Criminal Justice, BA

Introduction

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The School of Public Affairs’ Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (BACJ) program is designed for students who are interested in studying the American criminal justice system. Coursework in the major includes the complex nature of crime causation; the history, framework, and operations of criminal justice agencies; the implications of public policies related to crime and justice; and special topics such as violence prevention, victimology juvenile justice, race and crime, and community corrections. Students also receive rigorous training in applied research and data analysis, allowing them to collect, manage, and analyze data and produce deliverables like reports and presentations that are relevant in many criminal justice career settings.

As with all undergraduate degrees at CU Denver, BACJ students will complete the requirements of the CU Denver core curriculum, ensuring that they have a well-rounded liberal arts education. The critical thinking skills provided by the degree are important to any future career path, but BACJ students are particularly well-prepared for careers in criminal justice organizations such as local, state, and federal law enforcement and criminal justice agencies and nonprofit organizations working with people and communities affected by crime. Many graduates pursue advanced degrees in law, criminal justice and criminology, and related fields.

Program Delivery

Courses are offered on campus, online, and occasionally in remote and occasionally hybrid formats. Students should be aware that certain classes may only be offered online or on campus and not all classes are offered in both formats.

Declaring This Major

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General Requirements

To earn a degree, students must satisfy all requirements in each of the areas below, in addition to their individual major requirements.

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CU Denver Undergraduate Core Curriculum
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Program Requirements

The Bachelors of Arts in Criminal Justice degree requires 42 credit hours of coursework. Students must complete a minimum of 45 upper-division credit hours, 21 of which must be Criminal Justice credit hours.
A maximum of 15 transfer credits may be applied to the major. Transfer Criminal Justice credits above the 15 credits already applied to the major will count as general electives. CRJU courses taken from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs are not subject to this transfer credit limit for the major.
Students must receive a minimum C- grade in each undergraduate course applied to satisfy major or minor degree requirements and must maintain a 2.0 GPA overall in major or minor courses.

Required Courses

Course List
Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
CRJU 1000	Criminology and Criminal Justice: An Overview	3
CRJU 2000	Professional Development in Criminal Justice	3
CRJU 2041	Criminological Theory	3
CRJU 3620	Applied Research and Data Analysis	3
CRJU 4042	Corrections	3
CRJU 4043	Law Enforcement	3
CRJU 4044	Courts and Judicial Process	3
CRJU 4170	Victimology	3
CRJU 4939	Internship ²	1-9
Elective Courses
Select 15 credit hours of CRJU elective courses.		15

¹: CRJU 2000 Professional Development in Criminal Justice is required for the major. Students with previous professional work experience in the Criminal Justice field may request to waive this class. The waiver is not credit-bearing. Students whose waiver is approved instead complete a 3 credit hour Criminal Justice elective. Contact your academic advisor for more information.
²: CRJU 4939 Internship is required for the major. The internship is a minimum of 3 credit hours and a maximum of 9 credit hours. Students must enroll for internship credit during the same semester they complete their internship hours. Students who have previous professional work experience in the criminal justice field may request to waive this class. In addition, international students may also have their internship waived. The internship waiver is not credit-bearing. Students whose internship waivers are approved will take a 3-credit-hour Criminal Justice elective in place of a 3-credit-hour internship. Students should direct questions and concerns to their Academic Advisor.

To review the Degree Map for this program, please visit our website.

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