Introduction

Please click here to see School of Public Affairs information.

The Pathways Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (BACJ)/Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) degree allows high-performing students to earn both degrees in an accelerated time frame. Both the BACJ and the MCJ degrees are offered fully online, providing students with the flexibility to schedule courses around family and work demands while engaging criminal justice opportunities in their own communities.

The BACJ/MCJ degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs allows high-performing students to count 12 credit hours towards both the BACJ and the MCJ degrees. Eligible students will have completed at least 75 credits with a minimum 3.5 grade point average (GPA) in the BACJ major and a 3.0 overall GPA, completed the undergraduate Core Curriculum, and met all other requirements listed below.

Students are eligible to receive the BACJ degree once they have successfully completed 120 semester hours and all CU Denver undergraduate degree requirements. The MCJ will be conferred once the student has completed all degree requirements.

Pathways Application

Both current CU Denver BACJ majors and new transfer students are eligible to apply to the Pathways BACJ/MCJ program after meeting the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled in the School of Public Affairs as an undergraduate Criminal Justice major
• Completed the University of Colorado Denver’s undergraduate core curriculum
• Completed at least 60 undergraduate credit hours
• Completed the following 12 credit hours in Criminal Justice or have an approved plan for enrolling in each class:

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
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
Total Hours		12

• All transfer courses must have been approved and accepted towards the major and degree at the time of application

• Minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA

• Minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA in the Criminal Justice major

Students will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to apply for the Pathways program after they have already matriculated to the university and have met the stated criteria. Students do not apply for the Pathways program at the time of application to CU Denver.

BACJ/MCJ Program Matriculation

Students admitted to the Pathways BACJ/MCJ program will work with their assigned undergraduate academic advisor to enroll in MCJ-level courses each semester. Students can complete up to 6 credit hours of MCJ coursework per semester as an undergraduate and a maximum total of 12 graduate semester credits as an undergraduate BACJ/MCJ student overall. Students will continue to take undergraduate coursework while also completing graduate-level coursework.

Students in the Pathways BACJ/MCJ program may be eligible to complete the MCJ-level internship only after successfully passing two MCJ-level courses. The MCJ-level internship may fulfill both the BACJ and MCJ internship requirement. The BACJ-level internship will not fulfill the MCJ-level internship. Students must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA for all coursework and a 3.5 GPA for the BACJ major.

General Requirements

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

• CU Denver Graduation Requirements  

• CU Denver Undergraduate Core Curriculum   

• School of Public Affairs Graduation Requirements  

• Click here for information about Academic Policies.

Program Requirements

1. Students must complete all CU Denver, School of Public Affairs, and Criminal Justice degree requirements to earn their Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice degree. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice is conferred once students meet all degree requirements.
2. Students seek full admission to the Master of Criminal Justice program during their final semester as an undergraduate student. This application is different than the one used to apply for the Pathways program. Students must receive a minimum of a B- grade in each required core MCJ course, whether taken as an undergraduate or a graduate student.
3. Students must maintain a 3.0 GPA overall in all graduate-level courses.
4. Students in the MCJ program must successfully complete the MCJ capstone or thesis.
5. Students must fulfill all college/school and major/program requirements.
6. The MCJ will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the Master of Criminal Justice degree.
7. The School of Public Affairs reserves the right to rescind a BACJ/MCJ student’s admittance to the Pathways program if at any point the student’s GPA falls below the requirements listed above.