The Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Criminal Justice is designed to study the origins, nature, and causes of norm-violating behavior as well as societal reactions to this behavior. The study of criminal justice begins with a study of the entire criminal justice system and its interrelation with society. Advanced study inquires into the political, organizational, social, and behavioral aspects of various components of the criminal justice system. Research courses give students the tools to analyze criminal justice and the skills important for career development. Legal courses provide an awareness of the values of due process and the limits of government power in a democratic society.

Criminology and Criminal Justice is multidisciplinary, drawing on broad fields of knowledge, including law, the social and behavioral sciences, and the natural sciences. Indiana University Southeast offers a Bachelor of Science degree through the School of Social Sciences. A major in criminology and criminal justice provides an excellent liberal arts background for a wide variety of career fields. Career opportunities in criminal justice include police agencies, prosecutors, defense attorneys, courts, and correctional agencies. Other specialized roles in criminal justice include juvenile probation officers, volunteer administrators, criminologists, forensic scientists, forensic psychologists, medical examiners, and policy analysts. Many criminology and criminal justice majors choose to continue their education in law school or graduate school.

Student Learning Goals

1. Understand the nature and extent of crime.
2. Understand the causes and theories of crime, including typologies of criminal behavior, including characteristics of victims and offenders.
3. Understand how crime is measured and how criminal justice research is conducted, including skills for being a careful consumer of criminal justice research.
4. Understand the organization and administration of law enforcement agencies, including legal constraints on law enforcement.
5. Understand the criminal law, its application, and the criminal court process.
6. Understand the major policies designed to control or reduce crime and their effectiveness.

Scholarships/Awards

Denzinger Scholarship

Degree/Certificate Requirements Defined

• B.S. Requirements (33 to 35 hours)

MATH-M 118 or higher (3 hours) Note: This also meets general education quantitative reasoning requirement.

One of the following quantitative methods sequence (6 hours)

SOC-S 250/SOC-S 251 or PSY-P 250/PSY-P 251; or MATH-K 300 or ECON-E 280 and CSCI-C 106 or N 207.

One natural science course.

Take 7 of the following social science courses (21 hours):

1. Sociology:  SOC-S 320, SOC-S 335, SOC-R 463, SOC-S 481
2. History:  HIST-H 105, HIST-H 106, HIST-A 356
3. Psychology:  PSY-P 324, PSY-B 310, PSY-P 319, PSY-P 320, PSY-P 316, PSY-P 425, PSY-P 220, PSY-P 322
4. Political Science: POLS-Y 107, POLS-Y 302, POLS-Y 304, POLS-Y 305, POLS-Y 308, POLS-Y 402, POLS-Y 403, POLS-Y 471
5. Journalism: JOUR-C 200

Major Requirements (33)

CJUS-P 100, CJUS-P 200, CJUS-P 295, CJUS-P 470

Major Specific Requirements   

Capstone