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Academic Catalog 2021-2022

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  • Criminal Justice, BS

Criminal Justice, BS

2021-2022 Edition

  • Undergraduate
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      • Interdisciplinary
      • Asian Studies
      • School of Criminology and Criminal Justice
        • English and Criminal Justice, BA
        • History and Criminal Justice, BA
        • International Affairs and Criminal Justice, BA
        • Criminal Justice, BS
        • Computer Science and Criminal Justice, BS
        • Criminal Justice and Journalism, BS
        • Criminal Justice and Philosophy, BS
        • Criminal Justice and Political Science, BS
        • Criminal Justice and Psychology, BS
        • Criminal Justice and Sociology, BS
        • Cybersecurity and Criminal Justice, BS
        • Human Services and Criminal Justice, BS
        • Criminal Justice, Minor
      • Cultures, Societies, and Global Studies
      • Economics
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      • Accelerated Bachelor/​Graduate Degree Programs
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  • College of Professional Studies Undergraduate
  • Graduate
  • Course Descriptions
  • Catalog Archives
  • Overview
  • Program Requirements
  • Plan of Study

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree is designed to prepare students for professional and research careers in criminal justice, criminology, and related fields by applying multidisciplinary and comparative social science to understand, predict, and explain crime and contribute to the development of public policy. Using an experiential learning approach, the criminal justice major seeks to develop its students intellectually and ethically, while providing them with a keen appreciation for the complexities of crime and public and private efforts to make communities safer and ensure justice.

Complete all courses listed below unless otherwise indicated. Also complete any corequisite labs, recitations, clinicals, or tools courses where specified and complete any additional courses needed beyond specific college and major requirements to satisfy graduation credit requirements.

University-Wide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the University-Wide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Fundamentals

Course List
Code Title Hours
Introduction to College
CRIM 1000Criminal Justice at Northeastern1
Introduction to Crime, Law, and the Justice System
What do we know about crime and justice? In these three courses successful students will develop a foundational understanding of three related phenomena: why crime exists, how our criminal justice system responds to crime, and the constitutional and legal oversight of this process.
CRIM 1100Introduction to Criminal Justice4
CRIM 1110Criminal Due Process4
CRIM 1120Criminology4
Current Crime and Justice Issues
These courses introduce students to topical issues related to crime and justice.
Complete one of the following:4
CRIM 1300
The Death Penalty
CRIM 1400
Human Trafficking
CRIM 1500
Corruption, Integrity, and Accountability
CRIM 1700
Crime, Media, and Politics
Digital Skills
Successful students develop digital skills and master digital tools useful for careers related to crime and justice. Students choose one of two courses (each has a required lab). The computer science course introduces students to spreadsheets and databases. The data science course introduces students to programming with data.
Complete one of the following (and the appropriate lab):4 or 5
CS 1100
and CS 1101
Computer Science and Its Applications
and Lab for CS 1100
DS 2000
and DS 2001
Programming with Data
and Data Science Programming Practicum (Social Science Practicum section)

Criminal Justice Institutions and Systems

Course List
Code Title Hours
Understanding and Experiencing Criminal Justice Institutions and Systems
How does justice work and for whom? These courses introduce students to the systems and institutions tasked with providing justice. Each includes experiential learning components in cooperation with local criminal justice institutions.
Complete two of the following:8
CRIM 2310
Courts: The Third Branch of Government
CRIM 2320
Youth Crime and Justice
CRIM 2330
Punishment in the Age of Mass Incarceration
CRIM 2340
Corporate Security: Securing the Private Sector
CRIM 2350
Policing a Democratic Society
Preparing for Co-op
The following course is designed to prepare students to apply for and embark on their first co-op. Students who do not take a co-op may replace EESH 2000, CRIM 3000, and CRIM 4000 with an additional CRIM elective.
EESH 2000Professional Development for Co-op1

