Introduction

Please click here to see School of Public Affairs information.

The Pathways Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (BACJ)/Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree allows high-performing students to earn both degrees in an accelerated time frame. Both the BACJ and the MPA degrees can be completed 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/MPA degree program offered by the School of Public Affairs allows high-performing students to count 12 credit hours towards both the BACJ and the MPA 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 MPA 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/MPA 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

• 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/MPA Program Matriculation

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

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

Program Requirements

1. Students must fulfill complete all CU Denver, School of Public Affairs, and Criminal Justice and Criminology program degree requirements in order to earn the their Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology. degree. The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology is conferred once students meet all degree requirements
2. Students seek full admission to the Master of Public Administration 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 MPA 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 MPA program must successfully complete the MPA capstone or thesis.
5. Students must fulfill all college/school and major/program requirements.
6. The MPA will be conferred once the student has completed all requirements of the Master of Public Administration degree.
7. The School of Public Affairs reserves the right to rescind a BACJC/MPA student’s admittance to the Pathways program if at any point the student’s GPA falls below the requirements listed above.

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses		12
CRJU 1000	Criminology and Criminal Justice: An Overview
CRJU 2000	Professional Development in Criminal Justice
CRJU 2041	Criminological Theory
CRJU 3620	Applied Research and Data Analysis