Criminal Justice Bachelor of Arts

Office: W363 Thompson Hall
(716) 673-3205
Dr. Daniela Peterka-Benton, Program Director
Email: criminal.justice@fredonia.edu
Website: http://www.fredonia.edu/criminaljustice

The Bachelor of Arts program in Criminal Justice is an interdisciplinary curriculum that offers broad based knowledge of crime and delinquency, criminal law and procedure, police science and security, and the juvenile justice system. The curriculum includes courses in criminal law and procedure, crime theory, human deviant behavior, police science, security, corrections, statistics and research methods. Graduates will be prepared for careers in the field of juvenile justice, court system administration, law enforcement, adult corrections, rehabilitation, crime data analysis and security at the city, county, state and federal level. Internships are highly recommended. Participating internship sponsors include local police and sheriff departments, the county district attorney’s office, Department of Probation, New York State Department of Corrections, Chautauqua County Jail, and the Chautauqua County Victim/Witness program. In addition to the Core Curriculum and elective requirements listed below, students are strongly urged to include elective courses that will help develop effectiveness in speaking and in writing. Familiarity with bibliographic and data search routines is strongly encouraged.

Students are strongly advised to complete a minor in a related discipline given the interdisciplinary characteristics of the Criminal Justice major.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

Completion of a minimum of 42 credit hours of course work comprised of 18 credit hours of core requirements, 6 credit hours of a statistics-research methods sequence, and 18 credit hours of elective credit.

A minimum of 27 credit hours must be taken at 300-level or above.

Core courses include (18 credit hours):

CRMJ 100	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
CRMJ 230	Criminal Law	3
CRMJ 240	Law Enforcement Policy and Practice	3
CRMJ 340	Introduction to Corrections	3
CRMJ 370	Criminology	3
CRMJ 400	Senior Seminar	3
Total Credit Hours:		18

NOTE: Minimum grade of C- required in each course.

Statistics-Research Methods sequence (6 credit hours):

SOC 200	Social Statistics	3
	or
	Any other 200-level introduction to statistics course
	and
SOC 300	Research Methods	3
	or
PSY 200	Statistics	3
	and
PSY 210	Research Methods	4
Total Credit Hours:		6

NOTE: PSY 200 and PSY 210: Sequence should be taken by Psychology/Criminal Justice double majors only

Criminal Justice Electives (9 credit hours from among the following courses):

CRMJ 331	Criminal Procedure	3
CRMJ 332	Homeland Security	3
CRMJ 333	Criminal Investigations	3
CRMJ 350	Special Topics	3
CRMJ 355	Organized Crime	3
CRMJ 360	Criminal Justice Ethics	3
CRMJ 361	Capital Punishment	3
CRMJ 375	Serial and Mass Murder in the U.S.	3
CRMJ 380	Transnational Crime	3
CRMJ 440	Corrections Administration	3
CRMJ 441	Police Administration	3
CRMJ 470	Criminal Justice Internship	1-15
Total Credit Hours:		9

Interdisciplinary Electives (9 credit hours from among the following courses):

PHIL 303	Crime and Punishment	3
PHIL 362	Philosophy of Law	3
CSIT 201	Computer Security and Ethics	3
POLI 276	Law and Society	3
POLI 277	Introduction to Law	3
POLI 311	Fundamentals of Public Administration	3
POLI 370	American Constitutional Law	3
POLI 371	Civil Rights and Liberties	3
POLI 383	Courts and Social Policy	3
PSY 245	Social Psychology	3
PSY 246	Personality	3
PSY 356	Abnormal Psychology	3
PSY 358	Psychology and the Law	3
SOC 201	Social Problems	3
SOC 218	Introduction to Social Work	3
SOC 303	Social Class and Inequality	3
SOC 310	Sociology of Deviant Behavior	3
SOC 311	Sociology of Addiction	3
SOC 316	Minority Groups	3
SOC 350	Special Topics	1-3
SOC 363	Victimology	3
SOC 364	Juvenile Delinquency	3
SOC 365	Family Violence	3
Total Credit Hours:		9

NOTE: SOC 350 Special Topics (as advised).

Total Credit Hours: 42

Policy on Transfer Credit into the Major

Transfer students will be required to complete a minimum of 24 (up to 42) credit hours of course work in the Criminal Justice major. A maximum of 18 credit hours of course work completed elsewhere that are similar to classes in the major offered at Fredonia will be accepted toward completion of the B.A. degree in Criminal Justice. The student must have completed this course work with a grade of C or better to have it applied to the major.

Steven C. Croglio Scholarship

An annual scholarship given to a Senior Criminal Justice major exhibiting academic excellence and commitment to a career in law enforcement. This honor carries a financial award to be applied toward senior year tuition.

University Police Scholarship

The endowment for this scholarship began at the behest of members of our University Police force, to recognize students in the Criminal Justice major. The financial award is given to an exceptional junior student, for assistance in his or her senior year.