Crime and Justice Studies Major

The department of Crime and Justice Studies brings together the academic fields of criminology, criminal justice, and justice studies while bridging the social sciences, humanities, and sciences. We offer a multi-disciplinary program that specializes in the study of the “crime” and “justice” policies and procedures to analyze the nature of structural, institutional, and transnational violence while providing students with the critical histories and skills they need to transform unjust conditions and improve society and their communities.

CJS provides teachings and research on the context, history, media, politics, policy, powers, and accountabilities of the criminal justice system and the multiple agencies that engage with its work throughout society. The multi-disciplinary nature of the CJS program engages students with various alternative models of justice including restorative and transformative justice, conflict resolution and mediation, and abolitionism. Starting in our classrooms, students learn cross-agency skills and teachings that allow them to work within and across various ideologies and applications of criminal justice, law enforcement, and the legal system. Our students have graduated to work in the fields of law enforcement, courts, corrections, public administration, social services, youth services, non-profits agencies, corporate settings, education, and community organizations. CJS students also have gone on to complete their graduate degrees in law, master’s, and various doctoral programs.

Bachelor’s of Arts in Crime and Justice Studies (CJS)

Students can choose from two types of Bachelor’s of Arts degree in CJS: an in-person/day school format OR a fully online format in the CJS online program. CJS Majors and CJS Online Majors have the same program requirements and the same 39 credit course requirements listed below. CJS faculty teach courses in both the in-person/day school program and in the fully online program. CJS Majors and CJS Online Majors receive CJS advising with CJS faculty.

Admission into the Major

Students seeking admission to Crime and Justice Studies must have a minimum overall GPA of 2.0.

Students interested in majoring in Crime and Justice Studies should contact the Chair of the Crime and Justice Studies Program for questions about the program, to discuss the program requirements, and to arrange for a CJS faculty advisor.

Requirements

To successfully complete the program for graduation, all students must:

Maintain a minimum of a 2.75 GPA in the major
Maintain a minimum of a 2.0 GPA overall
Meet the CJS major requirements listed below
Complete 30 credits at 300/400 level (including all courses in the major except Experiential Learning)
Complete a minimum of 120 credits with at least 45 at UMass Dartmouth
Complete the University Studies requirements
Complete the distribution requirements of the College of Arts and Sciences
All courses counting for the major must be completed with a C- or higher
Complete all required CJS core courses, 4 CJS electives within the Crime and Justice Studies department.

Required Core Courses - 27 Credits

CJS 190 - Introduction to Crime and Justice Studies Credits: 3
CJS 205 - Social Theory Credits: 3
CJS 256 - The Criminal Justice System Credits: 3
CJS 257 - Foundations in Justice Studies Credits: 3
CJS 258 - A History of Criminology Credits: 3
CJS 315 - Research Methods for Justice Studies Credits: 3
CJS 380 - Abolitionism Credits: 3
CJS 400 - Contemporary Topics in Justice Credits: 3
CJS 450 - Internship Credits: 3

Crime and Justice Studies Electives - 12 credits

Students must take at least four (4) 300- or 400-level CJS electives.

CJS 296 - Directed Study Credits: variable; 1.00 to 6.00
CJS 298 - Experience Program Credits: variable; 1.00 to 6.00
CJS 303 - Islamophobia Credits: 3.00
CJS 311 - Youth, Crime and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 314 - Social Control Credits: 3
CJS 321 - Women, Crime, and the Law Credits: 3
CJS 324 - Gender, Crime and In-Justice Credits: 3
CJS 326 - Female Sex Offenders in the Media Credits: 3
CJS 333 - International Crime and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 334 - Mental Health and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 339 - Racism, Crime and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 340 - Law and Society Credits: 3
CJS 342 - Construction of Criminal Behavior Credits: 3
CJS 344 - Intersectional Criminology Credits: 3
CJS 345 - Environments of Justice Credits: 3
CJS 347 - Beyond Borders? Immigration & Justice Credits: 3.00
CJS 350 - Read Crime & Justice Studies Credits: 3
CJS 359 - Cinema of Policing Credits: 3
CJS 361 - The War on Drugs Credits: 3
CJS 362 - Crimes Against Humanity Credits: 3
CJS 363 - Race, Colonization and Inequality: the American Indian Story Credits: 3
CJS 364 - The Death Penalty Credits: 3
CJS 366 - Justice and Policy Credits: 3
CJS 368 - The Politics of Policing Credits: 3
CJS 370 - Criminal Law and Procedure Credits: 3
CJS 372 - Roots and Realities of Nonviolence Credits: 3
CJS 374 - Transformative Justice Credits: 3
CJS 375 - Education, Transformation, and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 382 - Advanced Theory in Crime and Justice Credits: 3
CJS 399 - Black Feminist Hauntology: mapping carceral time-life-death-afterlife in the era of criminal justice Credits: 3
CJS 396 - Directed Study Credits: variable; 1.00 to 6.00
CJS 407 - Field Inquiry I Credits: 3
CJS 408 - Field Inquiry II Credits: 3
CJS 492 - Thesis Research I Credits: 3
CJS 493 - Thesis Research II Credits: 3
CJS 495 - Independent Study Credits: variable; 1.00 to 6.00
CJS 496 - Directed Study Credits: variable; 1.00 to 6.00

Pre-Law Concentration

Crime and Justice Studies offers a pre-law concentration for majors who are interested in legal analysis, law or graduate school, or careers in the legal professions. All course requirements within the CJS pre-law concentration fall within existing CJS major, college, and university studies requirements. Students within the CJS pre-law concentration choose their required four (4) CJS electives within any of the three CJS prelaw concentration areas of focus: critical legal studies, policy and procedure, or transnational legal studies (see below and in the BHE Undergraduate Program Curriculum Outline).

Students can declare a CJS pre-law concentration at any time. Prerequisites for CJS core and elective required classes are identical to the CJS major.

All foundations courses are identical to the CJS major and students must complete all thirteen (13) CJS core requirements to complete the pre-law concentration. However, instead of taking their four (4) 300+ elective courses from the above list of CJS electives for general CJS majors, students in the CJS pre-law concentration must complete their four (4) required CJS 300+ elective courses with offerings from the list of CJS pre-law concentration courses (below). Students can choose all four of the electives from one area within the pre-law concentration or take electives in any of the concentration areas.

CJS Pre-Law Concentration Elective Areas (complete four (4) elective course from any of the CJS pre-law concentration areas):

Total Credits: 39

Note

Work experience or internships outside of the department may not be substituted for CJS 450 Internship. A limited number of Experiential Learning Credits (CJS 298) and Field Inquiry Credits (CJS 407; CJS 408) may apply toward overall credits with additional faculty supervised and reflective academic work.

As part of the articulation agreement with the Massachusetts Community Colleges, it is anticipated that students arriving with an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice or a closely related field may have satisfied the requirements for CJS 190 Introduction to Crime and Justice Studies. We cannot transfer 300-level requirements from 2-year institutions (with the exception of 3 credits for CJS 370 completed through 6 credits at the 200 level. All 4 year CJS elective transfer requests must be approved by CJS chairperson. Current or future confirmed employers cannot be used as placements for the CJS 450 Internship requirement.

University Studies Requirements

In addition to the requirements in the major, students will be required to complete the University Studies requirements. For more information: http://www.umassd.edu/generaleducation/universitystudies/universitystudiescurriculum/.