BS in Criminal and Justice Studies

Degree Program Description

The criminal-legal system affects millions of people in the US. Criminal and juvenile justice, forensic psychology, and other interdisciplinary fields rooted in the Progressive Era, during which the fields of sociology and criminology, as well as the profession of social work, emerged. At the time, deepening understanding of the interplay of behavior, development, family/community contexts, and legal policy led to innovations like probation, juvenile courts, and community-based interventions. Later in the 20th century, policy and practice was rehabilitative and more punitive creating high incarceration rates/costs. The criminal-legal system is now facing tremendous change. High costs of maintaining prisons/jails and a broader understanding of substance abuse and mental health treatment’s role in limiting recidivism have combined to drive states/municipalities to reconsider traditional approaches to criminal justice. Responses increasingly emphasize community-based efforts, assistance with reentry, and attention to mental health needs.

The BS in Criminal & Justice Studies degree is responsive to these changes. It provides critical foundational knowledge about the adult criminal-legal system and juvenile justice system including theory, key policy, and cutting-edge research on delinquency and desistance. Theories and research on the intersections of substance use, mental illness, poverty, community surveillance, and crime are interrogated. Coursework also includes contemporary approaches to the prevention and treatment of crime that rely on multi-system (macro, mezzo, micro) and community-based approaches used in the criminal-legal field. A core component of the curriculum includes experiential learning through internships, study abroad, and/or service learning.

Major Program Requirements

Requires 120 credit hours for completion. A grade of C or higher is required for CJS Program, Core, and Electives courses.

Program Requirements
COMMUN 1200Public Speaking3
or AGSC_COM 2220 Verbal Communication in Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources
STAT 1200Introductory Statistical Reasoning3
or STAT 2500 Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
or ESC_PS 4170 Introduction to Applied Statistics
Required Core Courses *
SOC_WK 1200Criminal Justice3
SOC_WK 2000Exploration in Social and Economic Justice3
SOC_WK 4370Delinquency, Corrections and Social Treatment3
SOCIOL 3600Criminology3
BL_STU 4303Black Studies in Race, Class, Gender, and U.S. Policy3
CJS Electives (6 hours required)6
ANTHRO 2520Forensic Anthropology3
H_D_FS 4200Latino/a Children, Youth, and Families3
HIST 4232White Collar and Celebrity Crime in 20th and 21st Century America3
HIST 4235The Wire: Race, Urban Inequality, and the "Crisis" of the American City3
HIST 4400History of American Law3
LAW 1100Cases and Controversies in American Law3
LAW 2001Topics in Law - General1-3
LAW 2010Law of the Internet3
LAW 3800Logical Reasoning and Legal Analysis3
LAW 4001Topics in Law - General1-3
POL_SC 2100State Government3
POL_SC 2200The Judicial Process3
POL_SC 4210Constitutional Rights3
POL_SC 4230Constitution and Civil Liberties3
POL_SC 4380Politics of Criminal Justice3
PTH_AS 4220WForensic Pathology and Death Investigation - Writing Intensive2
SOC_WK 4400Domestic Violence3
SOC_WK 4410Social Welfare and the Law3
SOCIOL 1650Social Deviance3
SOCIOL 2200Social Inequalities3
SOCIOL 4620Drugs and Society3
WGST 3260 Gender, Law and Justice3
*

Courses within the program are underdevelopment and courses will be added as they are approved. This includes a minimum 15 hours of new CJS coursework that will be required for degree completion.

Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available and chosen program modality. 

First Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
STAT 12003CJS 2000W (writing intensive)3
CJS 12003HIST 1100, 1200, or POL_SC 11003
ENGLSH 10003Elective3
Humanities3Elective3
Intro. to CJS (CJS)1Bio/Phys/Math Science3
SSC 11502 
 15 15
Second Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
SOCIOL 36003Skills for Public Safety Professionals (CJS)3
2000-level Humanities3Bio/Phys/Math Science3
Bio/Phys Science with Lab3COMMUN 12003
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Third Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Criminal Justice Policy Analysis and Reform (WI) (CJS)3CJS 43703
Approved CJS Elective3Approved CJS Elective3
BL_STU 43033Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment for Justice Involved Populations (CJS)3
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Fourth Year
FallCreditsSpringCredits
Experiential Learning (CJS)3Experiential Learning (optional, CJS)3
Applied Research in Justice Systems (CJS)3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
Elective3Elective3
 15 15
Total Credits: 120

Degree Audit

The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree. 

MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.

Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.

Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.

For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.

Major and Career Exploration

The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.

  • If you are considering a change of major or are exploring multiple majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573)884-9700 or through MU Connect Discovery Center service in you success network.

  • If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring the major

  • If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values and talents, visit the MU Career Center. No Appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.

For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.

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