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Criminal Justice encompasses multidisciplinary examinations of crime, crime control, the justice process, and justice institutions. The discipline addresses definitions, causation, prevention, investigation, legal process, treatment, rehabilitation, and research relating to crime and justice as well as the institutions of the justice system and their administration.

The comprehensive program at Sacramento State covers every aspect of the field. Courses are offered which span the entire system of justice administration in both public and private sectors.

The Division of Criminal Justice:

• Seeks to identify and increase understanding of major social issues related to crime, criminals, prevention and control, and victims.
• Features a large and diverse faculty combining scholars from a variety of disciplines who have contributed extensively to the justice field with practitioners who have many years of experience in justice administration.
• Offers a flexible undergraduate major, combined with highly structured advising, which allows the student to shape an undergraduate program specifically to prepare for employment in multiple areas of criminal justice, advanced study in criminal justice or law school.
• Features a Master of Science curriculum allowing students to focus study on either theoretical aspects of crime or justice administration.
• Offers direct access to many local, state and federal agencies through internships and fieldwork.

Many graduates find positions with various federal, state, and local criminal justice agencies. Others have pursued advanced study in criminology and law. Employment opportunities for Criminal Justice majors have remained strong for the past decade both with government agencies and in private security and future demand appears assured.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS

Pre-Major

There are no specific requirements for a student to become a pre-major in Criminal Justice. Pre-majors will be assigned advisors and assisted in their course planning.

Major

To become a Criminal Justice major, the student must first have successfully completed the following courses or their equivalent with a grade of "C" or better:

Students who wish to become a Criminal Justice minor must contact the Division of Criminal Justice.

Most upper division Criminal Justice courses are restricted to Criminal Justice majors or minors or permission of instructor. Students interested in Criminal Justice majors or minors are encouraged to contact the Criminal Justice Student Advising Center.

REQUIREMENTS - BACHELOR OF SCIENCE DEGREE

Units required for Major: 60
Minimum total units required for the BS: 120
Students majoring in Criminal Justice must achieve a "C" grade or better in each lower division and a "C-" or better in each upper division course applied to the major and a GPA of at least 2.0 ("C") for all upper division required courses applied to the major.
Courses in parentheses are prerequisites or as otherwise noted.

C. Electives (24 units)

The student will collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a plan of electives that reflects the student's academic and professional interests. Electives must be drawn from at least three of the listed "Areas of Interest," of which one must be "Supporting Courses." The University Advanced Study graduation requirement may be completed in the major or as part of the GE pattern. An approved minor may be substituted for up to 12 units of the major elective courses and fulfills the requirement for selection of a course from the "Supporting Courses."

