The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Department of Philosophy and Religion offer a combined major in criminal justice and philosophy. This combined major educates students in criminal justice and philosophy and in the interface between the two disciplines. The scope and sequence of philosophy courses provide students with a foundation in topics such as social and political philosophy, philosophy of law, and moral philosophy, while also developing robust analytical and evaluative skills. Criminal justice courses provide a foundation for understanding individual and systemic aspects of criminology and criminal justice. Students completing this program should have depth of knowledge with respect to analyzing and addressing criminal behavior, as well as with respect to the philosophical and ethical aspects of topics such as law, punishment, justice, and social institutions.
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.
Criminal Justice Major Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction to Crime, Law, and the Justice System | ||
What do we know about crime and justice? In these three courses, students have an opportunity to 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 1100 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 4 |
| CRIM 1110 | Criminal Due Process | 4 |
| CRIM 1120 | Criminology | 4 |
| Current Crime and Justice Issues | ||
These courses introduce students to topical issues related to crime and justice. | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| The Death Penalty | ||
| Human Trafficking | ||
| Corruption, Integrity, and Accountability | ||
| Crime, Media, and Politics | ||
| Crime Problems and Criminal Justice Institutions | ||
The 2000-level courses in this list ask 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. The 3000-level courses in this list provide students with a deeper look at a range of crime problems. | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Courts: The Third Branch of Government | ||
| Youth Crime and Justice | ||
| Punishment in the Age of Mass Incarceration | ||
| Corporate Security: Securing the Private Sector | ||
| Policing a Democratic Society | ||
| Criminal Violence | ||
| Global Criminology | ||
| Psychology of Crime | ||
| Organized Crime | ||
| Political Crime and Terrorism | ||
| Corporate and White-Collar Crime | ||
| Addiction and Recovery | ||
| Systemic Issues | ||
These courses consider systemic issues facing the criminal justice system. | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Gender, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Race, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Creating Knowledge about Crime and Justice | ||
How do we know what we know about crime and justice—and how do we develop new knowledge? These courses study how to harness data to learn about issues, identify solutions, and advocate for change. | ||
| CRIM 3600 | Criminal Justice Research Methods | 4 |
| CRIM 3700 | Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice | 4 |
| Co-op Integration Seminars | ||
| Co-op students should complete the seminars below. Non–co-op students should complete a 4-semester-hour CRIM elective. | ||
| Complete two of the following courses. CRIM 2000 and CRIM 3000 are required for the first co-op. CRIM 4000 is required if a second co-op is taken. | 2-4 | |
| Professional Development for Co-op | ||
| Co-op Integration Seminar 2 | ||
| Co-op Integration Seminar 3 | ||
| 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 4949 | Senior Capstone Seminar | 4 |
| Criminal Justice Elective | ||
These courses round out our knowledge of crime and justice. | ||
| Complete one additional criminal justice elective from the 3000, 4000, or 5000 level. | 4 | |
Philosophy Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| PHIL 1115 | Introduction to Logic | 4 |
| PHIL 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | 4 |
| or POLS 2325 | Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought | |
| PHIL 2303 | Social and Political Philosophy | 4 |
| PHIL 2330 | Modern Philosophy | 4 |
| Intermediate/Advanced Electives | ||
| Complete two of the following: | ||
| The Religious Worlds of Boston: Faith and Devotion in Urban Life | ||
| Existentialism | ||
| Scientific Approaches to Philosophy | ||
| Moral Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy and Literature | ||
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Advanced Logic | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Economics | ||
| Philosophy of Biology | ||
| Seminar in Religion | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Information Ethics | ||
| AI Ethics | ||
| Philosophy 4000/5000 Elective | ||
| Complete one of the following not used to satisfy previous requirements: | 4 | |
| Theory of Knowledge | ||
| Philosophy of Science | ||
| Advanced Logic | ||
| Philosophy of Mind | ||
| Philosophy of Economics | ||
| Philosophy of Biology | ||
| Seminar in Religion | ||
| Global Justice | ||
| Ethics and Public Policy | ||
| Information Ethics | ||
| AI Ethics | ||
| Philosophy Electives | ||
| Complete two additional PHIL courses. | 8 | |
Integrative Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Philosophy Integrative Course | ||
| PHIL 2301 | Philosophical Problems of Law and Justice | 4 |
| Criminal Justice Integrative Course | ||
| CRIM 1400 | Human Trafficking | 4 |
Criminal Justice and Philosophy Major Credit Requirement
Complete 80 semester 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
Five Years, Three Co-ops in Summer 2/Fall
| Year 1 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CRIM 1100 | 4 | CRIM 1110 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Vacation | |
| PHIL 1115 | 4 | CRIM 1120 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||
| ENGW 1111 | 4 | PHIL 2325 or POLS 2325 | 4 | ||||
| PHIL 1000 | 1 | PHIL 2303 | 4 | ||||
| Criminology thematic elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 2 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| CRIM 3600 | 4 | Criminology thematic elective | 4 | Vacation | Co-op | ||
| EESH 2000 | 1 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| PHIL 2330 | 4 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Criminology survey elective | 4 | Philosophy intermediate/advanced elective | 4 | ||||
| Philosophy intermediate/advanced elective | 4 | ||||||
| 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 3 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | CRIM 3700 | 4 | Elective | 4 | Co-op | ||
| CRIM 3000 | 1 | Elective | 4 | ||||
| Philosophy 4000/5000 elective | 4 | ||||||
| Criminology systemwide elective | 4 | ||||||
| Philosophy 4000/5000 elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 17 | 8 | 0 | ||||
| Year 4 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | Summer 1 | Hours | Summer 2 | Hours |
| Co-op | Criminology elective | 4 | Vacation | Co-op | |||
| PHIL 2301 | 4 | ||||||
| CRIM 1400 | 4 | ||||||
| Philosophy elective | 4 | ||||||
| CRIM 4000 | 1 | ||||||
| 0 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Year 5 | |||||||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours | ||||
| Co-op | Philosophy capstone | 4 | |||||
| CRIM 4949 | 4 | ||||||
| Philosophy intermediate/advanced elective | 4 | ||||||
| Elective | 4 | ||||||
| 0 | 16 | ||||||
| Total Hours: 132 | |||||||