Additional Criminal Justice Catalog Information

Criminal Justice (CJS) Undergraduate Programs

Department Office: 257 STEWART HALL/(320) 308-4101
Graduate Assistants: 222 STEWART HALL/(320) 308-3016
www.stcloudstate.edu/criminaljustice

Also see School of Public Affairs description and requirements.

Programs at a Glance

Degree programs

BA – Criminal Justice Studies
Minor – Criminal Justice Studie
(Also POST Law Enforcement Academic Core and POST Law Enforcement Skills Training Components)

Program admission and performance requirements

Admission – Department

2.65 GPA or higher in all courses completed at SCSU

University minimum requirements for bachelor’s degrees

120 credits
40 credits in Liberal Education
45 credits in upper-division (300-400) courses
30 credits in residence at SCSU
2.00 GPA overall, in major, and in minor (departments may set higher standards)

(See this section and the section on the School of Public Affairs for more information.)

Chairperson: F. Barry Schreiber
Faculty: Andzenge, Campbell, Clifford, Gilbertson, Hennessy, Hesse, Lane, Prout, Schreiber, Seefeldt
Adjunct Faculty: Aceves, Anderson, Bentrud, Duwe, Eibes, Ellering, Hand, Hanson, Harris, Heckendorn, Heinsohn, Kingsbury, Klaphake, Kutzke, McDonald, Norman, Schaeffer, Schrupp, Vanoverbeke, Wirth

The baccalaureate degree program emphasizes the interrelatedness of law enforcement, court services, corrections, juvenile justice, and private security within the criminal justice continuum. If students wish to specialize in a subfield of the continuum, they must first receive exposure to the total system. After this balance students can then pursue their specialization through formal instruction, seminars, internships, and independent study. Criminal justice majors may also choose not to specialize but to continue an in-depth study within the general field of criminal justice.

Additional credit hours beyond the General Education requirements, prerequisite courses, and the minimum 45 semester hours necessary for a major in Criminal Justice Studies are needed to meet the 120 semester hours of credit necessary for the Bachelor of Arts degree. This additional course work is recommended in both cognate and elective areas; the former includes biology, chemistry, economics, political science, psychology, social work, and statistics; and the latter includes education, English, Spanish, and philosophy.

The Department suggests that the required course STAT 219 be completed before enrolling for CJS 486.

Prerequisite for admission to the Criminal Justice major and minor program is a 2.65 GPA overall on SCSU course work. A requirement for graduation with a major in criminal justice studies at St. Cloud State University is researching, writing and orally defending a senior thesis. This requirement, which also fulfils the university's upper-division-writing requirement, is completed in CJS 488 Senior Thesis.

Licensure

The Minnesota Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Board criteria states that students who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement in the State of Minnesota must meet licensing requirements for both education and training. The Department of Criminal Justice at St. Cloud State University has been certified as a provider of the academic law enforcement licensing core. The department has also partnered in agreement with Alexandria Technical College to offer the law enforcement skills training component on SCSU's campus during the summer. To be eligible to attend the law enforcement skills training on campus students must complete the following classes: CJS 111, 421, 422, and 431. The students must also complete a Minnesota Emergency Medical Services Regulatory Board (EMSRB) approved First Responder level or higher certification. Graduate students may enroll in CJS 521, 522, 531 and 601 in lieu of the undergraduate courses.

Bachelor of Arts

Major (45)
Required: (33 Cr.)
CJS 111, 411, 415, 420, 430, 431, 486, 487, *488, 489; STAT **219.
Electives: (12 Cr.)
CJS 100, 101, 305, 325, 401, 421, 422, 425, 433, 441, 444, 445, 446, 450, 451, 453, 455, 457, 461, 465, 470, 473, 480, 482, 485, 489, 490, 492, 496, 188-388 (1-12 Cr.); 199-499 (1-16 Cr.); CHEM 207, 307; ECON 381; ENGL 216; GEOG 490; HLTH 305, 405; HIST 350; PHIL 212, 482; POL 413, 491, 492; SOC 304, 366, 367, 368; CMST 412: SSCI 460.

Minor (21)
Required: (9 Cr.)
CJS 111, 411, 415
Electives: (12 Cr.)
The 12 credit hours of elective courses must be chosen from those courses offered within the program major.

*Prerequisite: CJS 111, 486, 487, and STAT 219.
**Prerequisite: MATH 193 or 112, STAT 193 or equivalent.