Criminal Justice Administration
CRJ 161A+	Police Administration (CRJ 110, CRJ 164 and CRJ 167)
CRJ 161B+	Contemporary Issues in Policing (CRJ 110 and CRJ 167)
CRJ 163+	Leadership in Criminal Justice and Public Safety (CRJ 164)
CRJ 165+	Planning for Justice and Public Safety (CRJ 100, CRJ 110 and CRJ 164)
CRJ 168+	Justice and Public Safety Information Systems (CRJ 1)
Investigation
CRJ 133	Fundamentals of Computer Crime
CRJ 140+	Advanced Criminal Investigation (CRJ 4, CRJ 110)
CRJ 143+	Interviewing and Detection of Deception (CRJ 4, CRJ 110)
CRJ 146+	Introduction to Physical Evidence (CRJ 4)
Corrections
CRJ 130+	Community Based Corrections (CRJ 100, CRJ 110, CRJ 120)
CRJ 131+	Correctional Institutions (CRJ 100, CRJ 110, CRJ 120)
CRJ 161C	Corrections Administration (CRJ 110, CRJ 120 and CRJ 164)
Offenses and Offenders
CRJ 132	Terrorism and Violence
CRJ 136+	Analysis of Career Criminals (CRJ 100, CRJ 110)
CRJ 139	Gangs and Threat Groups in America
CRJ 150	Sexual Offenses and Offenders
CRJ 151+	Private Crimes: Abuse of Children, Spouses and the Elderly (CRJ 100, CRJ 110)
CRJ 171+	Delinquency Prevention and Control (CRJ 100, CRJ 110)
CRJ 192	American Criminal Justice and Minority Groups
CRJ 193	Drug Abuse and Criminal Behavior
Law
CRJ 170+	Law of Evidence (CRJ 174A, CRJ 175)
CRJ 172+	Juvenile Law (CRJ 2, CRJ 110 and CRJ 175)
CRJ 173+	Law of Responsibility
Additional Courses
CRJ 157	Women and the Criminal Justice System (Passing score on WPE)
CRJ 180+	Security Systems (CRJ 100, CRJ 110)
CRJ 181+ series courses	Topics in Criminal Justice
CRJ 189+	Criminal Justice Systems of the Future
CRJ 195*+	Internship (CRJ 100, CRJ 110, CRJ 120, CRJ 164, CRJ 167 and CRJ 175)
CRJ 196+ series course	Experimental Offerings in Criminal Justice
CRJ 198*	Co-Curricular Activities (Sponsoring instructor and Division Chair permission)
CRJ 199*+	Special Problems (CRJ 100, CRJ 110, CRJ 120, CRJ 163, CRJ 164, CRJ 167, CRJ 174A, CRJ 175 and CRJ 194; restricted to declared majors and minors or instructor permission; senior status)
*No more than 6 units of Credit/No Credit courses will be allowed toward completion of the degree. +Prerequisite: Restricted to declared majors and minors or instructor permission.
Supporting Courses
ACCY 161	Government and Nonprofit Accounting
ANTH 144	Contemporary American Culture in Anthropological Perspective
ANTH 163	Urban Anthropology
ANTH 166	Rise of Religious Cults
ANTH 183	Women Cross-Culturally
ANTH 186	Culture and Poverty (Passing score on WPE)
COMS 115	Non-Verbal Communication
COMS 116	Intercultural Communication
CSC 114	Fundamentals of Information Assurance & Security (CSC 10, CSC 80)
CSC 115	Internet Securit (CSC 114)
CSC 116	Cyber Forensics (CSC 114)
ENGL 120P	Professional Writing (ENGL 20 or ENGL 120A)
ENGL 120S	Writing in the Social Sciences (Passing score on the WPE or other GWAR equivalent)
ETHN 100	Ethnic America (Passing score on WPE)
ETHN 110	The Asian American Experience
ETHN 131	La Raza Studies
ETHN 140	Native American Experience
ETHN 170	Pan African Studies
ETHN 173	The Black Family in the United States
GEOG 109	Geographic Information Systems
GOVT 120A	Constitutional Law (GOVT 1 or equivalent)
GOVT 120B	Constitutional Rights and Liberties (GOVT 1 or equivalent)
GOVT 122	Law and Bureaucracy (GOVT 1 or equivalent)
GOVT 125	Politics of Justice (GOVT 1 or equivalent )
GOVT 155	The Legislative Process (GOVT 1 or equivalent )
GOVT 165	Politics of the Underrepresented (GOVT 1 or equivalent; passing score on WPE)
GOVT 170	Public Policy Development (GOVT 1 or equivalent; passing score on WPE)
GOVT 180	California State and Local Government
HIST 162	Social History of the U.S.
HIST 163	The City in U.S. History
HIST 177	The African-American Experience, 1603-Present
HIST 186	Ethnic Minorities in California History
PHIL 101	Ethics and Social Issues (Passing score on WPE)
PHIL 155	Philosophy of Law
PHIL 160	Symbolic Logic (MATH 31, PHIL 60 or instructor permission)
PPA 150	Collaborative Problem Solving Practicum (Any one of the following or instructor permission; ANTH 101, ANTH 142, COMS 116, COMS 119, CRJ 164, ENVS 171, GOVT 170, GOVT 180, ID 124 or its equivalent, HROB 155, PPA 100, PSYC 135, PSYC 145, SOC 130, SOC 150, SOC 190, or SWRK 102)
PSYC 100	Cross-Cultural Psychology (PSYC 5. Corequisite: PSYC 8)
PSYC 103	Perception (PSYC 1, PSYC 8, PSYC 101)
PSYC 108	Organizational Psychology
PSYC 110	Cognitive Psychology (PSYC 1, PSYC 8, PSYC 101)
PSYC 130	Personality Theories (PSYC 1 or PSYC 5)
PSYC 135	Psychology of Multicultural Groups
PSYC 137	Stress Management
PSYC 145	Social Psychology (PSYC 1 or PSYC 5)
PSYC 149	Psychology of Adolescence (PSYC 1 or PSYC 5)
PSYC 151	Psychological Aspects of Death and Dying
PSYC 168	Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 5; PSYC 1 recommended)
SOC 101	Introduction to Statistics for Sociologists
SOC 102A	Research Methods in Sociology (SOC 101 or equivalent)
SOC 102B	Research Methods Laboratory (SOC 101 or equivalent; SOC 102A)
SOC 130	Political Sociology (SOC 1 or equivalent)
SOC 136	Social Movements (SOC 1 or instructor permission)
SOC 155	Criminology
SOC 156	Delinquency
SOC 157	Issues in Courts and Prisons
SOC 158	Sociology of Deviance
SWRK 102	Crosscultural Theory and Practice: Issues of Race, Gender and Class
SWRK 118	Chemical Dependency and Social Work Practice
SWRK 126	Theories of Criminal Behavior (Passing score on the WPE)
SWRK 134	Crimes Without Victims
SWRK 136	Poverty and Homelessness in America
SWRK 137	The Child and the Law
SWRK 138	Violence in the Family

