Undergraduate Program

Requirements

Major
Minor
Certificate
Departmental Honors

Major Requirements

The following requirements are for students who started May 2011 or later. If you started prior to May 2011, please contact a Criminal Justice Advisor if you have questions.
Students must complete the following:

• At least 27 credit hours in criminal justice, including CJUS P100, P200, P202, P290, and K300 (or a substitute approved by the department; see undergraduate advisor).
• Two 400-level courses in criminal justice and two electives. The electives must be at the 300 or 400 level. Only one of the electives may be taken from the list of Optional Courses Approved for the Major and Certificate; the remaining elective must be in criminal justice.
• Majors may substitute a course in statistical methods from another department of the College of Arts and Sciences, but in that case no course from the Optional Courses Approved for the Major and Certificate may count toward the major. Students who are interested in pursuing this option (i.e., an alternative statistics course) must first verify their eligibility with the Department of Criminal Justice.
• Students must also complete the degree requirements for the B.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences.

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Minor Requirements

• P100, P200, and P202.
• Two courses in criminal justice at the 300–400 level to be taken on the Bloomington campus. (CJUS K300 does not count in the minor.)
• At least 9 credit hours of the above courses must be taken in residence on the Bloomington campus.
  

 

Students who complete departmental requirements for a major in criminal justice and earn either a B.S. or B.F.A. degree in the College of Arts and Sciences or a bachelor's degree from another Indiana University Bloomington school are eligible for the certificate.

• At least 27 credit hours in criminal justice, including CJUS P100, P200, P202, P290, and K300 (or a substitute approved by the department; see undergraduate advisor).
• Two 400-level courses in criminal justice and two electives. The electives must be at the 300 or 400 level. Only one of the electives may be taken from the list of Optional Courses Approved for the Major and Certificate; the remaining elective must be in criminal justice.

Students pursuing the certificate may substitute a course in statistical methods from another department of the College of Arts and Sciences, but in that case no course from the list of Optional Courses Approved for the Major and Certificate may count toward the certificate. Students who are interested in pursuing this option (i.e., an alternative statistics course) must first verify its eligibility with the Department of Criminal Justice.

Non-IU degree-seeking students should contact an advisor for more information.

The department offers outstanding students the opportunity to pursue important issues and problems in depth and to work closely with faculty in the departmental honors program. Students who have completed P100, P200, P202, P290, and K300, and who have a College of Arts and Sciences grade point average of at least 3.300, may be admitted to the honors program in their junior year. For graduation with a B.A. with honors in criminal justice, students must:

• Earn a GPA of 3.300 or higher in the major upon graduation.
• Complete P399 Honors Seminar. In P399 the student will do exploratory reading in an area of interest, select and develop a research topic, and write a prospectus for the honors thesis.
• Write and present an undergraduate honors thesis under the direction of a faculty advisor. The thesis must be read and approved by a three-person faculty committee. A maximum of 6 hours of credit may be earned for the honors thesis by registering for P499.
• Complete all other requirements for a major in criminal justice.

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