Academic Programs Catalog

College of Social Science

Undergraduate Programs


Criminal Justice

The Bachelor of Arts degree program in criminal justice is designed to prepare students for entry level positions in public and private agencies identified with criminal justice administration.  Such agencies apprehend offenders, adjudicate alleged offenses, redirect emergent criminal careers, and promote industrial and commercial security.  Such agencies also encourage and emphasize community responsibility for the success of their programs.

The bachelor's program in criminal justice provides a basic orientation to the institutions and processes of criminal justice and offers students wide exposure to all of the major disciplines of the criminal justice system.  The program promotes general knowledge through core and social science courses.  It provides students with the opportunity to pursue interests in the following areas:  juvenile justice, police administration, adult corrections, and security.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice

  1. The requirements of the University as described in the Undergraduate Education section of this catalog; 120 credits, including general elective credits, are required for the Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice.

    The University's Tier II writing requirement for the Criminal Justice major is met by completing one of the following courses: Criminal Justice 424, 426, 427, 430, 465, or 491.  Those courses are referenced in item 3. a. (3) below.
  2. The requirements of the College of Social Science for the Bachelor of Arts degree.
  3. The following requirements for the major:
    a. The following courses in the School of Criminal Justice (30 credits):
    (1) All of the following Prerequisite Courses (12 credits):
    CJ 110 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
    CJ 220 Criminology 3
    CJ 275 Criminal Procedure 3
    CJ 292 Methods of Criminal Justice Research 3
    (2) Two of the following courses (6 credits):
    CJ 335 Policing 3
    CJ 365 Corrections 3
    CJ 355 Juvenile Justice 3
    CJ 385 Private Security 3
    CJ 395 Race, Crime and Justice 3
    (3) One of the following courses:
    CJ 424 Crime, Mass Media, and Society (W) 3
    CJ 426 Violence Against Women (W) 3
    CJ 427 Criminology and Public Policy (W) 3
    CJ 430 Advanced Seminar in Policing (W) 3
    CJ 465 Critical Issues in Corrections (W) 3
    CJ 491 Topics in Criminal Justice (W) 3
    (4) Nine credits from the following courses with at least two courses at the 400-level. Courses taken to satisfy item (3) cannot be used toward this requirement.
    CJ 210 Introduction to Forensic Science 3
    CJ 235 Investigation Procedures 3
    CJ 422 Comparative and Historical Criminal Justice 3
    CJ 424 Crime, Mass Media, and Society (W) 3
    CJ 425 Gender, Sexuality, Crime, and Justice 3
    CJ 426 Violence Against Women (W) 3
    CJ 427 Criminology and Public Policy (W) 3
    CJ 429 Interdisciplinary Topics in Cybersecurity 3
    CJ 430 Advanced Seminar in Policing (W) 3
    CJ 432 Community Policing 3
    CJ 433 Law Enforcement Intelligence Operations 3
    CJ 434 Police Administration 3
    CJ 439 Homeland Security 3
    CJ 445 Cyber-Crime and Cyber-Security 3
    CJ 465 Critical Issues in Corrections (W) 3
    CJ 466 Corrections Organizations and Systems 3
    CJ 471 Law of Corrections 3
    CJ 474 Law and Criminal Justice Policy 3
    CJ 485 Critical Issues in Private Security 3
    CJ 490 Independent Study 1 to 3
    CJ 491 Topics in Criminal Justice (W) 3
    CJ 493 Undergraduate Research in Criminal Justice 1 to 3


Minor in Security Management

The complexities of modern society have combined to generate a variety of threats to business organizations, information networks, government installations and operations, and individuals.  The Minor in Security Management is designed for students who are interested in private and government security.

The minor, which is administered by the School of Criminal Justice, is available as an elective to students who are enrolled in bachelor's degree programs at Michigan State University.  The minor should be of particular interest to students who are enrolled in certain programs in the Eli Broad College of Business and the College of Social Science, and to students who are enrolled in the Bachelor of Science degree program in Computer Science.

The Minor in Security Management is designed to help students to understand:

  1. The business and technical aspects of protecting private and government assets.
  2. The administrative, management, technical, and legal problems of asset protection and loss prevention.
  3. Concepts related to protecting personal and personnel rights, proprietary information, facilities, and other assets of an organization.
  4. Security's relationship to the value of freedom and democratic principles in our society.

With the approval of the department or school and college that administer the student's degree program, the courses that are used to satisfy the requirements for the minor may also be used to satisfy the requirements for the bachelor's degree.

Requirements for the Minor in Security Management

The student must complete:

1. All of the following courses (12 credits):
ACC 230 Survey of Accounting Concepts 3
CJ 235 Investigative Procedures 3
CJ 385 Private Security 3
CJ 485 Critical Issues in Private Security 3
2. One of the following courses (3 credits):
CJ 429 Interdisciplinary Topics in Cyber Security 3
CJ 445 Cyber-Crime and Cyber-Security (W) 3
3. One of the following courses (3 credits):
CSE 101 Computing Concepts and Competencies 3
FI 320 Introduction to Finance 3
MGT 325 Management Skills and Processes 3
MKT 327 Introduction to Marketing 3