• Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality. 
  • Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities.  Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality. 

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.

Universitywide Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the Universitywide Requirements.

NUpath Requirements

All undergraduate students are required to complete the NUpath Requirements.

Criminal Justice Requirements

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 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
The Death Penalty
Human Trafficking
Corruption, Integrity, and Accountability
Crime, Media, and Politics
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 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
Restorative Justice: Transforming the System
Black Families and Incarceration
Crime Problems
The following courses provide students a deeper look at a range of crime problems.
Complete one of the following:4
Criminal Violence
Global Criminology
Psychology of Crime
Organized Crime
Political Crime and Terrorism
Corporate and White-Collar Crime
Criminal Law
Addiction and Recovery
Systemic Issues
A consideration of systemic issues facing the criminal justice system.
Complete one of the following:4
Gender, Crime, and Justice
Race, Crime, and Justice
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
Computer Science and Its Applications
and Lab for CS 1100
Programming with Data
and Data Science Programming Practicum (Social Science Practicum section)

Political Science Requirements

Political Science Requirements
POLS 1150American Government4
POLS 1155Comparative Politics4
POLS 1160International Relations4
Political Theory
Complete one of the following:4
Ancient Philosophy and Political Thought
Modern Political Thought
American Political Thought
Contemporary Political Thought

Research Methods and Electives

Complete Option A, Option B, or Option C, below. Note: These options enable the student to take research methods courses (including statistics/quantitative techniques) as either CRIM courses or as POLS courses.

Option A

Research Methods
CRIM 3600Criminal Justice Research Methods4
CRIM 3700Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice4
Criminal Justice Electives
Complete two additional courses in the following range:8
CRIM 3001 to CRIM 5999
Political Science Electives
Complete five courses in the following range:20
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999

Option B 

Research Methods
POLS 2399Research Methods in Political Science4
POLS 2400Quantitative Techniques4
Criminal Justice Electives
Complete three additional courses in the following range:12
CRIM 3001 to CRIM 5999
Political Science Electives
Complete four courses in the following range:20
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999

Option C

Research Methods
Complete one of the following sequences:8
Criminal Justice Research Methods
and Quantitative Techniques
Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice
and Research Methods in Political Science
Criminal Justice Electives
Complete two additional courses in the following range:8
CRIM 3001 to CRIM 5999
Political Science Electives
Complete four courses in the following range:20
POLS 2000 to POLS 5999

Political Science Concentrations (Optional)

If you are working toward one of the following concentrations, declare it with your advisor so that it may be added to your record. Requirements for the concentrations are listed below.

Integrative Requirement

Senior Capstone Requirement
CRIM 4949Senior Capstone Seminar4
or POLS 4701 Political Science Senior Capstone
Due Process
CRIM 1110Criminal Due Process4
Integrative Elective Courses
Complete two of the following:8
Crime, Media, and Politics
Courts: The Third Branch of Government
Courts and Sentencing
Judicial Process and Behavior
Law and Society
U.S. Constitutional Law
U.S. Civil Liberties

Combined Major Credit Requirement

Complete 84 semester hours in the major.

Experiential Liberal Arts

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

Program Requirement

128 total semester hours required


Political Science Concentrations (Optional)

Concentration in American Political Institutions

Complete four of the following:16
State and Local Politics
The U.S. Congress
Judicial Process and Behavior
Public Policy and Administration
Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections
Campaign Strategy

 

Concentration in Campaigns and Elections

Required Courses
POLS 3160Campaign Strategy4
POLS 3302Judicial Process and Behavior4
Campaigns and Elections Electives
Complete two of the following:8
Urban Policies and Politics
State and Local Politics
POLS 3162
Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections
Politics and Mass Media

 

Concentration in Comparative Politics

Theoretical Requirement
Complete two of the following:8
The Holocaust and Comparative Genocide
Democratic Erosion
Immigration Politics
Religion and Politics
Nationalism
Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection
Politics of Developing Nations
Regional Requirements
Complete one of the following:4
Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union
Government and Politics in the Middle East
Experiential/Practicum Requirement
Complete one of the following:4
Model Arab League
Model NATO
Dialogue of Civilizations: Government and Politics Abroad

 

Concentration in Identity, Culture, and Politics 

Core Course
POLS 3418Nationalism4
Electives
Complete three of the following:12
Immigration Politics
Music and Politics in America and Abroad
Religion and Politics
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Public Policy
Law and Society

Concentration in International Relations and Diplomacy

Experiential/Practicum Requirement
Complete one of the following:4
Model United Nations
Model Arab League
Dialogue of Civilizations: International Politics Abroad
Core Courses
Complete three of the following:12
International Political Economy
International Law
Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union
International Security

Concentration in Law and Legal Studies

Complete four of the following:16
American Political Thought
The U.S. Congress
Judicial Process and Behavior
Race, Inequality, and the Law
Law and Society
International Law
Global Governance
U.S. Constitutional Law
U.S. Civil Liberties

 

Concentration in Public Policy

Core Requirement
POLS 3307Public Policy and Administration4
Electives
Complete three of the following:12
Urban Policies and Politics
State and Local Politics
Science, Technology, and Public Policy
Environmental Politics and Policy
U.S. Foreign Policy

 

Concentration in Security Studies

Complete four of the following:16
U.S. National Security Policy
Terrorism and Counterterrorism
U.S. Foreign Policy
Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection
Politics of Developing Nations
International Security

Sample Plan of Study: Four Years, Two Co-Ops

Year 1
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 11004POLS 11554Elective4CRIM Elective 4
CS 11004CRIM Elective 4Elective4POLS Elective 4
CS 11011POLS Elective 4  
POLS 11504Elective 4  
POLS 11604   
 17 16 8 8
Year 2
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 11104Co-opCo-opCRIM Elective 4
CRIM 11204  POLS Elective 4
Elective4   
Elective4   
 16 0 0 8
Year 3
FallHoursSpringHoursSummer 1HoursSummer 2Hours
CRIM 37004Co-opCo-opElective 4
POLS 24004  Elective 4
Elective4   
Elective 4   
 16 0 0 8
Year 4
FallHoursSpringHours  
CRIM Advanced Elective 4POLS 47014  
POLS Advanced Elective 4Integrative Course 24  
Integrative Course 14Elective 4  
Elective4Elective 4  
 16 16  
Total Hours: 129