 
REQUIREMENTS - MINOR

Units required for Minor: 21
Courses in parentheses are prerequisites.

REQUIREMENTS - MINOR - FORENSICS INVESTIGATION

Units required for Minor: 21
Must be a chemistry or biology major and complete the following courses with a minimum grade of "C" or better.

+Restricted to declared majors and minors or instructor permission.

The Master of Science program in Criminal Justice is designed to provide broad knowledge and understanding of the field of criminal justice, law enforcement, legal processes, and rehabilitation of offenders. It also provides an extensive academic foundation for a growing variety of professional opportunities and facilitates professional development in preparation for positions of increasing responsibility. Curriculum objectives are based on the philosophy that the function of the professional criminal justice practitioner and educator is to aid the orderly development of society, to contribute significantly to the improvement of the quality of services, and to advance the criminal justice system. Students who anticipate pursuing graduate studies should prepare themselves for work on this level by selecting undergraduate courses which provide competence in the following areas: statistical analysis, behavioral science methodology, independent library research, and the writing of research papers.

The University's location in the state capital provides direct access to many local, federal, and state agencies through internship and fieldwork opportunities. All graduate students should consult the Criminal Justice Graduate Coordinator when planning their program of courses for each upcoming semester.

All work toward the degree must be completed within a seven-year period. The general University requirements for graduate degrees are explained in the "Graduate Studies" section of the Sacramento State Catalog.

Admission Requirements

Admission as a classified graduate student in Criminal Justice requires:

• a baccalaureate degree;
• a minimum 3.0 GPA in the last 60 units attempted and a 3.0 GPA in the major field;
• a score of 4 or more in the Analytical Writing Section of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test;
• a letter outlining in some detail the applicant's interests, goals, and expectations in pursuing the MS in Criminal Justice; and
• three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate study (format for letters is available in the Criminal Justice Office).

In addition, applicants are expected to have an undergraduate major in Criminal Justice or its equivalent. Whatever the applicant's undergraduate major, however, it is essential that each student have adequate preparation for graduate study. For this reason, some applicants (regardless of their undergraduate program) may be asked to remove deficiencies in their education by taking courses from the undergraduate curriculum before being admitted as a classified graduate student. In such cases, conditionally classified graduate status may be granted subject to completion of these courses with grade "B" or better. The number of units required to remove deficiencies will total no more than 15 and these must be taken in addition to the 30 units required for the MS. Any deficiencies will be noted on a written response to the admission application.

Applications are accepted as long as space for new students is available. However, students are strongly urged to apply by April 1 for the following fall or October 1 for the following spring in order to allow time for admission prior to registration for courses. If applications for graduate admissions exceed the capacity of the Department, the Department will limit admissions. Applicants will be rank ordered for admission based on an evaluation of the academic record, GRE scores, professional and life experience, references, proposed academic plan and potential for diversifying and enriching the Criminal Justice graduate program.

