Criminal Justice, BS

Program Mission and Vision

The mission of the Criminal Justice program at Stockton University is to provide students with an understanding of the criminal justice system from the perspective of the social sciences. Its primary focus is academic with a critical examination of an American society, rather than training for any specific roles in the criminal justice system. 

To achieve our mission, we will work with students in meeting the following program learning objectives:

• Identify historical and contemporary issues and challenges in the practice of criminology and criminal justice.

• Gain knowledge of the specific and interdependent roles, of the police, courts, corrections, and victim services in the criminal justice system.

• Critically analyze the complex relationships between diverse groups and the U.S. criminal justice system.

• Apply criminological theory to real-world problems.

• Understand research related to criminal justice and its role in shaping criminal justice policy.

• Develop skills necessary for practitioners, advocates, academics, and organizational leaders in criminal justice-related fields.

The Criminal Justice program mission aligns with the University mission. 

Criminal Justice Program Vision

The Criminal Justice program’s vision is to provide a broad understanding of the criminal justice system while providing students with knowledge on the specific trends, challenges, and advances in the field.  To do so, we commit to:

• Ensuring our curriculum is current and course content is up to date.

• Assessing content in our core courses and making regular adjustments based on program level assessment.

• Providing students with relevant opportunities to participate in academic and career development programs, including the Criminal Justice Career Series and the Criminal Justice Lecture Series.

• Providing students with vital information and career opportunities via email, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media platforms.

• Working together as a faculty to create by-laws and a governing structure that ensures all program members academic freedom and voice in program matters.

Admission to the Program

The program is open to any Stockton student with an interest in the criminal justice system. A student should declare a major before starting the junior year to ensure that all program requirements are met for graduation at the end of the fourth year. 

Concentrations

Criminal Justice students may choose to focus on a particular area of interest through one of our specialized concentrations. The program offers a General concentration or concentrations in Forensic Investigation, Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security Concentrations, consist of a group of courses that augment an education in criminal justice with special knowledge and skills useful in a variety of targeted criminal justice occupations. The program also has a Dual Degree concentration that allows students to earn a combined BS/MA degree program in Criminal Justice in five years instead of six. Students undertake a concentration as a part of meeting the normal requirements for graduation.  Students in the Forensic Investigation, Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security must complete one specified required course from their concentration and at least one other concentration course at Stockton so that at least 50% of concentration requirements are completed at Stockton. Students who desire to pursue a concentration should meet with their preceptors as early as possible to design a course plan for fulfilling the concentration’s requirements in a timely fashion. 

Forensic Investigation Concentration

The Forensic Investigation concentration is an overview of crime scene investigation, blood spatter examination, crime scene photography, fingerprint examination, ballistics, and criminal behavior.  Students will learn the importance of forensic evidence in the criminal justice system, the significance of eyewitness testimony, the legal parameters of forensic investigation, and the importance of collection, presentation, and transportation of evidence to the laboratory.  Criminal Justice majors may enroll in the Forensic Investigation concentration no later than their junior year, though it is suggested they enroll earlier to avoid duplication in course work.

Forensic Psychology Concentration

The Forensic Psychology concentration involves applying psychology to the fields of criminal justice and law.  Students will explore the psychologies of criminal offenders, victims, and criminal justice professionals, in addition to examining how the field of psychology informs and explains many aspects of our legal system. Criminal Justice and Psychology majors may enroll in the Forensic Psychology concentration no later than their junior year, though it is suggested they enroll earlier to avoid duplication in course work.

Homeland Security Concentration

The Homeland Security concentration focuses on terrorism, federal law enforcement, intelligence, military strategy, policing, national and global security, disaster management, and emergency preparedness.  Students will understand the political, economic, and legal aspects of global security and will learn about the context of catastrophic events in relation to domestic and foreign policy decisions.  Criminal Justice majors may enroll in the Homeland Security concentration no later than their junior year, though it is suggested they enroll earlier to avoid duplication in course work.