Crime Problems and Justice System Challenges

Course List
Code Title Hours
Creating Knowledge about Crime and Justice
How do we know what we know about crime and justice—and how do we develop new knowledge? Harnessing data to learn about issues, identify solutions, and advocate for change.
CRIM 3600Criminal Justice Research Methods4
CRIM 3700Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice4
Crime Problems
The following courses offer students a deeper look at a range of crime problems.
Complete one of the following:4
CRIM 3010
Criminal Violence
CRIM 3030
Global Criminology
CRIM 3040
Psychology of Crime
CRIM 3050
Organized Crime
CRIM 3540
Addiction and Recovery
CRIM 3060
Political Crime and Terrorism
CRIM 3070
Corporate and White-Collar Crime
Systemic Issues
A consideration of systemic issues facing the criminal justice system.
Complete one of the following:4
CRIM 3110
Gender, Crime, and Justice
CRIM 3120
Race, Crime, and Justice
Returning from Co-op
Allows students the opportunity to reflect on their co-op experience and its connection to their ongoing coursework and future plans:
CRIM 3000Co-op Integration Seminar 2 (required after first co-op)1

Solutions and Reform

Course List
Code Title Hours
Solutions and Reform
How do we reinvent criminal justice institutions and their practice? The capstone experience is project-based and solution-oriented, drawing on knowledge gained in the classroom and through co-op and other experiences.
CRIM 4949Senior Capstone Seminar4
Student-Generated Knowledge
Opportunities for student research (optional):
CRIM 4991
Research
CRIM 4970
Junior/Senior Honors Project 1 (may serve as a substitute for the "Solutions and Reform" requirement)
CRIM 4971
Junior/Senior Honors Project 2
Returning from Co-op
Allows students the opportunity to reflect on their co-op experience and its connection to their ongoing coursework and future plans:
CRIM 4000Co-op Integration Seminar 31
Criminal Justice Electives
Rounding out knowledge of crime and justice.
Complete four additional criminal justice electives. Three must be from the 3000, 4000 or 5000-level.16

Criminal Justice Sequence Requirements

Complete three courses from the same department, two of which must be numbered 2000 or above, or complete a minor.

Criminal Justice Credit Requirement

Complete 63 credit hours in the major.

Experiential Liberal Arts

All undergraduate students in the College of Social Sciences and Humanities are required to complete the Experiential Liberal Arts Requirement.

Program Requirement

128 total semester hours required

Four Years, One Co-op

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 10001CRIM 11104Elective4Vacation
CRIM 11004CRIM 11204  
Current crime and justice issues course4Digital skills course and lab5  
ENGW 11114Elective4  
Elective4   
 17 17 4 0
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Systems and institutions course4Systems and institutions course4Elective4Vacation0
CRIM elective4CRIM 36004  
Sequence elective4CRIM elective4  
Elective4Elective4  
 16 16 4 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 37004Co-op0Co-op0Elective4
Crime problems elective4   
Systemic issues elective4   
Elective4   
EESH 20001   
 17 0 0 4
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
CRIM elective4Solutions and reform course4  
Sequence elective4CRIM elective4  
Elective4Sequence elective4  
Elective4Elective4  
CRIM 30001   
 17 16  
Total Hours: 128

Four Years, Two Co-ops

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 10001CRIM 11104Sequence elective4Elective4
CRIM 11004CRIM 11204Elective4 
Current crime and justice issues course4Digital skills course and lab4  
ENGW 11114Elective4  
Elective4   
 17 16 8 4
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Systems and institutions course4Systems and institutions course4Elective4Co-op
CRIM elective4CRIM 36004Elective4 
Sequence elective4CRIM elective4  
Elective4Elective4  
 EESH 20001  
 16 17 8 0
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
Co-opCRIM 37004CRIM elective4
 Crime problems elective4Elective4 
 Systemic issues elective4  
 Elective4  
 CRIM 40001  
 0 17 8 0
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
Solutions and reform course4  
 CRIM elective4  
 Sequence elective4  
 Elective4  
 CRIM 40001  
 0 17  
Total Hours: 128
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