The major objectives of the criminal justice program are to prepare students for a wide variety of professional careers involving social needs such as the criminal justice system and human services. The program provides an opportunity for persons currently serving in the criminal justice system to continue their education. This discipline also complements the education received by students in related disciplines and fosters an understanding of the role and function of the criminal justice system.
Degree Requirements
Criminal Justice courses are designed to provide students with the necessary skills and resources to find gainful employment post-graduation. The B.S. in Criminal Justice provides an innovating teaching and research environment developed and implemented by faculty with diverse educational and practitioner experience. The curriculum incorporates both theoretical and applied elements into the classroom.
Please note that certain courses are offered only in Fall (F) and Spring (S) semesters, while others are offered every semester. We also offer summer courses, but those change yearly. The degree requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice are as follows.
University Core Curriculum (42 hrs.)
Lower Division Requirements (18 hrs.)
| CRIJ 1301 | Introduction to Criminal Justice [TCCN: CRIJ 1301] | |
| CRIJ 1306 | Court Systems and Practices [TCCN: CRIJ 1306] | |
| CRIJ 1310 | Fundamentals of Criminal Law [TCCN: 1310] | |
| CRIJ 2313 | Correctional Systems and Practices [TCCN: 2313] | |
| CRIJ 2328 | Police Systems and Practices [TCCN: CRIJ 2328] | |
| MATH 1342 | Statistics [TCCN: MATH 1342] | |
Upper Division Requirements (15 hrs.)
NOTE: CRIJ 4355 - This course can only be taken once all major requirements are completed and the student is in their final semester at UT Tyler.
General Electives (15 hrs.)
At a minimum students will be required to take 15 additional general elective hours from any discipline to fulfill the 120 hour requirement for graduation.
Criminal Justice Concentrations (15 hours)
In addition to the above requirements, students must complete two concentrations, or one concentration and an outside minor. A minor is no longer required but is encouraged for students who want to complete outside coursework. To learn more about why each concentration may be the right choice for you,
click here for more information. Each concentration is 15 credit hours and there are four concentrations that students may choose from:
Forensic Science
Juvenile Justice
Homeland Security
Criminal Justice Generalist
Pick five upper-division courses from the Forensic Science, Juvenile Justice, Homeland Security concentrations, or three graduate-level courses for students in the five-year BS/MS/MPA 4+1 program. However, if students elect to take the Generalist Concentration as their second concentration then they are more limited in terms of the remaining options. For example, if students choose to complete the Juvenile Justice and Generalist Concentrations then they can only choose Forensic Science and Homeland Security courses to complete the Generalist Concentration. You cannot apply any course to more than one concentration.
Five-year BS/MS/MPA 4+1 Program
UT Tyler Undergraduate students in Criminal Justice may choose this program to complete their master’s degree in one additional year. Students will choose a project under this program and are required to take 9 credits of graduate-level courses (electives) in their senior year. Criminal Justice undergraduate majors with a minimum GPA of 3.00. who are interested in the 4+1 program must apply through the Criminal Justice program no later than the last semester of their junior year. Students that are accepted into the 4+1 program will be conditionally admitted in the first semester of their senior year, and fully admitted once completing all requirements for the Criminal Justice degree and fulfilling all admissions requirements for the Criminal Justice master’s program. Students must obtain an average “B” grade in all the graduate-level courses taken during their senior year. The graduate-level courses would be applied to courses in the Criminal Justice master’s program or electives in the Master of Public Administration (MPA) program.
Notes: (1) No more than 21 lower-division hours in criminal justice may be applied toward baccalaureate degree requirements. (2) All courses cross-listed between criminal justice and any other discipline must be taken as criminal justice courses.
Recommended 4-Year Course Sequence
Criminal Justice BS (One Concentration and Minor)
Criminal Justice BS (Two Concentrations)