All prospective graduate students, including Sacramento State graduates, must file the following with the Office of Graduate Studies, River Front Center 206, (916) 278-6470:

• an online application for admission;
• two sets of official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended, other than Sacramento State; and
• Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores.

At the same time, each prospective graduate student must forward to the Graduate Coordinator in the Division of Criminal Justice the following:

• a letter outlining in some detail the applicant's interests, goals, and expectations in pursuing the MS in Criminal Justice; and
• three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant's potential for graduate study.

Approximately six weeks after receipt of all items listed above, a decision regarding admission will be mailed to the applicant.

Advancement to Candidacy

Each student must file an application for Advancement to Candidacy for the master's degree indicating the proposed program of graduate study. This procedure should begin as soon as the classified graduate student has:

• removed any deficiencies in admissions requirements;
• completed at least 12 units in the graduate program with a minimum 3.0 GPA; and
• passed the Writing Proficiency Examination (WPE) or secured approval for a WPE waiver.

Students may not enroll in CRJ 500 before they are advanced to candidacy.

Advancement to Candidacy forms are available in the Office of Graduate Studies. The student fills out the form after planning a degree program in consultation with the Criminal Justice Graduate Coordinator. The completed form should then be returned to the Office of Graduate Studies for approval.

REQUIREMENTS - MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE  

Units required for MS: 30
Minimum GPA: 3.0

A. Required Courses (9 units) Prerequisite: Graduate status and completion of the WPE requirement, or instructor permission.
(3)	CRJ 200*	Research Methods in Criminal Justice (Basic statistics or research methods course)
(3)	CRJ 255*	Crime, Criminology and Criminal Justice
(3)	CRJ 260*	Management of Complex Justice Organizations
B. Electives (18 units)
(18) Select six of the following: Prerequisite: CRJ 200, CRJ 255, CRJ 260, one of which may be taken concurrently after successful completion of the first two required courses, graduate status, and completion of the WPE requirement.
	CRJ 205	Criminal Justice Policy Analysis
	CRJ 207	Criminal Justice Research and Program Evaluation
	CRJ 210	Critical Examination of Criminal Law
	CRJ 220	Politics of Crime Legislation
	CRJ 230	The Prison
	CRJ 231	Change and Penal Institutions
	CRJ 233	Psychodynamics of Confinement
	CRJ 240	Contemporary Issues in Policing
	CRJ 250	Comparative Analysis of the Criminal Justice Systems
	CRJ 251	White-Collar Crime
	CRJ 252	Violence and Victims
	CRJ 256	Historical Analysis of the American Criminal Justice System
	CRJ 257	The Nature of Terrorism
	CRJ 262	Administration of Juvenile Justice
	CRJ 266	Personnel Administration in Justice Organizations
	CRJ 267	Criminal Justice Issues in Collective Bargaining and Arbitration
	CRJ 289	Criminal Justice Systems of the Future
	CRJ 295	Internship
	CRJ 296 series course	Experimental Offerings in Criminal Justice
	CRJ 299	Special Problems
C. Culminating Experience (3 units)
(3)	CRJ 500	Culminating Experience (Advanced to candidacy)

Note: Students requiring more than one semester to complete their culminating experience must either reenroll in CRJ 500 or must enroll in CCE 599, Graduate Continuous Enrollment, which is offered by the College of Continuing Education (CCE) through concurrent enrollment (Open University).

Investigative positions with federal state and local agencies such as the FBI, ATF, Secret Service, DEA, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, California Department of Justice, Alcohol Beverage Control, Department of Motor Vehicles, district attorney's and public defender's offices and numerous others · Uniformed law enforcement positions with agencies at all levels of government, including: police officer, deputy sheriff, highway patrol or state police officer, border patrol agent and natural resources officer, probation and parole officers, correctional counselors, correctional officers, private security consultants, private investigators and corporate security officers, and loss prevention specialists · Crime analysts and crime scene technicians · Victim services and a wide variety of social service agencies related to crime, justice and rehabilitation · In addition, graduates can pursue advanced degrees in law or research disciplines.

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