This combined major educates students in criminal justice and political science and in the interface between the two disciplines. The scope and sequence of political science courses provide students with a foundation in topics such as American government, comparative politics, international relations, and security and resilience. Criminal justice courses provide a foundation for understanding individual and systemic aspects of criminology and criminal justice. Students completing this program should be able to understand the relationships between the fields as they relate to understanding and addressing criminal behavior.
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 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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 | ||
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science Requirements | ||
| POLS 1150 | American Government | 4 |
| POLS 1155 | Comparative Politics | 4 |
| POLS 1160 | International Relations | 4 |
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Methods | ||
| CRIM 3600 | Criminal Justice Research Methods | 4 |
| CRIM 3700 | Analyzing and Using Data on Crime and Justice | 4 |
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Research Methods | ||
| POLS 2399 | Research Methods in Political Science | 4 |
| POLS 2400 | Quantitative Techniques | 4 |
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
- American Political Institutions
- Campaigns and Elections
- Comparative Politics
- Identity, Culture, and Politics
- International Relations and Diplomacy
- Law and Legal Studies
- Public Policy
- Security Studies
Integrative Requirement
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Senior Capstone Requirement | ||
| CRIM 4949 | Senior Capstone Seminar | 4 |
| or POLS 4701 | Political Science Senior Capstone | |
| Due Process | ||
| CRIM 1110 | Criminal Due Process | 4 |
| 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 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
Political Science Concentrations (Optional)
Concentration in American Political Institutions
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| POLS 3160 | Campaign Strategy | 4 |
| POLS 3302 | Judicial Process and Behavior | 4 |
| Campaigns and Elections Electives | ||
| If POLS 4947 was replaced by a co-op or internship, an additional elective must be taken. | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Intergovernmental Relations | ||
| Public Opinion, Voting, and Elections | ||
| Politics and Mass Media | ||
| Presidential Nominating Process | ||
Concentration in Comparative Politics
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Theoretical Requirement | ||
| Complete one of the following: | 4 | |
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Nationalism | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||
| Regional Requirements | ||
| Complete two of the following: | 8 | |
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Government and Politics in the Middle East | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| 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
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Course | ||
| POLS 3418 | Nationalism | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| Music and Politics in America and Abroad | ||
| Religion and Politics | ||
| Gender and Politics | ||
| Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Public Policy | ||
| Law and Society | ||
Concentration in International Relations and Diplomacy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||
| International Security | ||
| Politics and Governance of Europe and the European Union | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
Concentration in Law and Legal Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| American Political Thought | ||
| The U.S. Congress | ||
| Judicial Process and Behavior | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| International Law | ||
| Global Governance | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law | ||
| U.S. Civil Liberties | ||
Concentration in Public Policy
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirement | ||
| POLS 3307 | Public Policy and Administration | 4 |
| Electives | ||
| Complete three of the following: | 12 | |
| Budgeting and Taxation | ||
| Business and Government | ||
| Urban Policies and Politics | ||
| State and Local Politics | ||
| Growth and Decline of Cities and Suburbs | ||
| Science, Technology, and Public Policy | ||
| Environmental Politics and Policy | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
Concentration in Security Studies
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Complete four of the following: | 16 | |
| International Security | ||
| U.S. National Security Policy | ||
| Terrorism and Counterterrorism | ||
| U.S. Foreign Policy | ||
| Revolution, Civil War, and Insurrection | ||
| Arab-Israeli Conflict | ||
| Politics of Developing Nations | ||