General Concentration

The General concentration, as with the other concentrations, focuses on the core curriculum which emphasizes critical thinking and understanding issues facing police and law enforcement, the courts, legal system, and Constitution, the corrections systems, and victims and victim services. Students who declare a CRIM majors are automatically enrolled into General concentration if they do not declare one of the other concentrations.

Dual Degree Concentration

The dual degree concentration is a combined BS/MA degree program in Criminal Justice. It’s designed to offer students a broad, multidisciplinary and multidimensional perspective of the criminal justice system. Students have the choice of completing the requirements for the Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice with Forensic Psychology, Victimology and Victim Advocacy, or Justice Studies track.  The dual degree concentration is open only to eligible students who are admitted by the end of their first year at Stockton.

Graduation Requirements

Program Requirements for Criminal Justice Credits

Students in the major must earn 48 credits (12 courses) in Criminal Justice to graduate. All students must complete twelve core courses with a grade of C or better.  Students should first take CRIM 1100: Introduction to the Criminal Justice System, as it is the prerequisite course for most other Criminal Justice core courses. Students are required to take CRIM 3601: Criminal Justice Capstone in their senior year after completing the other eleven core courses with a grade of C or higher. CRIM 3601 also requires a C or higher.

Program Requirements for Elective Criminal Justice or Concentration Credit

While completing their core course requirements, students will also complete an additional 16 credits (4 courses) in Criminal Justice or concentration elective courses. Students in the General concentration may take any four Criminal Justice electives. Students in the Forensic Investigation, Forensic Psychology, and Homeland Security concentrations meet their four elective requirements through their concentration-specific curriculum. Note that students in all concentrations should avoid taking Criminal Justice or concentration elective credits that are not required. Students should consult with their preceptor about Criminal Justice elective courses as unnecessary Criminal Justice or concentration electives may not count towards graduation requirements. 

Transfer students with an A.A. or A.S. in Criminal Justice are required to take at least seven courses in Criminal Justice at Stockton. These seven courses must include CRIM 2141: Research and Evaluation in Criminal Justice and CRIM 2145: Statistics for Criminal Justice, which must be taken in their first year at the University, and the CRIM 3601: Criminal Justice Capstone seminar after they have met the eleven prerequisite course requirements noted above. If transfer students with an A.A. or A.S. degree in Criminal Justice lack transfer credits in any of the core course areas, they must select, among the seven courses at Stockton, appropriate courses to meet the deficiency. Beyond these requirements, transfer students with an A.A. or A.S. in Criminal Justice may take any Criminal Justice offerings of their own choosing to fulfill the program’s requirement of seven CRIM courses at Stockton.

The Criminal Justice program does not accept police academy or military work for program credit. However, if the student has completed an A.A. or A.S. degree that includes police academy or military credit, we will honor those credits if they are part of a complete A.A. or A.S. degree from a New Jersey community college.

Program Requirements for Cognate Credits

In addition to the Criminal Justice credit, students must complete at least 16 credits (4 courses) in cognate subjects related to Criminal Justice that are not part of the Criminal Justice program.  All students, regardless of concentration, must complete PSYC 1100: Introduction to Psychology and SOCY 1100: Introduction to Sociology and two additional cognate courses (8 credits) of their choosing. CRIM 3900: Criminal Justice Internship may not be applied as cognate credit.

To maximize student transfer credits and ensure Criminal Justice majors are knowledgeable in cognate subjects related to criminal justice, transfer students who transfer in excess Criminal Justice electives may have their excess electives count in the At-Some-Distance area. If At-Some-Distance credit requirements are fulfilled, excess transferred Criminal Justice credits may be applied to the Cognate area pending program approval. 

University Requirements

In line with general University requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree, students are expected to complete the 48-credit General Studies requirement. The faculty members of the Criminal Justice program, in their capacity as preceptors, work to ensure that students meet both the demands of the Criminal Justice program and the criteria of a general education. 

