Criminal Justice

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 follow the printed version of the College Catalog, and 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):

CRJ 1000 Criminal Justice
CRJ 2260 Criminology
POL 2910 Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
POL 1040 Introduction to Public Policy
CRJ 4990<--><--> or SOC 4990 or POL 4000 Senior Seminar

Criminal Justice Track

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

CRJ 3010 Police and Society
CRJ 3020 American Courts
CRJ 3030 Corrections

Pre-Law Track

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

POL 2400 American Government
POL 2900 Constitutional Law I: Separation of Powers/Judicial Process
POL 1910 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:

CRJ 2100 Probation, Parole & Community Supervision
CRJ 2700 Criminal Law
CRJ 2850 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
CRJ 200T/400T Topics
CRJ 3200 Restorative Justice
CRJ 3500 Field Placement
CRJ 3550 Internship
POL 2400 American Government (except for Pre-law track)
POL 200T Topics in Political Science
POL 3350 Human Rights
POL 3530 American Political Institutions
POL 3900 Comparative Law
POL 3930 Environmental Law
SOC 2270 Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 2530 Racial & Cultural Minorities
SOC 3020 Sociological Research I
SOC 3100 Deviance
SOC 3100 Deviance
SOC 3120 Elite Deviance
MGT 3600 Legal Environment of Business


The Criminal Justice Minor

The criminal justice minor (24 credits) includes the following courses:

CRJ 1000 Criminal Justice System

Choose five:

CRJ 2260 Criminology
CRJ 2700 Criminal Law
CRJ 2850 Constitutional Criminal Procedure
CRJ 3030 Corrections
CRJ 200T/400T Topics in Criminal Justice
POL 2400 American Government: National, State, Local
POL 200T/400T Topics in Political Science (if appropriate topic)
POL 2910 Constitutional Law II: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
POL 2920 Judicial Process and Behavior
POL 3950 Liberty and Security in a Democracy
POL 3960 Legal Theory

Academic Resources

Prospective Students

Carthage In-Depth

Carthage Symposium

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J-Term

A special month-long period of study in January to experiment, create and dream. Read more ...