The Criminal Justice program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers a Bachelor of Arts degree and a minor in Criminal Justice.
Your adventure begins with your academic advisor. Please contact cjsocadvising@iastate.edu for more information.
Students in this major will learn about the components of the juvenile and criminal justice systems, become acquainted with the issues affecting these systems, apply theoretical concepts to real-world phenomena, interface with criminal justice and social service providers, and plan an academic and/or applied career in criminal justice.
Graduates of this program will:
- Understand theories of crime, victimization, and criminal justice (i.e., theories about social bonds, learning, social control, conflict, labeling, rehabilitation, alternatives to incarceration).
- Think critically about crime, victimization, and criminal justice (i.e., be able to apply, critique, compare, and integrate knowledge in the area).
- Understand how race/ethnicity, gender, wealth, and power are related to crime, victimization, and criminal justice.
- Understand and be able to use basic social science research methods, as well as those most relevant to the study of crime, victimization, and criminal justice.
- Be familiar with career paths in the criminal justice system, and make career choices that best fit their career interests.
- Make appropriate decisions, think creatively and be able to express themselves in written and oral communication to supervisors and clients.
University Requirements:
| International Perspectives | 3 | |
| US Diversity | 3 | |
| Total Credits | 6 | |
Communication Proficiency: Majors must complete both ENGL 150 Critical Thinking and Communication and ENGL 250 Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition. (According to the university-wide Communication Proficiency Grade Requirement, students must demonstrate their communication proficiency by earning a grade of C or better in ENGL 250.) In addition, majors must also take an advanced course in ENGL 302 Business Communication or ENGL 309 Proposal and Report Writing or ENGL 314 Technical Communication with a grade of C or better.
| ENGL 150 | Critical Thinking and Communication | 3 |
| ENGL 250 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition | 3 |
| LIB 160 | Information Literacy | 1 |
| ENGL 302 | Business Communication | 3 |
| or ENGL 309 | Proposal and Report Writing | |
| or ENGL 314 | Technical Communication | |
| Total Credits | 10 | |
World Languages and Cultures:
| 3 years of High School | ||
| SPAN 097 | Accelerated Spanish Review | 0 |
| 2 semesters at the college level | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 8 | |
General Education Coursework:
Students must select from a variety of LAS approved general education courses in each area listed below. A full list of approved courses can be found at https://las.iastate.edu/students/academics/general-education/.
| Arts and Humanities | 12 | |
| Math | 3 | |
| Natural Sciences | 8 | |
| Social Sciences | 9 | |
| Total Credits | 32 | |
A program of study that meets the needs and interests of the student and departmental requirements will be developed in consultation with the major advisor. Students must maintain a GPA of 2.0 or higher in their core courses. Program of study will include:
| SOC 115 | Orientation to Sociology | 1 |
| C J 240 | Introduction to the U.S. Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| C J 241 | Youth and Crime | 3 |
| C J 242 | Criminology | 3 |
| C J 340 | Deviant and Criminal Behavior | 3 |
| C J 402 | White-Collar Crime | 3 |
| or C J 403 | Criminal Offenders | |
| or C J 406 | Gender and Crime | |
| C J 460 | Criminal and Juvenile Justice Practicum | 3 |
| Select one of the following courses | 3 | |
| American Judicial Process | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Liberty and Law in America | ||
| Criminal Justice Policies | ||
| Psychology and Law | ||
| Select 5 of the following courses | 15 | |
| American Judicial Process | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Race, Ethnicity, and the US Criminal Justice System | ||
| Liberty and Law in America | ||
| Police and Society | ||
| Punishment, Corrections, and Society | ||
C J 354X | Prevention of Crime and Deliquency | |
C J 360X | Latinas and Victimization | |
| White-Collar Crime | ||
| Criminal Justice Policies | ||
| Drugs and Crime | ||
| Gender and Crime | ||
| Capital Punishment | ||
C J 451X | Contemporary Issues in Policing | |
C J 470X | Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice | |
| Topical Studies in Criminal and Juvenile Justice | ||
| Forensic Anthropology | ||
| Psychology and Law | ||
| Total Credits | 37 | |
Criminal Justice, B.A.