Graduation with Distinction

A Bachelor of Science degree with Distinction in Criminal Justice will be awarded to students who achieve a) a 3.50 overall GPA, b) a 3.85 program GPA, without any Criminal Justice course grade replacements, and c) at least an A- in CRIM 2141, 2145, and 3601 and any other two CRIM courses. To be eligible, students must provide one positive reference from a full-time Criminal Justice faculty member and apply by the specified deadline. Students who are not in good standing and/or have any charges of academic dishonesty are not eligible to receive Distinction. 

Criminal Justice Internships

Students may earn up to four (4) credits for internships at the undergraduate level.  Internships allow students to experience working in a criminal justice agency and professional private security organizations at the local, state or federal level at the same time as earning university credit from Stockton.  Students are required to complete 140 hours of service at the agency in exchange for 4 credits, and 70 hours of service at the agency for 2 credits.  Students complete academic work, such as a journal of their daily activities at the agency and research papers on the history of the occupation. Students also complete and submit a timesheet. 

To be eligible to apply for the internship in the Criminal Justice program, students must be criminal justice majors, have junior or senior class standing, have a 2.5 or greater GPA, and have passed CRIM 2141 with a C or better before the internship application is submitted. CRIM 3900: Criminal Justice Internship may not be applied as cognate credit. 

Students seeking more information on the criminal justice internship should visit https://stockton.edu/social-behavioral-sciences/internships/criminal-justice-internships.html or contact the Criminal Justice Internship Coordinator via email at William.McKnight@stockton.edu  to learn more. 

Criminal Justice Dual Degree Program

The dual BS/MA degree program in Criminal Justice is designed to offer students a broad, multidisciplinary and multidimensional perspective of the criminal justice system. Students will embark on an intensive academic experience for five years. This program includes all the liberal arts courses that all Criminal Justice students at Stockton are expected to take, plus all the undergraduate and graduate core Criminal Justice classes. Students have the choice of completing the requirements for the master’s degree in criminal justice with Forensic Psychology, Homeland Security, or Justice Studies track. This is an intense program and not recommended for students who work many hours outside of school. Students may apply for dual degree status when they apply for admission to Stockton or by contacting the dual degree coordinator at the end of their first full year at Stockton.  Once accepted into the program, students may decide to major in something other than Criminal Justice or graduate with a B.S. degree only by notifying the Criminal Justice dual degree coordinator and the University in writing. 

Eligible Students

Two types of students may apply for admission to the dual degree program.

The first group consists of high school seniors who apply to Stockton. Students expressing an interest in majoring in Criminal Justice who hold a minimum 3.7 high school GPA and demonstrate math, writing, and reading readiness through either a)  Accuplacer scores of at least 255 for math, 250 for writing, and 250 for reading or b) earn at least a 570/24 SAT/ACT math score, a 520/20 SAT/ACT reading/writing score will be considered for early, conditional admission into the dual degree program upon acceptance to Stockton University as undergraduate students. These students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3 every semester, earn at least a C in CRIM 1100, and uphold the academic honesty policy for the University during their undergraduate years to maintain their eligibility in the dual degree program.

The second group consists of Criminal Justice students who are already enrolled at Stockton or who are transfer students. These students may apply for early, conditional admission if they have a GPA of at least 3.3 every semester at Stockton or their sending institution. The program will accept a maximum of 64 undergraduate transfer credits, but students with that many transfer credits will likely have to take either summer classes or extra classes during the regular semester to graduate on time.  This is because students entering Stockton with an associate degree will have 64 credits by the end of their sophomore year, but dual degree candidates will have completed or need to complete at least 68 credits by that time.  Stockton students must apply for the program in May at the end of their first year to be eligible.  These students will also have to maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3 every semester, as well as uphold the academic honesty policy for the University during their undergraduate years to maintain their eligibility in the dual degree program.  Eligible transfer students should apply as soon as possible.

Dual degree eligible transfer students with excess Criminal Justice electives will have their excess electives count in the At-Some-Distance area.  Only if At-Some-Distance credit requirements are fulfilled, excess transferred Criminal Justice credits may then be applied to the Cognate area.

