Course variations

Course summary

This program offers students a well-integrated education, placing criminal and deviant behavior within a wider sociological context. Students are exposed to courses ranging from crime response philosophy to public policy in criminal justice. Designed to maximize a wide range of skills and knowledge, the 37-credit criminal justice major emphasizes all aspects of the criminal justice system and criminal behavior from the social conditions that foster criminal activity to the social response to crime, including policing, the correctional system, and criminal justice policy. It educates students to develop skills in problem-solving, communication and policy analysis, using the sociological perspective as a framework. Specific, innovative courses are offered in violent crime, investigative techniques, and criminal law. The interdisciplinary curriculum draws not only from criminal justice, but from sociology, psychology and legal studies as well. Carefully structured internships assure students of practical applications of theoretical material. Students are prepared to continue their education or assume careers in law enforcement, corrections, law, social work, public administration, teaching and international peacekeeping.

Program modules

This course covers the following modules, Major Requirements (37 credits), 1. Orientation to Criminal Justice (CJ 205), Introduction to Sociology (SO 101), Crime and Society (CJ 283), Criminal Law (LE 115), Criminal Justice Systems (CJ 335), Research Methods in Criminal Justice (CJ 381) and Senior Seminar (CJ 385), 2. One internship in the community (CJ 392) is required, 3. One or two crime typologies courses from the following: CJ 232 Women in the CJ System 3, CJ 240 Organized Crime 3, CJ 250 Youth Crime 3, CJ 262 Politically Motivated Crime 3, CJ 271 Public Order Crime 3, 4. One or two criminal justice in practice courses from the following: CJ 241 Police and Policing 3, CJ 243 Investigative Techniques 3, CJ 251 Probation, Parole and Community Corrections 3, CJ 261 Prison and Jails 3, Students need a total of nine credits from crime typologies and criminal justice in practice courses. They may take one from crime typologies and two from criminal justice in practice, or vice versa, 5. Two courses from the following advanced level courses: CJ 241 Racial and Ethnic Groups 3, CJ 260 Social Control and Deviance 3, CJ 300 Special Topics 3, CJ 330 Perspectives on Violence 3, CJ 340 Practicum in Alternatives to Violence 3, CJ 344 Social Stratification 3, CJ 350 Practicum in Negotiation Skills 3, CJ 353 Sexual Violence 3, CJ 355 Crime and the Media 3, CJ 370 Constitution, Ethics and Policing 3, J 380 Criminal Justice Policy 3, CJ 383 Psychology and the Law 3, CJ 394 Internship 3, CJ 399/499 Independent Study 3.

Entry requirement for international students

Students from the high school should have a college preparatory sequence which includes at least four years of English, three years of mathematics (physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing and physician assistant applicants should have four years) and two or more years of science (all health science applicants are expected to have biology and chemistry; physical therapy applicants should also have physics, two years of social science, two years of a foreign language, three academic electives and High school grades in these subjects and the SAT I Reasoning Test or ACT scores are important factors in the selection process. A minimum score of 550 (78 Internet based or 213 in the CBT computer-based TOEFL) is required for admission.

Qualification

Bachelor degree

Awarding body

Quinnipiac University

Department name

College of Arts and Sciences, Department of Sociology