Criminal Justice (Minor Required), Bachelor of Science
Program Overview
A Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice prepares students interested in criminal justice careers like law enforcement, parole and probation, corrections, and youth services. While students will learn about the inner workings of the justice system, our courses are also designed to develop skills that will make their careers more successful, like critical thinking skills, good communication skills, problem solving skills, and an ability to grow and learn after college. Finally, the degree prepares students interested in pursuing a graduate degree by providing a strong academic foundation in criminological theory, research methods, and statistics.
Core Curriculum – 42 hours
The Core Curriculum serves as a broad foundation for the undergraduate degree. All candidates for a bachelor’s degree must achieve core student learning outcomes, including communication, critical thinking, empirical and quantitative skills, teamwork, personal responsibility and social responsibility, by completing courses within each category or component area of the Core Curriculum as outlined below.
The University has approved specific courses that satisfy Core Curriculum Requirements. Approved courses can be found on the Core Curriculum Page. Students seeking the most efficient way to complete the core curriculum and major or minor requirements are advised to take approved courses that can fulfill both requirements. Although core curriculum courses can also be used to fulfill major or minor requirements, earned credits hours are only applied once.
Major Requirements- 60 hours
Required Courses - 30 hours
Criminal Justice Core:
Choose one:
Prescribed Electives - 30 hours
A minimum of 24 advanced hours are required.
Choose from:
Minor - hours will vary
Minors vary in credit hours required. If applicable, the credit hours in the minor selected may impact the number of free electives required to reach the 120 credit hours needed to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Total Credit Hours: 42
Total Credit Hours: 120
View this program’s recommended roadmap to graduation.
UTRGV Roadmaps are a suggested sequence of courses designed to assist students in completing their undergraduate degree requirements. This is a term-by-term sample roadmap of courses required to complete the degree. Students must satisfy all requirements in their catalog including, but not limited to course prerequisites, grade point average and course grade benchmarks, progression requirements, and graduation requirements.
Students should meet with their academic advisor every semester to discuss their individualized path toward completion. Degree progress within this roadmap depends upon such factors as course availability, individual student academic preparation and readiness, student time management, work and personal responsibilities, and financial considerations. Students may choose to take courses during summer terms to reduce course loads during long semesters.