion in 9 semesters.
    2. No “D” grades will be accepted in the Core or Core Elective categories.
    3. Check prerequisites carefully. All prerequisites will be required to be completed.
    4. Substitutions will be made only with the approval of your faculty advisor and require a blue program change request.
    5. The practicum (CRJU 4910) requires a minimum of 480 hours with an agency in the field and is scheduled after completion of the junior year. Concurrent enrollment in other courses is permitted only with Director’s permission.
    Notes: