Criminal Justice, B.A.

CJUS 1100 – Foundations of Criminal Justice

CJUS 1200 – Professionalism in Criminal Justice and Criminology

CJUS 1511 – Local Social Science: Foundations of Criminal Justice

CJUS 2320 – Introduction to Courts

CJUS 2340 – Criminological Theory

CJUS 2350 – Introduction to Corrections

CJUS 2360 – Ethics and the Criminal Justice System

CJUS 2361 – Juvenile Justice

CJUS 2370 – Research Methods in Criminal Justice

CJUS 2380 – Introduction to Law Enforcement

CJUS 3000 – Topics in Criminal Justice

CJUS 3320 – Criminal Justice and the Law

CJUS 3321 – Criminal Procedure

CJUS 3323 – Correctional Law

CJUS 3340 – The Juvenile Offender

CJUS 3341 – The Criminal Offender

CJUS 3351 – Community Corrections

CJUS 3352 – Institutional Corrections

CJUS 3353 – Juvenile Corrections

CJUS 3354 – Punishment and Freedom

CJUS 3360 – Criminal Justice Learning Community I

CJUS 3361 – Criminal Justice Learning Community II

CJUS 3362 – Famous Criminal Trials of the Twentieth Century

CJUS 3363 – Mediation and Conflict Resolution

CJUS 3364 – The Administration of Criminal Justice

CJUS 3365 – Interviewing in Criminal Justice

CJUS 3366 – Domestic Violence

CJUS 3367 – Problems and Decisions in Criminal Justice

CJUS 3380 – Law Enforcement Behavioral Systems

CJUS 3382 – Community-Oriented Policing and Problem-Solving

CJUS 3400 – Criminal Justice Internship

CJUS 3800 – Directed Individual Study

CJUS 4000 – Topics in Crime Analytics

CJUS 4320 – Evidence

CJUS 4350 – Victims and the Criminal Justice System

CJUS 4351 – Violence and the Violent Offender

CJUS 4352 – Serial Murder

CJUS 4360 – Drugs, Crime, and the Criminal Justice System

CJUS 4361 – International Criminal Justice

CJUS 4363 – Gender, Race, and Justice

CJUS 4364 – Aging and Criminal Justice: An Interdisciplinary Understanding

CJUS 4365 – Criminal Justice and Social Diversity

CJUS 4366 – Street Gangs

CJUS 4370 – Data Analytics and Crime

CJUS 4371 – Criminal Data Sources, Data Management, and Cleaning

CJUS 4372 – Drug Analytics

CJUS 4373 – Intelligence Analysis and Security Analytics

CJUS 4374 – Geospatial Analytics and Crime

CJUS 4375 – Community-Oriented Policing, Problem-Solving, and Crime Analysis

CJUS 4376 – Social Network Analysis

CJUS 4377 – Crime Measurement and Data Visualization

CJUS 4378 – Causes and Consequences of Crime

CJUS 4379 – Qualitative Research and Analysis in Criminal Justice

CJUS 4400 – Research Practicum

CJUS 4700 – Honors Thesis in Criminal Justice I

CJUS 4701 – Honors Thesis in Criminal Justice II

Before declaring the Criminal Justice major, students must complete Foundations of Criminal Justice (CJUS 1100 or 1511) with a grade of C or better within two attempts and have a GPA of at least 2.0. Students may begin submitting their major declaration requests via email to cjusadvisor@charlotte.edu once all of their semester grades have been posted on their transcripts. Be sure to send this email from your Charlotte email address. It is the student’s responsibility to monitor their transcript or DegreeWorks regularly, as no notifications will be sent regarding the status of the major. Please check these documents to confirm when the major appears.

For Declaring the Crime Analytics Concentration:

If you wish to declare the Crime Analytics Concentration, please clearly state this in your declaration email to cjusadvisor@charlotte.edu, along with the required information for the declaring process.  Also, you may add the concentration later after becoming a CJUS major by emailing your request to cjusadvisor@charlotte.edu.

Required Information for Declaration Email:

• Your full name
• Your student ID number
• The statement: “I would like to add Criminal Justice as a major.”
• If applicable, the statement: “I would like to add Criminal Justice as a major and drop my current major of [insert current major].
• Please ensure the subject line of your email reads: “CJUS MAJOR DECLARATION.” Failure to use this subject line may result in your request being overlooked

CJUS Curriculum – Effective Fall 2025

Transfer students who have an A.A.S. degree in a criminal justice related discipline, may be awarded a maximum of 15 semester hours of credit for criminal justice coursework completed with a grade of C or better.

Transfer students who do not have the A.A.S. who have completed with a C or better the equivalent of CJUS1501, CJUS 2350, CJUS 2360, CJUS 2380, or CJUS 2361 will receive credit for these classes.

Transfer students coming from a 4-year institution: You need to check the transfer advisor to determine which classes will transfer. If you do not receive credit for a course that we offer in the department you need to see an advisor. Classes are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Please bring a copy of the syllabus, book utilized and any additional information about the course you wish to have evaluated.

TRANSFER CREDIT ADVISOR

How do I schedule an appointment with my adivsor?

Please check CONNECT to find your assigned advisor in the Criminal Justice department. CONNECT allows you to schedule appointments with your assigned advisor. If you are a declared minor Professor Hodge should be listed as your advisor.

UNC Charlotte now uses Connect to schedule advising appointments. If you have any problems with Connect, please visit the Advising Center’s website.

To complete the CJUS major, students must complete 40 hours of Criminal Justice coursework. This includes the required core courses: CJUS 1511, 1200, 2340, and 2370, – as well as STAT 1222 or 1221 or 1220 – plus one course in CJUS Crime Analytics, one Engagement Across Perspectives course, and 21 hours of CJUS electives.  An overall GPA of 2.0 in the major courses and overall and the student must earn 120 hours.

CJUS 1511 is a prerequisite for all required and elective coursework EXCEPT for CJUS 1200, STAT 1220, 1221, 1222 and SPAN 3221. 

Students must take and pass CJUS 1511, 2340, 2370 and Statistics with a grade of C or better. Also, students may only attempt CJUS 1511 and 2340 no more than 2 times, including all withdrawals and grade replacements of D or F. Students will be restricted from enrolling in these CJUS classes a 3rd time. 

• Criminal Justice, B.A.
• Criminal Justice, Crime Analytics Concentration, B.A.

Resources for students:

• Major Checklist
• Minor Checklist
• Crime Analytics Concentration Option

Requirements to Declare:

To become a CJ Major you must have:

1. Completion of Foundations of Criminal Justice (CJUS 1100/1511) with a grade of “C” or better reflected on your transcript

and

2. A GPA of 2.0 or better reflected on your transcript [note: a 2.0 overall GPA and at least a 2.0 GPA in CJUS courses only are both required]

After you have met these requirements, you can send an email to cjusadvisor@charlotte.edu  from your UNC Charlotte EMAIL ONLY to request admission to the Criminal Justice major. In this email, you must include your full name, student ID number, and the following statement: “I would like to add Criminal Justice as a major.” The subject line must read: CJUS MAJOR DECLARATION. If you do not use this subject line, your request may be missed.

* If you are currently listed as UCOL, you must include the statement to drop UCOL and replace it with the Criminal Justice major. If you want us to drop your current major, include that statement as well. (For example, “I would like to add Criminal Justice as a major and drop my current major of ________.”) Do not include this statement if you intend to double major.

There are a lot of opportunities for students to take advantage of in our department and in the University. Become involved . . .

Alpha Phi Sigma

• Alpha Phi Sigma recognizes academic excellence of Undergraduate and Graduate students of Criminal Justice, as well as Juris Doctorate students.

Career Center

Criminal Justice Honors Program

• The purpose of the Honors Program in Criminal Justice is to identify the creative, imaginative, and/or exceptional student and to encourage and recognize the development of this student’s potential. The Honors Program in Criminal Justice shall encourage independent study and shall evaluate each student’s achievement in terms of her or his ability to proceed as a self-directed learner.

Graduate Program

• The M.S. degree in Criminal Justice is a social science degree. As such, students are trained in the areas of criminological theory, criminal justice policy, law and social control, research methodology and data analysis. The goal of the program is to produce graduates who can think broadly and critically about issues related to crime and the criminal justice system, and to be informed consumers as well as producers of scientific research. These skills can serve students well in many areas of the criminal justice workforce, and/or in their future endeavors in Ph.D. programs. (Note that our program does not provide local, state or federal law enforcement training, nor does it provide training in crime scene investigation.)

Internship Programs

• Internships can be scheduled for Fall, Spring or Summer semesters. However, students need to apply for internships at least one or two semesters before receiving a placement. Please note that federal agencies often prefer that students apply 6 months before being considered for an internship; 3 months for state or local internship is usually sufficient.

Mediation Program

• The UNC Charlotte Mediation Program offers students courses, mediation tournaments, and service to the university and larger community. Through its many opportunities, students bridge the gulf between classroom theory and the real world disputes and leave university life prepared to mediate real problems under realistic situations.

Nu Sigma Alpha Chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association

• The purpose of the Criminal Justice Association at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte is to provide insight into the criminal justice field for the student body. We intend to communicate professional career opportunities and to elevate and uphold high ethical and moral standards in the criminal justice discipline. The Criminal Justice Association offers information to those students who show interest in the field of criminal justice, regardless of their educational or career objectives.

Pre-Law Society

• The Pre-Law Society is one of the oldest student organizations on campus. Since 1985 the Society has worked to provide members with all the necessary information on gaining admission to law schools, fostering networking opportunities and deepening an understanding of the legal profession.

Scholarships and Awards

Study Abroad Information*

*Study Abroad Locations forthcoming