Maintenance of Academic Eligibility

To maintain eligibility in the dual degree program, the following standards for academic progress and requirements would be published and all dual degree students will sign a letter of commitment in writing. 

• Students must pass CRIM 1100 with a C or better on the first attempt at taking the class.

• Students must maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.3 while they are at Stockton to remain conditionally admitted to the accelerated dual degree BS/MA program. Students who fail this standard will have their early, conditional admission to the MACJ program withdrawn. They could be eligible to apply for regular admission to the MACJ program following completion of a baccalaureate degree.

• Students must complete all their General Studies and At-Some-Distance courses as well as the accompanying attributes by the end of their junior year and they will have completed all their required courses for the BS and MA degrees by the end of their fifth academic year.

• Students with undergraduate status must uphold the academic honesty policy for the University to maintain their eligibility in the dual degree program.

• Students must work closely with the dual degree coordinator to be sure they are enrolled in the proper classes each semester. For students to start MACJ classes in their fourth year, they must have met the requirements outlined in the dual degree curriculum worksheet for Years 1 through 3 and received approval from the dual degree coordinator. In order to ensure this occurs, students must meet with the dual degree coordinator, at a minimum, once per semester, typically during registration. 

Curriculum

To earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in criminal justice, students must complete a minimum of 128 undergraduate credits and 36 graduate credits. Students in the dual degree program cannot enroll in an undergraduate concentration. They can, however, declare an academic track as part of their graduate work. 

The undergraduate course work will consist of the following.

• 48 undergraduate criminal justice credits

• 14 undergraduate cognate credits

• 32 undergraduate general studies credits

• 16 undergraduate at-some-distance credits

• 18 graduate credits applied to the baccalaureate degree. 

All students must complete their General Studies and At-Some-Distance electives as well as the accompanying General Studies attributes by the end of their junior year. By the time students begin to take graduate courses in their senior year, they should have only eight credits remaining.

The graduate curriculum consists of 36 graduate credits, including the eight core courses for the master’s degree.  Eighteen graduate credits will also be counted toward the bachelor’s degree, noted above. Once fully enrolled in the MACJ program, dual degree students will complete an additional six graduate courses including the capstone course. 

Full details about the curriculum can be accessed on the MA in Criminal Justice website. Interested students may contact the Criminal Justice Dual Degree Coordinator   Kimberley.Schanz@stockton.edu to learn more. 

Certificate Program in Forensic Science

This certificate is designed to provide a focus for those students who are interested in pursuing a career in forensic science labs as opposed to law enforcement agencies. This program is specially designed for students majoring in chemistry, biochemistry, or biology or for those who have already graduated but would like to pursue a career in forensic science by taking additional courses.

Criminal Justice Career Opportunities

Few areas offer as many challenging and varied career opportunities as the criminal justice system. The field is growing rapidly, and salaries are generally competitive. While private involvement has been growing in recent years, the public sector remains the largest employer. Public employment in the criminal justice system often involves successful completion of a civil service examination. Nationwide, there is a growing demand for persons with broad educational backgrounds in the criminal justice system. Students taking the Forensic Investigation will find many career opportunities available to them in agencies ranging from law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices to insurance companies. Students taking the Forensic Psychology concentration will find career opportunities with corrections, reentry, community corrections, and victim services. Students taking the Homeland Security concentration can anticipate careers within the Department of Homeland Security as well as local, state, and federal agencies. Students in the General concentration will find career opportunities in a breadth of agencies including opportunities in law enforcement, courts, corrections, and victim advocacy organizations. Students anticipating employment with specific agencies should contact those agencies as early as possible to learn their requirements and examination procedures. Program preceptors in the Criminal Justice program can provide further information about employment procedures. Students may also contact the Criminal Justice Program’s Career Connections Advisor at Richard.Mulvihill@stockton.edu. 

Full details about the curriculum are accessible on the Criminal Justice website.