Minor in Criminal Justice

Overview

The minor in Criminal Justice is designed to prepare students to work in a variety of criminal justice settings and cultivate an appreciation for the complexities of justice, crime and corrections. The curriculum is designed to provide a foundation for students who are interested in a career in criminal justice settings as a specialty of their major field, students interested in issues of justice and crime, or non-matriculated students who are already employed in criminal justice settings and seek additional coursework as a means of advancing their careers.

The minor requires 30 credits (minimum of 20 credits in residence). There are four core courses required for a total of 20 credits and an additional 10 credits of electives chosen from an approved list of classes. Other electives may be approved by a Social Work Program academic adviser in consultation with faculty. At least 15 credits (core and elective combined) must be taken at the upper-division (300-400) level.

Students may request to transfer in up to 10 credits to be applied toward the required courses. The student must maintain an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all criminal justice minor course work and a minimum 2.0 GPA in each course required to earn the minor.

Learning Outcomes

Students will gain an understanding of the origins of criminal behavior, society’s responses to crime and delinquency and the consequences of crime for our society.
Students will become sensitized to the human impacts of criminal justice policies including differential impacts of race/ethnicity, social class, age, and gender.
Students will be grounded in theoretical and empirical knowledge, values and skills related to criminal justice as they develop into competent professionals.
Students will gain an understanding of the consequences of incarceration on the families of the incarcerated, especially as it relates to parent-child relationships.
Students will recognize the multiple needs of the victims of criminal behavior, including crisis and trauma interventions.
Students will become knowledgeable about special populations in the criminal justice system including sex offenders, the chemically dependent, and individuals with mental illness.

Core Courses (20 credits)

T CRIM 200 Introduction to Criminal Justice (5)
T CRIM 271 Introduction to the Sociology of Deviance & Social Control (5)
T CRIM 360 Youth & Juvenile Justice Systems (5)
T CRIM 361 Addictions & Mental Illness in Criminal Justice (5)

Approved Electives (Choose 10 credits below)

T CRIM 352 Women in the Criminal Justice System (5)
T CRIM 362 Special Populations in corrections (including sex offenders, aging prisoners, military-connected offenders) (5) (under development)
T CRIM 430 Children of Incarcerated Parents (5)
T CRIM 431 Alternative Sentencing & Placement Models (5)
T CRIM 432 Criminal Law (5) (under development)
T CRIM 433 Crisis and Trauma Interventions with Crime Victims (5)
TCSIUS 452 Minorities and the Law (5)
TCSS 490 Special Topics: Computer Forensics (5)
THLTH 425 Violence in Intimate Partner Relationships (5)
TPSYCH 210 Abnormal Psychology prerequisite TPSYCH 100 (5)
TPSYCH 240 Social Psychology prerequisite TPSYCH 100 (5)
TPSYCH 301 Psychology of Adjustment (5)
TPSYCH 321 Adolescent Psychology (5)
TPSYCH 340 Mental Illness Across Cultures prerequisite TPSYCH 210 (5)
TPSYCH 401 Family Violence (5)
TPSYCH 406 Chemical Dependency (5)
TPSYCH 421 Social Psychology, Law, and Society (5)
TSOCWF 420 Interpersonal Violence and Society (5)
TSMUS 320 American Constitutional Law (5)
TURB 312 Race and Poverty in Urban America (5)