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Degree Requirements - Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice

As of Fall 2020, the Criminal Justice faculty are proud to present a brand new curriculum meant to provide Criminal Justice majors with courses designed to provide students with with the necessary skills and resources to find gainful employment post-graduation. The newly revised B.S. in Criminal Justice will support this mission by providing an innovating teaching and research environment developed and implemented by faculty with diverse educational and practitioner experience. The new curriculum will include courses never before offered at UT Tyler, and incorporates both theoretical and applied elements into the classroom.

Please note that certain courses are offered only in Fall (F) and Spring (S) semesters, while others are offered every semester. We also offer summer courses, but those change yearly. The degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice are as follows:

University Core Curriculum (42 hrs)

 

Lower Division Requirements (18 hrs)

  • CRIJ 1301: Introduction to Criminal Justice (F & S)
    • Now part of the University Core Curriculum (Social and Behavioral Sciences element)
  • CRIJ 1306: Court Systems and Practices (S)
  • CRIJ 1310: Fundamentals of Criminal Law (F)
  • CRIJ 2313: Correctional Systems & Practices (S)
  • CRIJ 2328: Police Systems & Practices (F)
  • MATH 1342: Statistics I (F & S)

Upper Division Requirements (15 hrs)

  • CRIJ 3310: Ethical Issues in Criminal Justice (S)
  • CRIJ 3311: Administration of Criminal Justice (F)
  • CRIJ 3320: Criminology (F)
  • CRIJ 4322: Criminal Justice Research Methods (F & S)
  • CRIJ 4355: Senior Seminar in Criminal Justice (F & S)
    • This course can only be taken once all major requirements are completed and the student is in their final semester at UT Tyler.

Criminal Justice Concentrations

In addition to the above requirements, students must complete two concentrations, or one concentration and an outside minor. A minor is no longer required, but is encouraged for students who want to complete outside coursework. To learn more about why each concentration may be the right choice for you, click here for more information. Each concentration is 15 credit hours and there are four concentrations that students may choose from:

Forensic Science

  • CHEM 1320: Forensic Chemistry I (F)
  • CRIJ 3301: Survey of Forensic Science (F)
  • CRIJ 4344: Crime Scene Processing (S)
  • CRIJ 4345: Courtroom Testimony (S)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • CRIJ 3344: Drugs, Behavior and Criminal Justice (F)
    • GEOG 4330: Geographic Information Systems (S)
    • ANTH 3380: Physical Anthropology (S)

Juvenile Justice

  • CRIJ 3340: Victimology (S)
  • CRIJ 4307: Juvenile Justice Systems (F)
  • CRIJ 4309: Family Violence (F)
  • CRIJ 4311: Race, Class, Gender, and Delinquency (S)
  • CRIJ 4313: Legal Issues in Juvenile Justice (S)

Homeland Security

  • CRIJ 4333: Contemporary Policing (F)
  • CRIJ 4334: Homeland Security (S)
  • CRIJ 4335: Emergency Planning and Risk Management (S)
  • GEOG 4330: Geographic Information Systems (S)
  • Choose one of the following:
    • POLS 3395: Middle Eastern Politics 
    • POLS 4305: International Terrorism
    • POLS 4310: International Conflict 

Criminal Justice Generalist

  • Pick five upper-division courses from the Forensic Science, Juvenile Justice, or Homeland Security concentrations
  • However, if students elect to take the Generalist Concentration as their second concentration then they are more limited in terms of the remaining options. For example, if students choose to complete the Juvenile Justice and Generalist Concentrations then they can only choose Forensic Science and Homeland Security courses to complete the Generalist Concentration. You cannot apply any course to more than one concentration.