| Freshman | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SOC 115 or C J 120X | 1 | C J 121X | 1 |
| C J 240 | 3 | C J 241 | 3 |
| ENGL 150 | 3 | ENGL 250 | 3 |
| LIB 160 | 1 | Arts and Humanities Choice | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Social Science Choice | 3 |
| Arts and Humanities Choice | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 3 |
| 14 | 16 | ||
| Sophomore | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| C J 340 | 3 | C J 242 | 3 |
| World Languages/Elective | 3-4 | World Languages/Elective | 3-4 |
| Arts and Humanities Choice | 3 | Math Choice | 3 |
| Natural Science Choice | 3 | International Perspectives | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15-16 | 15-16 | ||
| Junior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| C J 402, 403, or 406 | 3 | Criminal Justice Special Topics | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Special Topics | 3 | Criminal Justice Special Topics | 3 |
| ENGL 302, 309, or 314 | 3 | Arts and Humanities Choice | 3 |
| Social Science Choice | 3 | Natural Science Choice | 2 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 14 | ||
| Senior | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| C J 320, 332, 339, or PSYCH 383 | 3 | C J 460 | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Special Topics | 3 | Criminal Justice Special Topics | 3 |
| U.S. Diversity | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 119-121 | |||
LAS majors require a minimum of 120 credits, including a minimum of 45 credits at the 300/400 level.
Special Topics choices: C J/POL S 320; C J/PHIL 332, 339; C J 335, 351, 352, 354, 360, 402, 404, 405, 406, 410, 451, 470, 484*; and PSYCH 383.
*May take up to 9 credits of C J 484 special topics.
Note: This is an example four-year plan. Your actual semester schedules may vary.
The Criminal Justice minor offers an opportunity for students to learn about the components of the criminal and juvenile justice systems, to become acquainted with the issues and problems affecting these systems, to apply theoretical concepts to real world problems, and to plan a career in the criminal justice field.
Students who declare a minor in Criminal Justice are required to complete 18 total credits. Students may do up to nine credits of SOC 460 but only three of those credits may be applied to the minor. Nine credits must be at the 300 or 400 level. The minor must include at least 9 credits that are not used to meet any other department, college, or university requirement. Students must have a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in courses for the minor.
| C J 240 | Introduction to the U.S. Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| C J 460 | Criminal and Juvenile Justice Practicum | 3 |
| Four additional C J courses | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 18 | |
Courses
Courses primarily for undergraduates:
(Cross-listed with ENT). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.
Study of fundamental forensic science techniques and procedures covering types of physical, chemical, and biological evidence and how this information is used in the legal system. Assessment of crime scenes and various forensic specialties will be introduced.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.
Provides systematic overview of law, police organization and behavior, prosecution and defense, sentencing, the judiciary, community corrections, penology, and capital punishment. The course demonstrates the role of discretion in all of these agencies as well as the sociological influences of age, race, gender, and social class on criminal justice system processes.
(Cross-listed with SOC). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.
An examination of delinquency that focuses on the relationship between youth as victims and as offenders, social and etiological features of delinquency, the role of the criminal justice system, delinquents' rights, and traditional and alternative ways of dealing with juvenile crime.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.
Prereq: C J 240
The nature of crime and criminology; the concept of crime; statistics and theories of criminality; major forms of crime; official responses to crime and control of crime.
(Cross-listed with POL S). (3-0) Cr. 3. S.
Prereq: POL S 215
An overview of the American judicial process. Emphasis on specific topics such as application of constitutional rights to the states (particularly the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments), mechanics of judicial opinions, constitutional philosophies of Supreme Court Justices, decisions of first impression, and the value and scope of precedent.
