BS in Criminal Justice

Units required for Major: 60
Total units required for BS: 120

Program Description

Criminal Justice encompasses multidisciplinary examinations of crime, crime control, the justice process, and justice institutions. The discipline addresses definitions, causation, prevention, investigation, legal process, treatment, rehabilitation, and research relating to crime and justice as well as the institutions of the justice system and their administration.

The Criminal Justice program at Sacramento State is one of the most highly sought after programs in Northern California. Due to the large number of applications, the program is now officially impacted. Students wishing to become Criminal Justice majors must complete a series of required lower division courses and then must apply for admission to the program. It is highly recommended that interested students speak with a Criminal Justice advisor as soon as possible.

Pre-Requisite Requirements

To become a Criminal Justice major, the student must first have successfully completed the following courses or their equivalent with a grade of "C" or better:

CRJ 1Introduction to Criminal Justice and Society3
CRJ 2Law of Crimes3
CRJ 4General Investigative Techniques3
CRJ 5The Community and the Justice System3

Students who wish to become a Criminal Justice minor must contact the Division of Criminal Justice.

Most upper division Criminal Justice courses are restricted to Criminal Justice majors or minors or permission of instructor. Students interested in Criminal Justice majors or minors are encouraged to contact the Criminal Justice Student Advising Center.

Criminal Justice majors are assigned a faculty advisor at the time they are approved for admission into the major.  Majors must meet with their assigned faculty advisor during their first semester.  Advising appointments are scheduled in the Criminal Justice Office Alpine Hall 137.

Minimum Grade Requirement

Students majoring in Criminal Justice must achieve a "C" grade or better in each lower division and a "C-" or better in each upper division course applied to the major and a GPA of at least 2.0 ("C") for all upper division required courses applied to the major.

Program Requirements

Required Lower Division Courses (12 Units)
CRJ 1Introduction to Criminal Justice and Society 13
CRJ 2Law of Crimes3
CRJ 4General Investigative Techniques3
CRJ 5The Community and the Justice System3
Required Upper Division Core Courses (24 Units)
CRJ 101Introduction to Criminal Justice Research Methods 23
CRJ 102Crime And Punishment 23
CRJ 121The Structure and Function of the American Courts 23
CRJ 123Law of Arrest, Search and Seizure 23
CRJ 130Fundamentals of Corrections 23
CRJ 141Police and Society 23
CRJ 160Justice and Public Safety Administration 23
CRJ 190Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice 1,23
Upper Division Electives (24 Units)
Select 24 units from the following: 324
Criminal Justice Administration
Police Administration 2
Contemporary Issues in Police Administration 2
Leadership in Criminal Justice and Public Safety 2
Planning for Justice and Public Safety 2
Justice and Public Safety Information Systems 2
Comparative Criminal Justice Systems 2
Investigation
Interviewing and Detection of Deception 2
Advanced Criminal Investigation 2
Introduction to Physical Evidence 2
Introduction to Crime and Intelligence Analysis 2
Corrections
Correctional Institutions 2
Community Based Corrections 2
Corrections Administration 2
Offenses and Offenders
Delinquency, Prevention and Control 2
Analysis of Career Criminals 2
Domestic Crime and Violence 2
Gangs and Threat Groups in America
Sexual Offenses and Offenders
Violence and Terrorism
Restorative Justice and Conflict Resolution
American Criminal Justice and Minority Groups
Drug Abuse and Criminal Behavior
White Collar Crime
Law
Law of Responsibility 2
Law of Evidence 2
Juvenile Law 2
Administrative Law for Public Safety Personnel 2
Additional Courses
Media, Crime, and Criminal Justice 2
Women and the Criminal Justice System
Comparative Criminal Justice Systems 2
Criminal Justice Systems of the Future
Security Systems 2
Topics in Criminal Justice Administration 2
Internship 2,4
Experimental Offerings in Criminal Justice 2
Co-Curricular Activities 4
Special Problems 2,4
Supporting Courses
Government and Nonprofit Accounting
Cultural Diversity 1
Contemporary American Culture in Anthropological Perspective
Urban Anthropology
Rise of Religious Cults 1
Women Cross-Culturally 1
Culture and Poverty 1
Intercultural Communication
Digital Evidence and Computer Crime
Internet Security
Cyber Forensics
Professional Writing 1
Writing in the Social Sciences
Ethnic America 1
The Asian American Experience 1
Black Political Thought
Chicano/Mexican-American Experience 1
La Raza Studies
US Mexican Border Relations 1
Native American Experience 1
Genocide and Holocaust Studies 1
Pan African Studies 1
The Black Family in the United States
Geographic Information Systems
Constitutional Law
Constitutional Rights and Liberties
The Law and Bureaucracy
United States Congress
Politics of the Underrepresented
Public Policy Development
California State and Local Government
Social History of the United States 1
The City in US History 1
The African-American Experience, 1603-Present 1
Ethics and Social Issues 1
Professional and Public Service Ethics 1
Political Philosophy 1
Philosophy Of Law
Deductive Logic II
Cross-Cultural Psychology
Perception
Organizational Psychology
Cognitive Psychology
Personality Theories
Psychology of Multicultural Groups 1
Stress Management 1
Social Psychology
Psychology of Adolescence
Psychological Aspects of Death and Dying
Abnormal Psychology
Law Enforcement for Forest and Park Rangers
Introduction to Statistics for Sociologists
Research Methods in Sociology
Ethnic and Race Relations 1
Political Sociology
Social Movements
Criminology 1
Delinquency 1
Issues in Courts and Prisons
Sociology of Deviance
Middle Eastern Societies and Culture 1
Crosscultural Theory and Practice: Issues of Race, Gender and Class 1
Chemical Dependency and Social Work Practice
Theories of Criminal Behavior 1
Crimes Without Victims 1
Poverty and Homelessness in America 1
The Child and the Law
Violence In The Family
Violence Against Women
Total Units60

General Education Requirements1

Area A: Basic Subjects (9 Units)
A1 - Oral Communication3
A2 - Written Communication3
A3 - Critical Thinking3
Area B: Physical Universe and Its Life Forms (13 Units)
B1 - Physical Science3
B2 - Life Forms3
B3 - Lab (Note: Lab experience to be taken with one of the following: B1, B2 or B51
B4 - Math Concepts3
B5 - Additional Course (Any B to reach 12 units) - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area C: Arts and Humanities (12 Units)
C1 - Arts3
C2 - Humanities3
C1/C2 - Area Course C3
C1/C2 - Area C Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area D: The Individual and Society (9 Units)
Area D Course3
Area D Course3
Area D Course 20
Area D Course - Take upper-division course to complete Area & upper division requirements.3
Area E: Understanding Personal Development (3 Units)
Area E Course3
Total Units46

Graduation Requirements1

Graduation Requirements (required by CSU) (6 Units)
American Institutions: U.S. History3
American Institutions: U.S. Constitution & CA Government3
Writing Intensive (WI) 20
Graduation Requirements (required by Sacramento State) (12 Units)
English Composition II3
Race and Ethnicity in American Society (RE)3
Foreign Language Proficiency Requirement 36