Criminal Justice (B.S.C.J.)
The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice requires 120 credit hours. The program includes four main areas: I. IUPUI Common Core, II. SPEA General Education/baccalaureate requirements, III. Program/Major requirements, and IV. Open electives.
I. IUPUI Common Core (30 Credits)Students at IUPUI will complete 30 hours of general education coursework prior to graduation with a baccalaureate degree. The coursework is aligned with the Indiana Statewide Transferable General Education Core. For more information, please visit http://go.iupui.edu/gened.
- Core Communication (2 courses; 6 credits) From approved list, students must take at least one writing course (ENG W131 - Reading, Writing and Inquiry I or ENG W140 Honors Composition I) and one speaking and listening course (COMM R110 - Public Speaking) for a total of two courses and six credits.
- Analytical Reasoning (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least one college level math course. It is recommended that SPEA students take Math M118 (finite) and SPEA K300 (Statistical Techniques).
- Life and Physical Sciences (2 courses, 6 credits) From approved list, at least two courses and six credits toward the life and physical sciences.
- Cultural Understanding (1 course; 3 credits) From approved list, at least one course. SPEA students are encouraged to complete first year competency in a foreign language.
- Arts & Humanities and Social Sciences (3 courses; 9 credits) From approved list, students must take at least three credits from the Arts & Humanities list and at least 3 credits from the Social Sciences list for a total of nine credits.
Classes in this area must be a minimum of three credits each.
- ENG W231 or BUS X204 - Professional Writing Skills or Business Communications
- *HIST H105 - American History I
- *HIST H106 - American History II
- *SPEA K300 - Statistics
- SPEA V261 - Computers in Public Affairs (or SPEA J426 or BUS K201)
- Arts, Humanities and Social Science Elective
- Arts, Humanities and Social Science Elective
*If HIST H106, HIST H106, and/or SPEA K300 are used to meet a core requirement, the student must take additional credits from any of the core curriculum general areas (Core Communication, Mathematics/Analytical Reasoning, Life and Physical Sciences, Cultural Understanding, Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences) to achieve the additional SPEA general education requirement credits. Though, students are not limited to only the core course listings and are encouraged to take higher level courses in those areas, depending on interests, minors, or certificates. Course selection and approval should be done in consultation with a SPEA Academic Advisor.
All SPEA students are encouraged to complete First Year Competency in a foreign language.
Students cannot double count courses in this area with their major requirements.
III. Criminal Justice Major (17 courses; 51cr.)
Required courses:- SPEA-J 101 The American Criminal Justice System (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 150 Public Safety in America (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 201 Theoretical Foundations of Criminal Justice Policies (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 202 Criminal Justice Data, Methods, and Resources (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 275 Diversity Issues in Criminal Justice (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 306 The Criminal Courts (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 321 American Policing (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 331 Corrections (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 439 Crime and Public Policy (3 cr.)
Choose one Criminal Law course:
- SPEA-J 301 Substantive Criminal Law (3 cr.)
- SPEA-J 302 Procedural Criminal Law (3 cr.)
Choose four Criminal Justice elective courses totaling 12 credit hours.
With approval by the faculty advisor, other non-criminal justice SPEA courses may be substituted. SPEA-J 260 and SPEA-J 380 may count toward this requirement, but are limited to a maximum of three credits each.
Select three Management and Policy courses (9 credit hours):
- SPEA-V 221 Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 222 Principles of Sustainability (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 263 Public Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 264 Urban Structure and Policy (3 cr.)
- PBHL-A 316 Environmental Health Science (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 322 Sustainable Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 348 Management Science (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 361 Financial Management (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 366 Managing Behavior in Public Organizations (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 368 Managing Government Operations (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 372 Government Finance and Budgets (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 373 Human Resource Management in the Public Sector (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 375/SPEA-J 382 Emergency Services Administration (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 376 Law and Public Policy (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 432 Labor Relations in the Public Sector (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 435 Negotiation and Alternative Dispute Resolution (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 443 Managing Workforce Diversity (3 cr.)
- SPEA-V 450 Overseas Study or Special Topics (limited to 3 cr. in this area)
- SPEA-V 458 Fund Development for Nonprofit Organizations (3 cr.)
**In consultation with a SPEA Academic Advisor and with approval of the Program Director, students can count SPEA study abroad experiences as required major coursework.
IV. Open Electives (approx. 18 cr.)Additional courses beyond the IUPUI Common Core, SPEA General Education requirements, and Major requirements to total 120 credit hours (these are not required to be SPEA courses but could be).
Only college level course work will count toward open electives. Remedial courses in areas such as math and English do not count.
Important notes:Students may transfer to IUPUI School of Public & Environmental Affairs once they acquire 12 credit hours, have a cumulative GPA of 2.3 in SPEA major courses (section III), an overall cumulative GPA of 2.0 and a previous semester GPA of 2.0.
On the Indianapolis campus, no more than 50 percent of courses taken to satisfy the requirements of the Criminal Justice major may be transfer courses from other accredited institutions of higher learning; including all IU campuses.
SPEA Good Standing requires: a previous semester 2.0 GPA, a cumulative 2.0 GPA, as well as 2.3 GPA in SPEA major courses.
Please see your SPEA Academic Advisor with any questions. To make an appointment with your advisor, call SPEA Student Services at 317-274-4656.