(Cross-listed with PHIL). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: 3 credits in philosophy
Extent of our obligation to obey the law; what constitutes just punishment; how much of the immoral should be made illegal? Relation of these questions to major theories of law and the state. Discussion of such concepts as coercion, equality, and responsibility.
(Cross-listed with AF AM). Cr. 3.
Prereq: C J 240 or AF AM 201
Empirical and theoretical readings on the intersection of race, ethnicity, crime, and the criminal justice system in contemporary society. Topics include, but are not limited to racial and ethnic relations in society, media, violence, policing, and disparity and discrimination in crime and punishment. Criminological theories of racial and ethnic antagonism.
Meets U.S. Diversity Requirement
(Cross-listed with PHIL, POL S). (3-0) Cr. 3. Alt. S., offered irregularly.
Prereq: Sophomore status
Competing conceptions of liberty in American political thought. Debates about how liberty should be protected by the law, in fields such as health care, drugs, property, speech, religion, and sex.
Meets U.S. Diversity Requirement
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: C J 241, SOC 241 or C J 240
Introduction and overview of law enforcement in the United States. Theory and research on police history, function, and organization; constitutional issues of policing; and critical topics, such as community policing, officer discretion and decision-making, corruption, use of force, and racial profiling. The course illustrates the interconnections between communities, police organizations, citizens, and criminal offenders.
(3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.
Prereq: C J 241, SOC 241 or C J 240
Introduction and overview of corrections in the United States. Theory and research on probation, parole, intermediate sanctions, prison, inmate society, inmate behavior and misconduct, capital punishment, recidivism, correctional treatment, rehabilitation, and offender reintegration into society.
(3-0) Cr. 3. S.
Prereq: C J 241, SOC 241 or C J 240
Introduction and overview of white-collar crime as a form of deviance. Theory and research on occupational, corporate, and organizational offending; prevalence, costs, and consequences of white-collar crime; predictors and correlates of white-collar crime; and political, business, and public policy responses to white-collar crime.
Cr. 3. S.
Prereq: C J 240
Development, implementation and evaluation of criminal justice policies affecting major areas of the criminal justice system. History, development and operation of the criminal justice system, including policing, courts/sentencing, corrections, crime prevention, and offender rehabilitation.
Cr. 3. Alt. F., offered irregularly.S.
Prereq: C J 240
Analysis of the drug problem, including issues arising from the use and abuse of legal and illegal drugs and their relation to crime and the criminal justice system. Examination of issues related to effective prevention and treatment, crime, and the debates over the most effective policies for the control or prevention of drug abuse.
Cr. 3.
Prereq: C J 240
Overview of the relationship between gender and crime. Examination of gender and gender roles definitions; how gender impacts criminal behavior in terms of offending, victimization, criminal justice processing, and working in the criminal justice system; and theories used to understand the gender gap in offending.
(3-0) Cr. 3.
Prereq: C J 240
History, philosophy, demographics, administration, and punishment rationales of capital punishment in the United States from its founding to the present. Methods of execution and trends in public opinion about the death penalty. Examination of correlates of capital offending and criminological characteristics of persons who are sentenced to death.
(Cross-listed with SOC). Cr. 3-12. Repeatable, maximum of 12 credits. F.S.SS.
Prereq: Junior or senior classification; permission of criminal justice coordinator; major or minor in criminal justice or sociology
Study of the criminal and juvenile justice systems and social control processes. Supervised placement in a police department, prosecutor's office, court, probation and parole department, penitentiary, juvenile correctional institution, community-based rehabilitation program, or related agency. Assessed service learning component.
Offered on a satisfactory-fail basis only. No more than a total of 9 credits of 460 can be counted toward graduation. No credits in Soc 460 may be used to satisfy minimum sociology requirements for sociology majors.
(3-0) Cr. 3. Repeatable, maximum of 9 credits.
Prereq: 6 credits in C J and permission from instructor
Thematic or topical issues and studies dealing with the sociology of police, judiciary, institutional and community-based corrections, gender/ethnicity and crime/delinquency, criminal and delinquent gangs, and crime and delinquency prevention.