Degrees and Certificates
Criminal Justice
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Are you interested in a career in the criminal justice system? Planning to go on to law school? Earn your Bachelor’s degree in criminal justice online from Washington State University. Founded in 1943, the WSU criminal justice program is the second oldest continuous program in the nation and home to the first chapter of the national criminal justice honor society, Alpha Phi Sigma.
Criminal justice is the interdisciplinary study of the institutions and policies that constitute the criminal justice system, as well as theories of human behavior and philosophies of justice related to the maintenance of social order, the control of crime, and the achievement of a just society.
Potential careers
Program of study
With a criminal justice degree, you’ll be prepared for work in criminal justice and government agencies (federal, state, or local) or the private sector. Graduates may enter careers in state and local law enforcement and community corrections (advancing into management and executive positions) or federal law enforcement (including the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Customs, and the Drug Enforcement Administration). Private sector possibilities include loss management, corporate security, and crime analysis. The degree also provides preparation for graduate school or law school.
Visit the DDP Career Services Center to schedule an appointment with the DDP career counselor to discuss other career options.
WSU General Education Requirements (GERs) (Can be satisfied with a direct transfer degree; for a list of direct-transfer agreements, visit WSU’s Transfer Information Web page).
Required Courses: (15 semester credits)
- Crm J 101 - Introduction to the Administration of Criminal Justice
- Crm J 201 - Introduction to Criminological Theory
- Crm J 330 - Crime Control Policies
- Crm J 420 [M] - Criminal Procedure
- Crm J 450 [M] - Senior Seminar: Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice
Criminal Justice Institutions: (6 semester credits; choose 2 courses )
- Crm J 365 - Juvenile Justice & Corrections
- Crm J 370 - Introduction to Policing in America
- Crm J 380 - Criminal Courts in America
- Crm J 385 – Strategies & Policies of Punishment in Contemporary America
Criminal Justice Electives: (9 semester credits; choose 3 courses)
- Crm J 320 - Criminal Law
- Crm J 400 [M] - Issues in the Administration of Criminal Justice
- Crm J 403 [T] - Violence Toward Women
- Crm J 405 [M] - Comparative Criminal Justice Systems
Political Science Electives: (9 semester credits; choose 3 courses)
- Pol S 305 [S] - Gender & Politics
- Pol S 316 - American Public Policy
- Pol S 340 - Introduction to Public Administration
- Pol S 402 - Civil Liberties
- Pol S 418 - Human Issues in International Development
College of Liberal Arts Elective: (3 semester credits; choose 1 course)
- Psych 324 [S,D] - Psychology of Women
- Psych 350 [S] - Social Psychology
- Soc 361 - Criminology
- Soc 362 [S,D] - Juvenile Delinquency
- Soc 384 [S,D] - Sociology of Gender
Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis: (7 semester credits)
- Psych 311 - Elementary Statistics for Psychology
- Soc 320 - Introduction to Social Research
College of Liberal Arts Graduation Requirements:
- 6 additional GER credits of Art & Humanities [H] or Social Sciences [S]
- 2 additional science elective credits, one of which must be a lab
- World (Foreign) language: One year (two semesters or three quarters) of one world language at the college level OR two years of one world language at the high school level
Please review the online WSU catalog for additional information about specific degree requirements (WSU Catalog).
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