Criminal Justice (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2025-Spring 2026 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department:  Criminal Justice
Academic Plan Code(s): JA_ _BS, JA_ _BS_O

Program Information

This program can be completed 100% online.

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program is designed to prepare students for a career in the criminal justice system or for further education through a graduate program. Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department. 

Degree Summary

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Soaring Scholars Program-Accelerated BS/MS in Criminal Justice 

Criminal Justice majors who are considering pursuing a master's degree (MS) in Criminal Justice can speed up the process through the Soaring Scholars program. Students accepted into the Soaring Scholars program (Accelerated BS/MS program) can take four graduate courses (12 credit hours) as an undergraduate that would apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree. An additional benefit of the Soaring Scholars program is that those 12 credit hours would be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. 

Interested students should apply to the Soaring Scholar's program during their Junior year (i.e., when they have accumulated 60-75 hours of credit). Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of application. This program is available to both on campus and online students.

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor’s/master’s degree offered through the university’s Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor to determine eligibility and apply to the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admission letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholar Program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program. 

Departmental Admission Requirements

There are no specific admission requirements for this degree plan. 

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Soaring Scholars Program-Accelerated BS-MS in Criminal Justice

Students apply during the first or second semester of their Junior year (usually when they have earned between 60-75 hours) and must have a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.

Students interested in applying to the BS/MS Criminal Justice Soaring Scholars program should follow the application process outlined in the Soaring Scholars Application Checklist; minimum requirements for the BS/MS in Criminal Justice Soaring Scholars program are also listed there.

Admission to a Soaring Scholar program does not guarantee admission into the associated master’s degree program.  Soaring Scholar students must apply to the associated graduate program in their last semester, before graduating with the bachelor’s degree, to be considered for the Accelerated Master’s graduate program. They must meet all the requirements for admission to the graduate program at the time of application to be admitted. Learn more about the graduate admissions process and admission requirements for the Criminal Justice Master’s program (insert unique URL for each program).

General Education Requirements

*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

 Students must have a minimum of 50 hours at the 300 level or above.

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Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on language taken

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In addition to courses counted toward General Education

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May be incorporated into other degree requirements

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Fulfills General Education requirement.

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Fulfills 3 hours of the 6 hour 300+ WR requirement.

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Criminal Justice electives must be from approved departmental list at the 300 level or above. A minimum of 15 hours must be in Criminal Justice, but may not exceed 30 hours

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Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

Flight Plan

The Flight Plan outlined above is intended to demonstrate one possible path to completing the degree within four years.  Course selection and placement within the program may vary depending on course offerings and schedule, elective preferences, and other factors (study abroad, internship availability, etc.). Please consult your advisor for additional information about building a flight plan that works for you.

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan, and which requirements are still outstanding. Degree audits also take transfer credits and test credits into account. "What-if" reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.

Soaring Scholars Program-Accelerated BS/MS in Criminal Justice 

Criminal Justice majors who are considering pursuing a master's degree (MS) in Criminal Justice can speed up the process through the Soaring Scholars program. Students accepted into the Soaring Scholars program (Accelerated BS/MS program) can take four graduate courses (12 credit hours) as an undergraduate that would apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the master’s degree. An additional benefit of the Soaring Scholars program is that those 12 credit hours would be charged at the undergraduate tuition rate. 

Interested students should apply to the Soaring Scholar's program during their Junior year (i.e., when they have accumulated 60-75 hours of credit). Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of application. This program is available to both on campus and online students.

Undergraduate students interested in participating in an accelerated dual bachelor’s/master’s degree offered through the university’s Soaring Scholar Program must first meet with their Academic Advisor to determine eligibility and apply to the program. Once accepted, students will receive an official admission letter outlining program policies and details. They will then work with their department and academic advisor to register for classes each semester, ensuring they meet the milestones and academic progress requirements of the Soaring Scholar Program. A Soaring Scholar student is considered an undergraduate student until their bachelor’s degree is conferred. In their final undergraduate semester, they are expected to apply for admission to their respective master's program. 

Accelerated BS/MS in Criminal Justice Option

Students accepted into the Soaring Scholar Program should select up to four (4) classes from the following list to count as Criminal Justice electives for the bachelor's degree and toward the master's degree: