Major & Minor Requirements

At Carthage, students can major and minor in criminal justice. The curriculum is interdisciplinary, and includes courses in political science, sociology and criminal justice.

Please note: Current students should work with their advisors and the department chair to ensure all requirements are met.

The Criminal Justice Major

The criminal justice major consists of 40 credits, including a four-hour senior seminar. Within the major, students choose a criminal justice or pre-law track. Students considering law school are encouraged to take the pre-law track.

Core Courses (take all):

CRMJ 200 Criminal Justice
CRMJ 226 Criminology
POLS 291 Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
POLS 104 Introduction to Public Policy
CRMJ 499 or <-->SOCI 499<--> or POLS 400 Senior Seminar

Criminal Justice Track

Students pursuing the regular criminal justice major must take the following courses:

CRMJ 304 Police and Society
CRMJ 302 American Courts
CRMJ 303 Corrections

Pre-Law Track

This track is for students considering law school. Students on the pre-law track must take the following three courses:

POLS 240 American Government
POLS 290 Constitutional Law I: Separation of Powers/Judicial Process
POLS 191 Law and Society

Additional courses:

The remaining eight credits for the criminal justice major — regardless of which track is pursued by the student — may be fulfilled by taking any two of the following courses:

CRMJ 210 Probation, Parole & Community Supervision
CRMJ 270 Criminal Law
CRMJ 285 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
CRMJ 271/471 Topics
CRMJ 320 Restorative Justice
CRMJ 350 Field Placement
CRMJ 355 Internship
POLS 240 American Government (except for Pre-law track)
POLS 271 Legal Topics
POLS 353 American Political Institutions
POLS 335 Human Rights
POLS 390 Comparative Law
POLS 393 Environmental Law
<-->SOCI 227<--> Juvenile Delinquency
<-->SOCI 253<--> Racial & Cultural Minorities
<-->SOCI 302<--> Sociological Research I
<-->SOCI 311<--> Deviance
<-->SOCI 312<--> Elite Deviance
MGMT 360 Legal Environment of Business

The Criminal Justice Minor

The criminal justice minor includes the following courses:

CRMJ 200 Criminal Justice System

Choose five:

CRMJ 226 Criminology
CRMJ 270 Criminal Law
CRMJ 285 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
CRMJ 303 Corrections
CRMJ 271/471 Topics in Criminal Justice
POLS 240 American Government: National, State, Local
POLS 271/471 Topics in Political Science (if appropriate topic)
POLS 291 Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
POLS 292 Judicial Process and Behavior
POLS 395 Liberty and Security in a Democracy
POLS 396 Legal Theory

Academic Resources

• Academic Calendar
• College Catalog
• Course Schedules
• Academic Advising

Prospective Students

• Admissions
• Viewbook
• Virtual Campus Tour
• Request Information

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