Description
The Criminal Justice program offers a comprehensive academic foundation for students seeking to examine the etiology, prevention, and control of crime, alongside critical analyses of the theories, structures, and policies that shape the operations of policing, correctional systems, and judicial institutions. The program is designed to prepare students for professional roles within a diverse array of justice-related agencies, including but not limited to municipal and state law enforcement, juvenile and adult correctional systems, legal and judicial bodies, federal agencies, and the private security sector.
The major integrates both professional competencies and a liberal arts foundation. Its curriculum is structured around three core components: (1) a set of required proficiency courses in criminal justice that establish foundational knowledge; (2) a selection of elective courses that may be organized into thematic concentrations or pursued independently according to student interest; and (3) co-requisite courses drawn from complementary liberal arts disciplines, typically undertaken during the initial stages of the undergraduate program.
Admission to the Program
To be considered for Admission to the Criminal Justice Major - Online Degree Completion Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Have an Associate’s degree or at least 60 transferrable credits
- Have completed the program’s prerequisite (CRJ101 Introduction to Criminal Justice) or the equivalent with a C or higher.
- Have a 2.5 GPA or higher
Program Requirements
Students majoring in Criminal Justice (Online Degree Completion Program) pursue the Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree and are required to fulfill the corresponding degree’s requirements.
General Education Requirements (31 credits)
Major Department Requirements (36 credits)
Criminal Justice Core Proficiencies (required)* … Students must take all 6 courses (18 credits)
- CRJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice**
- CRJ 203 The Police Process
- CRJ 205 Criminal Courts and Law (or PLS 320 Law and Legal Process)
- CRJ 207 The Corrections Process
- CRJ 471 Research Methods***
- CRJ 494 Criminology
Criminal Justice Electives* … Students must select 6 courses from the following electives (18 credits)
- CRJ 304 Investigations
- CRJ 305 Adjudication Process
- CRJ 311 Criminal Law
- CRJ 313 Constitutional Criminal procedure
- CRJ 321 Crime Patterns
- CRJ 323 White Collar Crime
- CRJ 331 Community Based Corrections
- CRJ 343 Juvenile Justice Process
- CRJ 371 Survey in Forensic Science
- CRJ 375 Forensic Law
- CRJ 422 Cyber Crime and Digital Forensics
- CRJ 431 Crime Prevention and Control
- CRJ 434 Security Administration
- CRJ 436 Computer Security
- CRJ 451 International Criminal Justice
- CRJ 465 Terrorism
- CRJ 472 Crime and Media
- CRJ 473 Death Penalty
- CRJ 474 GIS (Geographic Information System) & Crime Mapping
- CRJ 476 Race & Crime
- CRJ 477 Family Violence
- CRJ 479 Victimology
- CRJ 481 Women and Criminal Justice
- CRJ 485 Issues in Juvenile Justice
- CRJ 489 Problems in Policing
- CRJ 490 Internship in Criminal Justice
- CRJ 491 Selected Topics in Criminal Justice
- CRJ 492 Ethics in Criminal Justice
- CRJ 493 Seminar in Criminal Justice
- CRJ 499 Independent Study in Criminal Justice
Notes:
*Criminal Justice majors must earn a grade of C or higher in all courses applied to the major, including both required and elective courses. Courses with grades below a C will not count toward the major credit requirements.
**Successful completion of CRJ 101 – Introduction to Criminal Justice is required for all Criminal Justice majors and minors prior to enrolling in any other CRJ course.
***Students must successfully complete an approved Statistics course prior to enrolling in CRJ 471 – Research Methods in Criminal Justice.
Corequisite Courses (21 Credits)
- SOC100 Introduction to Sociology^
- PLS113 Introduction to American Politics
- PSH110 General Psychology^
- One Minorities Course from a variety of interdisciplinary offerings.
- One Statistics Course from a variety of interdisciplinary offerings.
- Two upper-division (300/400 level) courses in sociology, psychology or political science.
Note: ^ Denotes courses that meet both major and general education requirements
Electives (31 credits)
Total Credits (120 credits)
Notes for Online Degree Completion Program
- At least one section of upper division required core courses (CRJ 471 and CRJ 494) will be offered online every semester.
- Three elective courses will be offered online every semester. Online courses will be rotated by semester and by year.
- Lower division required core courses (CRJ 101, CRJ 203, CRJ 205, and CRJ 207) and co-requisite courses (SOC 100, PLS 113, and PSH 110) are not typically offered online at SUNY Brockport. Students can bring the courses or equivalent from previous institutions, or take them from online (e.g. SUNY Online).
- Students can bring a minority, a statistics, and two upper division courses in sociology, political science, and psychology as co-requisites from previous institutions, or take them online at SUNY Brockport, or via SUNY Online.
Additional Degree Requirements
- A minimum of 18 credits in CRJ classes at Brockport
- A minimum overall GPA of 2.0.
- Completion of all college-wide degree requirements
Student Learning Outcomes
By the completion of the program, successful students will be able to
- Identify and describe the causes of criminal behaviors.
- Articulate the core functions and processes of law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
- Collect, analyze, and effectively present data using criminological theories and research methodologies.
- Critically assess current issues and challenges facing the criminal justice system.