BS in Criminal and Justice Studies
- Degree Program Description
- Major Program Requirements
- Semester Plan
- Degree Audit
- Major and Career Exploration
Degree Program Description
The criminal-legal system affects millions of people in the US. Criminal and juvenile justice, forensic psychology, and other interdisciplinary fields rooted in the Progressive Era, during which the fields of sociology and criminology, as well as the profession of social work, emerged. At the time, deepening understanding of the interplay of behavior, development, family/community contexts, and legal policy led to innovations like probation, juvenile courts, and community-based interventions. Later in the 20th century, policy and practice was rehabilitative and more punitive creating high incarceration rates/costs. The criminal-legal system is now facing tremendous change. High costs of maintaining prisons/jails and a broader understanding of substance abuse and mental health treatment’s role in limiting recidivism have combined to drive states/municipalities to reconsider traditional approaches to criminal justice. Responses increasingly emphasize community-based efforts, assistance with reentry, and attention to mental health needs.
The BS in Criminal & Justice Studies degree is responsive to these changes. It provides critical foundational knowledge about the adult criminal-legal system and juvenile justice system including theory, key policy, and cutting-edge research on delinquency and desistance. Theories and research on the intersections of substance use, mental illness, poverty, community surveillance, and crime are interrogated. Coursework also includes contemporary approaches to the prevention and treatment of crime that rely on multi-system (macro, mezzo, micro) and community-based approaches used in the criminal-legal field. A core component of the curriculum includes experiential learning through internships, study abroad, and/or service learning.
Major Program Requirements
Requires 120 credit hours for completion. A grade of C- or higher is required for CJS Program, Core, and Electives courses.
| Program Requirements | ||
| COMMUN 1200 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| or AGSC_COM 2220 | Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources | |
| STAT 1200 | Introductory Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| or STAT 2500 | Introduction to Probability and Statistics I | |
| or ESC_PS 4170 | Introduction to Applied Statistics | |
| Required Core Courses | ||
| CJS 1000 | Introduction to Criminal Justice Professions | 1 |
| CJS 1200 | Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJS 1500 | Skills for Public Safety Professionals | 2 |
| CJS 2000 | Exploration in Social and Economic Justice | 3 |
| CJS 3003 | Substance Use and Mental Health Approaches for Justice Involved Populations | 3 |
| CJS 3500W | Criminal Justice Policy Analysis & Reform - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| CJS 4356 | Criminal and Justice System Experiential Learning | 3 |
| or CJS 4355 | Study Abroad: Comparative Criminal and Juvenile Justice | |
| CJS 4370 | Delinquency, Corrections and Social Treatment | 3 |
| CJS 4980 | Applied Research in Justice Systems | 3 |
| SOCIOL 3600 | Criminology | 3 |
| BL_STU 4303 | Black Studies in Race, Class, Gender, and U.S. Policy | 3 |
| CJS Electives (6 hours required) | 6 | |
| ANTHRO 2520 | Forensic Anthropology | 3 |
| H_D_FS 4200 | Latino/a Children, Youth, and Families | 3 |
| HIST 4232 | White Collar and Celebrity Crime in 20th and 21st Century America | 3 |
| HIST 4235 | The Wire: Race, Urban Inequality, and the "Crisis" of the American City | 3 |
| HIST 4400 | History of American Law | 3 |
| LAW 1100 | Cases and Controversies in American Law | 3 |
| LAW 2001 | Topics in Law - General | 1-3 |
| LAW 2010 | Law of the Internet | 3 |
| LAW 3800 | Logical Reasoning and Legal Analysis | 2-3 |
| LAW 4001 | Topics in Law - General | 1-3 |
| POL_SC 2100 | State Government | 3 |
| POL_SC 2200 | The Judicial Process | 3 |
| POL_SC 4210 | Constitutional Rights | 3 |
| POL_SC 4230 | Constitution and Civil Liberties | 3 |
| POL_SC 4380 | Politics of Criminal Justice | 3 |
| PTH_AS 4220W | Forensic Pathology and Death Investigation - Writing Intensive | 2 |
| SOC_WK 4400 | Domestic Violence | 3 |
| SOC_WK 4410 | Social Welfare and the Law | 3 |
| SOCIOL 1650 | Social Deviance | 3 |
| SOCIOL 2200 | Social Inequalities | 3 |
| SOCIOL 4620 | Drugs and Society | 3 |
| WGST 3260 | Gender, Law and Justice | 3 |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available and chosen program modality.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| STAT 1200 | 3 | HIST 1100, 1200, or POL_SC 1100 | 3 |
| ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | CJS 2000W | 3 |
| CJS 1200 | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Humanities | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| SSC 1150 | 2 | Bio/Phys/Math Science | 3 |
| CJS 1000 | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| SOCIOL 3600 | 3 | CJS 1500 | 2 |
| 2000-level Humanities | 3 | COMMUN 1200 | 3 |
| Bio/Phys Science with Lab | 3 | Bio/Phys/Math Science | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 1 | ||
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CJS 3500 (Program Writing Intensive) | 3 | CJS 3003 | 3 |
| BL_STU 4303 | 3 | CJS 4370 | 3 |
| Approved CJS Elective | 3 | Approved CJS Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| CJS 4980 | 3 | CJS 4356 or 4355 | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| Elective | 3 | Elective | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Total Credits: 120 | |||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
- Change your Major. If you are considering changing your undergraduate major or are choosing between several majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573) 884-9700 or through the Discovery Center service in your MU Connect success network.
- Decided on a Major. If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring that major.
- Identify your Interests and Strengths. If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values, and talents, visit the staff at the MU Career Center. No appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- Explore MU Majors. If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit Majors at Mizzou or the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.