2020-2021 Catalog

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Criminal Justice, BA, BS

Degree Requirements

Students can earn a Bachelor of Arts degree or a Bachelor of Science degree with this major

Major Requirements: 11 courses, 41 credits

Core Requirements (6 courses, 21 credits)

CAS-201College to Career: Explore Your Options And Find Your Path

1
CJU-134Introduction to Criminal Justice

4
CJU-233Pathways Through the Criminal Justice System

4
CJU-333Theories of Crime

4
CJU-433Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice

4
SOC-214Research Methods in Sociology

4

Electives (4 courses, 16 credits)

Choose four of the following Crime and Justice electives, at least two of which must be at the 300-level:
CJU-204

CJU-207Police and Society

4
CJU-210Juvenile Justice

4
CJU-211Corrections and Punishment

4
CJU-218Crime and Law in Indian Country

4
CJU-230Bad Girls?

4
CJU-231Victims of Crime

4
CJU-232Street Gangs

4
CJU-236Deviance and Social Control

4
CJU-237School to Prison Pipeline

4
CJU-275Women and Crime

4
CJU-285Terrorism and Counterterrorism

4
CJU-302Global Criminology

4
CJU-304Race, Crime, and Justice

4
CJU-305Crime and Mental Illness

4
CJU-327Special Topics in Criminal Justice

4
CJU-331Violence Against Women

4
CJU-332Restorative Justice

4
CJU-335Crime Mapping

4
CJU-338White Collar Crime

4
CJU-340Licit/Lethal: America's Drug Problem

4
CJU-341International Drug Control Policy

4
CJU-483Internship in Criminal Justice

4
CJU-H510Honors Independent Study

1
CJU-H555Senior Honors Project

1

Note: CJU-H510 and CJU-H555 must be taken for a minimum of 4 credits to count as a major elective.

Perspectives on Crime, Rights, and Justice (1 course, 4 credits)

Choose one of the following:
LAWU-260Criminal Law

4
POLS-225U.S. Constitutional Law & Civil Liberties

4
SOC-116Social Justice

4
SOC-227Race in American Society

4
SOC-301Sociology of Law

4
SOC-342Law, Health & Human Rights

4
SOC-347Immigration Law and Policy

4

Residency Requirement Policy

In the College of Arts and Sciences, a two-course (8 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for completion of a minor and a four-course (16 credit) residency requirement must be satisfied for the completion of a major.

Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's Degree in Crime and Justice Studies

Degree Requirements

  1. Students admitted to this dual degree program must meet 1) all the requirements of an undergraduate Sociology major, including completion of at least two CJU electives, or 2) all the requirements of an undergraduate Criminal Justice major.
  2. Students must also meet all requirements for the Master of Science in Crime & Justice Studies.
  3. The two graduate courses taken during the senior year will count toward BOTH the undergraduate and graduate degree requirements. Credit hours will be awarded based on the graduate course description.
  4. Before enrolling in any Master's level courses, students must obtain approval for classes through the MSCJS graduate program director.
  5. Students are subject to the usual standards for academic standing, i.e., undergraduate standards for undergraduate courses and graduate standards for graduate courses.

Upon successful completion of all of the degree requirements, a student will receive a dual Bachelor’s and Master’s degree. The exact degree will be awarded based on the specific undergraduate program the student completes. A student may permanently exit the dual degree program and opt to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree if all the requirements for a Bachelor’s degree have been met. In this case, the graduate courses taken in the senior year will be counted as 4-credit courses applied toward the undergraduate degree requirements.

Honors

To complete requirements for honors in the major, a candidate must:

  1. Graduate with a major GPA of 3.5 or higher
  2. Graduate with an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher
  3. Complete CJU-H555 Senior Honors Project OR complete a designated CJU course using the honors contract system
  4. CAS Honors Program students only: Also present work from the senior honors experience at the Honors Symposium or Pecha Kucha event.

To become a candidate for honors in the major, a student must either:

  1. Have a major GPA of 3.5 or higher
  2. Have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher

CAS Honors Program students only: CAS Honors Program students who fulfill the above GPA requirement are assumed to be candidates for departmental honors and should consult with a major advisor during their junior year about registering for major honors requirements as described above

All other students: Apply to the honors coordinator

Learning Goals and Objectives

Learning goals and objectives reflect the educational outcomes achieved by students through the completion of this program. These transferable skills prepare Suffolk students for success in the workplace, in graduate school, and in their local and global communities.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Students will understand... Students will be able to...
The role and function of the central components of the criminal justice system in the United States, including in comparison to other countries’ systems - Identify the central components of the criminal justice system in the United States
- Compare and contrast the current-day US criminal justice system with historical and international examples
- Explain how social forces shape the perception and pursuit of criminal justice around the world
The role of criminological theory in criminology and criminal justice, including core historical and contemporary theories and their policy implications - Articulate the connection between theory, research, and practice in criminal justice
- Summarize and differentiate the major theories of crime, criminalization, victimization, and corrections
- Apply theoretical frameworks to explain the causes of crime, criminalization and society’s response to crime, and criminal justice processes and outcome
- Describe how law and policy influences the daily practices of criminal justice actors
The role of research in criminology and criminal justice and the various methodologies used to answer research questions in these disciplines - Explain and compare a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods for the study of crime and social problems
- Critique the methods and interpretation of results of scholarly research articles
- Locate, gather, and analyze data from popular and/or representative data sources
- Design and propose a research project to answer a scientifically and socially important research question
The disparate contact, influence, and outcomes of the criminal justice system according to race, class, gender, other social locations and their intersections, both in the United States and international contexts - Explain and compare a variety of qualitative and quantitative research methods for the study of crime and social problems
- Critique the methods and interpretation of results of scholarly research articles
- Locate, gather, and analyze data from popular and/or representative data sources
- Design and propose a research project to answer a scientifically and socially important research question
Criminal justice career options and worker experiences in a variety of core and supportive roles - Distinguish between criminal justice professionals in a variety of careers, including the roles they play in sustaining the contemporary criminal justice system
- Identify the common challenges faced by professionals in the field of criminal justice and develop a working knowledge of possible courses of action