Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice

About

The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Program is designed to help you become an educated citizen, as well as prepare for a career. In addition to the core courses, you will complete social science foundation courses. As you get ready to graduate, you will also be given the opportunity to specialize in one of three areas: law enforcement, pre-graduate criminology, or social justice.

Curriculum Map

Interested in going to Law School? Learn more about the 3+3 Pre-Law Degree Path with Gonzaga University.

What You'll Learn

The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.

Criminal Justice Major, Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Note: two years of a single high school world language or one year of a single college-level world language is required.

Required courses in the following program may have prerequisites. Reference the course descriptions for clarification.

Required Introduction Course
CRIM 300INTRODUCTION TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM5
Foundation Courses
CRIM 330SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH METHOD5
or SOCI 357 METHOD FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH
SOCI 301SURVEY OF CRIMINOLOGY5
SOCI/CRIM 356INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL STATISTICS5
or CSBS 320 STATISTICS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Disciplinary Core Courses
CRIM 340ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE5
or PHIL 212 INTRODUCTORY ETHICS
PSYC 302ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY5
Recommended Electives–choose 40 credits approved by a department advisor.40
SURVEY OF ALCOHOL/DRUG PROBLEMS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT
FORENSIC INQUIRY
FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY
WOMEN IN PRISON
VICTIMOLOGY
CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION
FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION
CRIME AND MEDIA
COMPARATIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS
PEACEMAKING CRIMINOLOGY
RESTORATIVE JUSTICE
HOMELESSNESS AND JUSTICE
PENOLOGY
POLICE SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES
INTERNSHIP
CRITICAL GIS
CRIMINAL PROCEDURE
JURISPRUDENCE
BASIC CONCEPTS OF CRIMINAL LAW
CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT
CARE AND CUSTODY OF FEMALE OFFENDERS
DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR
PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM
SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANCE
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY
Required Capstone
CRIM 490CRIMINAL JUSTICE SENIOR CAPSTONE (a UGR–senior capstone)5
Total Credits75

The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.

Courses may be offered in different terms and not all courses are offered every term, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. There may be some courses that have required prerequisites not listed in the plan, review the course descriptions for information. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.

This major requires the completion of the World Language requirement. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete two years of a single language in high school or one year of a single language in college.

First Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRIM 3005ENGL 2015Diversity - graduation requirement15
ENGL 1015Humanities & Arts BACR 115Humanities & Arts BACR 215
MATH 1075Natural Science BACR 115Social Science BACR 115
 15 15 15
Second Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRIM 340 or PHIL 2125PSYC 3025CRIM 356, SOCI 356, or CSBS 3205
Natural Science BACR 215SOCI 3015Criminal Justice Elective25
Social Science BACR 215Criminal Justice Elective25Global Studies - graduation requirement15
 15 15 15
Third Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
Criminal Justice Elective25Criminal Justice Elective25Criminal Justice Elective25
Criminal Justice Elective25Criminal Justice Elective25Criminal Justice Elective25
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 15 15 15
Fourth Year
Fall QuarterCreditsWinter QuarterCreditsSpring QuarterCredits
CRIM 330 or SOCI 3575Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5CRIM 490 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement)5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5Elective - certificate, minor, or general elective5
 15 15 15
Total Credits 180
1

University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate.  Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.

2

Recommended Electives–choose 40 credits from approved list or approved by a department advisor.

Students who earn a BA in Criminal Justice from EWU should be able to:

  • demonstrate knowledge of how criminal justice institutions/practices/policies relate to social justice;
  • carry out research/evaluation regarding criminal justice practices/policies using criminal justice methodological approaches;
  • demonstrate knowledge of the integration of systems/processes/relationships within the criminal justice system (e.g., courts/ law/law enforcement/corrections);
  • demonstrate knowledge of various theories of criminology;
  • demonstrate knowledge of the correlates of crime.

Sample Courses

PSYC 323. DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR. 5 Credits.

Pre-requisites: PSYC 100 recommended.
An introduction to the action, use, and abuse of psychotropic agents from analgesics to hallucinogens. Special attention given to drug abuse.

Catalog Listing

CRIM 340. ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE. 5 Credits.

In this course, we will explore major ethical theories with an emphasis on their application to components of the criminal justice system. We will analyze current issues and ethical dilemmas that criminal justice professionals deal with. We will examine the complex process of moral and ethical decision making in the criminal justice system.

Catalog Listing

CRIM 360. WOMEN IN PRISON. 5 Credits.

Cross-listed: GWSS 360.
In this course, we examine the socio-structural relationships between women’s lives and women’s crimes and explore how race, class and gender assumptions shape the experiences of female correctional officers and female inmates. In addition, we analyze how the prison rules and regulations that girls and women have to abide by are deeply gendered. Since the 1980s, the number of women and girls incarcerated has increased drastically. Yet, we know very little about female criminality.

Catalog Listing

POLI 302. CRIMINAL PROCEDURE. 5 Credits.

This course in an examination of the philosophic and legal bases for the protection of the rights of the criminally accused, with emphasis on Supreme Court decisions on the 4th, 5th, and 6th amendments and on the due process clause of the 14th amendment.

Catalog Listing