Major Requirements: Catalog Year 2025–2026 and Earlier
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Major Requirements
These requirements apply to students with a catalog year of 2025–2026 or earlier. If you were admitted for Fall 2026 or later, see the current major requirements.
Every student must earn a minimum 2.0 GPA in the major, and must complete the core courses (21 units), a minimum of 15 units from the elective curriculum, and three units of an approved writing course.
The minimum grade in each required and elective criminal justice course depends on your catalog year:
- Catalog years Fall 2013 through Fall 2018: a grade of “C” (2.0) or better.
- Catalog years Fall 2019 and later: a grade of “C-” (1.7) or better.
The upper-division writing course requires a grade of “C” or better regardless of catalog year.
Core Curriculum (21 units)
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CRJU 100 | Myths and Realities of Crime and Justice |
| CRJU 300 | Foundations of Criminal Justice |
| CRJU 315 | Police and Society |
| CRJU 330 | Theories of Crime and Delinquency |
| CRJU 340 | Criminal Justice Research Methodology |
| CRJU 345 | Complexities in Corrections |
| CRJU 484 | Criminal Law: Substantive |
Note: CRJU 484 (Criminal Law: Substantive) was numbered CRJU 310 prior to Fall 2025. Students who completed CRJU 310 have satisfied this requirement.
Writing Requirement (3 units)
Students should select one of the following courses:
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| ENGL 301 | Advanced College Writing |
| ENGL 365 | Legal Writing |
Elective Curriculum (15 units)
9 units at the 400 level
Students should select five criminal justice elective courses (CRJU) of their choice, based on personal or career interests. Nine of these units must be at the 400 level.
| Course | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CRJU 210 | Concepts of Criminal Law |
| CRJU 302 | Criminal Courts |
| CRJU 303 | Controlling Crime |
| CRJU 320 | Introduction to Public Administration |
| CRJU 322 | Leadership for Public Service |
| CRJU 325 | Juvenile Justice Administration |
| CRJU 327 | Victims of Crime |
| CRJU 333 | Indigenous Justice |
| CRJU 360 | Comparative and International Criminal Justice Systems |
| CRJU 370 | Sex, Crime and Culture |
| CRJU 385 | Race, Inequality and the Criminal Justice System |
| CRJU 404 | Capital Punishment |
| CRJU 405 | Criminal Justice Policy |
| CRJU 406 | Crime & Popular Culture |
| CRJU 410 | Restorative Justice |
| CRJU 415 | Policing the City |
| CRJU 417 | Mass Murder |
| CRJU 420 | Drugs and Crime |
| CRJU 422 | Human Resource Management |
| CRJU 430 | Women and Crime |
| CRJU 434 | Cutting Edge Criminology: New Theories and Methods |
| CRJU 435 | Civil Disobedience |
| CRJU 440 | Correctional Rehabilitation |
| CRJU 455 | Gangs & the Criminal Justice System |
| CRJU 465 | Law, Punishment and Justice |
| CRJU 471 | Moot Court: Legal Practicum (SPC) |
| CRJU 474 | Civil Liberties |
| CRJU 477 | Mock Trial: Legal Practicum II |
| CRJU 478 | Animals, Law, & Society |
| CRJU 480 | Courtroom Evidence |
| CRJU 485 | Search, Seizure & Interrogation I |
| CRJU 486 | Search, Seizure & Interrogation II |
| CRJU 487 | Technology and Criminal Justice Rights |
| CRJU 491 | Applied Policy Research (SPC) |
| CRJU 492 | Pre-law Internship (SPC) |
| CRJU 495 | Criminal Justice Internship |
| CRJU 499 | Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 units) |
SPC: when offered, the course requires Department or Faculty approval to enroll.
More electives may be available in a given semester. Please check the course listing when you register.