| Degree: | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
| Minors: | Criminal Justice Forensic Studies Juvenile Justice |
| Department: | Justice Studies Building 85, Room 160 850-474-2336 http://uwf.edu/justice/ |
| College: | Professional Studies |
| Semester Hours Required For Degree: 120 | |
The Criminal Justice program focuses on the issues of law, crime, law enforcement, corrections, and the criminal justice system. The program’s primary purpose is to prepare students to assume entry level positions in various criminal justice occupations and to eventually assume administrative responsibilities or do research in the field. Students majoring in Criminal Justice are not permitted to dual major in Legal Studies or minor in Legal Studies.
An accelerated bachelors to masters program is available for exceptionally well qualified students. Please see the requirements for this program at the end of the courses requirements section.
In addition to the university’s general requirements, students seeking the B.A. in Criminal Justice must meet the requirements listed below. A minimum grade of “C” is required for all core courses. A minimum GPA of 2.25 is required for admission into the major. CCJ 3024 American Justice System should be taken as the first course in the major.
In addition to the general studies requirements listed on this page, students must satisfy all additional University requirements, including the Gordon Rule, multicultural, and foreign language requirements. With appropriate planning and coordination with an academic advisor, students may satisfy some of the general University requirements through the General Studies curriculum. For a complete listing of general degree requirements, refer to the "Graduation and General Degree Requirements" section of this catalog.
General Studies Curriculum:
| Communication | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mathematics | 6 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Social Sciences | 9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Humanities | 8-9 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Natural Sciences | 7 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Total Semester Hours: | 36-37 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Students must complete sufficient 1000/2000 level electives to satisfy at least 60 sh in the lower division. Current UWF students may use elective courses at any level (1000-4000) to meet this elective requirement. | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 24 | |
| Justice Studies Core: | 12 | |
| American Justice System | ||
| Ethics and the Justice System | ||
| Judicial Process | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Criminal Justice Core: | 9 | |
| Criminology | ||
| Research Design in Criminal Justice | ||
| Punishment and Society | ||
or CJE 4110 | Police in a Free Society | |
| Major Electives * | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 42 | |
| * | 21 semester hours of justice studies 3000/4000 level elective course work beyond the Core Requirements are required. Students can satisfy up to 6 hours of this requirement with service learning, internship, and/or directed study courses (combination of these shall not exceed 6 hours). |
| STA 2023 | Elements of Statistics | 3 |
| Major-Related Electives ** | 9 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
| ** | Students are required to complete 9 semester hours of supporting course work, to include a minimum of 6 semester hours of 3000/4000 level courses, to be selected with and approved by the student’s advisor. These courses may vary from student to student depending on individual needs and objectives. |
| Student must complete sufficient 3000/4000 level electives to meet UWF’s requirement of 48 semester hours in the upper division or complete all departmental requirements at the 3000/4000 level, whichever is greater. | 6 | |
| Total Hours | 6 | |
Minimum Requirements for admission include:
- Overall undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or better
- Completion of 75 undergraduate credit hours
- Undergraduate Major GPA of 3.5 or better
- Completion of all Bachelor of Arts Criminal Justice major core requirements
- A grade of B (3.0) or higher in all BACJ major core classes
- One letter of recommendation from a Criminal Justice or Legal Studies faculty member
Process:
A prospective student who meets the minimum requirements for admission for the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program must schedule a meeting with his/her undergraduate advisor and graduate advisor to discuss and develop a degree plan for his/her Accelerated BA/MSCJ program. The student must then submit an Accelerated BA/MSCJ program application and letter of recommendation to the graduate advisor.
Eligibility and Restrictions:
Students must have completed 75 undergraduate credit hours, including credits earned from advanced placement, prior to applying to the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program. Transfer students must have completed a minimum of two semesters and at least 24 credit hours at the University of West Florida prior to application to the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program. For admission into the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program in the summer semester, application materials must be submitted by March 15. For admission into the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program in the fall semester, application materials must be submitted by June 15. For admission into the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program in the spring semester, application materials must be submitted by October 15.
Admission into the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program does not guarantee admission into the MSCJ program upon completion of the BACJ. Students must still take the GRE or Miller Analogies Test (MAT) and submit an Express Admission application for the MSCJ program. Students who are a part of the BA/MSCJ program cannot be provisionally or conditionally admitted into the MSCJ program.
Program Requirements:
Upon admission into the MSCJ, the 12 graduate credit hours completed as an undergraduate student will count for 12 of the 24 hours in Criminal Justice coursework for the MSCJ. Students in the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program must earn a grade of B (3.0/4.0) or better in each of the graduate level courses that are being applied to both degrees. Courses completed with a grade of B- or below cannot be applied to the MSCJ degree. Students accepted into the MSCJ program must complete all MSCJ requirements within 18 months of completing the BACJ degree. If the MSCJ program requirements are not completed within 18 months, the student is no longer eligible to apply the graduate credit hours toward both degrees (i.e., the student can only apply the graduate credit hours either toward completion of the BACJ degree or toward a future master’s degree) and is automatically terminated from the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program.
If a student in the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program completes the BACJ degree requirements with an overall GPA of less than 3.25/4.0, he/she is no longer eligible to apply the graduate credit hours to both degrees (i.e., the student can only apply the credit hours towards completion of the BACJ degree or toward a future master’s degree) and is automatically terminated from the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program.
A student who becomes ineligible to continue participating in or withdraws from the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program cannot apply any graduate credit hours toward both degrees (i.e., the student can only apply the credit hours towards completion of the BA degree or toward a future master’s degree).
Students who are enrolled in the Accelerated BA/MSCJ program are eligible for graduate assistantship positions only after completing the BACJ degree.
CCJ 3024 American Justice System should be taken as the first course in any Criminal Justice minor. Courses must be completed at UWF with a grade of “C” or higher. Requirements may not be met with directed studies courses.
The Criminal Justice Minor provides an overview of the criminal justice system. Neither Criminal Justice nor Legal Studies majors may earn this minor.
| CCJ 3014 | Criminology | 3 |
| CCJ 3024 | American Justice System | 3 |
| CJC 4010 | Punishment and Society | 3 |
| CJE 4110 | Police in a Free Society | 3 |
| CJL 3510 | Judicial Process | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
The Forensic Studies Minor supplements course work in majors related to criminal justice. It prepares students for careers in investigation as well as graduate study. Criminal Justice majors may not earn this minor.
| CCJ 3024 | American Justice System | 3 |
| CCJ 3654 | Substance Abuse and the Offender | 3 |
| CCJ 4036 | Behavioral Science and the Law | 3 |
| CJE 3674 | Introduction to the Forensic Sciences | 3 |
| Choose one of the following: | 3 | |
| Criminal Investigation | ||
| Evidence | ||
| Total Hours | 15 | |
This is an interdisciplinary minor for students seeking job opportunities in juvenile justice. The minor introduces students to the juvenile justice system, explores issues related to juvenile delinquency, examines alternative programs available for treating delinquency, and teaches students case management skills. The minor is especially compatible with those in social science disciplines and social science-related professional fields. Neither Criminal Justice nor Legal Studies majors may earn this minor.
| CCJ 3024 | American Justice System | 3 |
| CJC 4167 | Alternative Punishments | 3 |
| CJJ 4010 | Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| SOW 3314 | Case Management | 3 |
| SOW 4111 | Adolescents At Risk | 3 |
| Total Hours | 15 | |
