University of Texas at El Paso Academic Catalog

Academic Catalog

BA in Criminal Justice

Possible career paths for students in this degree are: 

  • Law Enforcement:  Government agencies (Federal, State, Local)-- police officer, special agent, investigations, dispatcher, crime scene analyst 
  • Court Workers: Prosecution or Defense Attorney, Judge, Restorative Justice mediator, Court reporter, Paralegal
  • Corrections: Victim advocate, Case Manager, Probation/Parole officer, Restorative Justice Program Director,  Correctional Officer, Prison Counselor/Teacher
  • Private Security- Loss prevention, fraud specialist, investigator 

Marketable Skills

Students will develop the following marketable skills:

  1. Critical thinking: Analyze and evaluate issues in order to solve problems and develop informed opinions
  2. Social responsibility: Act ethically and responsibly for the benefit of society and the public good
  3. Social skills: Effectively use body language, verbal and non-verbal communication skills and personal appearance to communicate and interact with others
  4. Writing: Be able to write in a clear and comprehensible manner to the reader

In addition, students will learn:

  1. Compassion and understanding of social problems (child abuse/neglect, addiction, homelessness, mental illness) that may later contribute to legal problems and reasons why people commit crime
  2. Understanding of the law and legal processes for suspects, defendants, and convicted persons
  3. Ability to distinguish effective crime policies that control crime and/or reduce recidivism

The Criminal Justice Department offers an interdisciplinary major leading toward a BA degree designed to provide students with a broad social science background for understanding crime, criminal behavior, and the criminal justice system, and to offer the opportunity to prepare for a professional career in criminal justice.

For both ON-CAMPUS and ON-LINE  BA in Criminal Justice, student must complete:

  1. Complete a minimum of 120 semester hours, including at least 39 hours at the advanced (33XX or 43XX) level.
  2. Fulfill the general education, block electives, and foreign language core requirements for the Bachelor of Arts degree in the College of Liberal Arts.
    1. Criminal Justice majors need to fulfill the mathematics requirements by taking MATH 1320 or its equivalent.
    2. Criminal Justice majors are encouraged to take Sociology and Psychology courses to fulfill the social/behavioral science requirements.
  3. Complete 36 hours of criminal justice courses 

  4. A minimum of 21 credit hours in the major must be taken at the advanced (33XX-43XX) level.
  5. Complete a requirement of six (6) level credit hours of a foreign language. Students in the online format only have Spanish as an option. Pre-requisites for foreign languages may exist depending on the language. 
  6. FOR ON-CAMPUS: Complete a minor of at least 18 hours, nine (9) of which must be at the advanced (33XX-43XX) level.  The minor field must be selected from a discipline different from that of the major field.  Credit for courses taken to fulfill the minor cannot be used to satisfy the major or general education core requirements.  See the general BA minor requirements for a list of acceptable minors.
  7.  FOR ON-LINE: Complete 18 hours of additional electives.  Elective credit cannot be used in meeting any other degree requirement, except requirement for the 39 advanced/upper level hours. Students are encouraged to complete as many of these electives as possible in the area of Criminal Justice.
  8.  All students must complete electives as needed to bring the total semester hours of credit to 120.  

Complete electives as needed to bring the total semester hours of credit to 120.  Elective credit cannot be used in meeting any other degree requirement.  Electives advanced (3000 or 4000) level can, however, be applied toward satisfaction of the requirement of 39 advanced-level hours.

Degree Plan 

Required Credits: 120

Minor Required
This program requires the selection of a minor.18
Upper Division Hours
This degree plan requires completion of 39 upper-division hours.
Designated Core (All courses require a grade of C or better)
Required Courses: 1
MATH 1320Math for Social Sciences I3
University Core Curriculum
Complete the University Core Curriculum requirements. 42
Criminal Justice Major
Required Courses (All courses require a C or better):
Upper-Division CRIJ
CRIJ 1301Intro to Criminal Justice I3
CRIJ 3300Applied Research Methods in CJ3
CRIJ 3313Criminology3
CRIJ 4312Criminal Procedure3
Select three courses from:9
CRIJ 1306Courts Systems and Practices3
CRIJ 1310Fundamentals of Criminal Law3
CRIJ 2313Correctional Systems & Practcs3
CRIJ 2328Police Systems and Practices3
Select fifteen additional CRIJ hours with at least twelve being upper-division:
Juvenile Justice
Comm Corrections & Corr Cnslng
Crime Control & Prevention
Family Violence
Crim Just on US-Mexico Border
Criminal Justice Ethics
Selected Topics - Crim Justice
Readings in Criminal Justice
Cyber Crime
Crime, Criminal Justice & Film
Internship in Crim Just I
Internship in Crim Just II
Immigration Law and Admin
White Collar Crime
Women in Criminal Justice
Homicide
Comp CJS & Transntl Crime
Victimology
Violence in America
Street Gangs:Strctr,Act & Resp
Crim Just Org and Management
Organized Crime
Study Abroad in Crim Justice
Adv Concepts in Crim. Justice
Open Electives
Select additional hours to complete a total of one hundred twenty hours
Foreign Language
Complete six hours of foreign language (language must be in a sequence) 26
Block Electives
Complete twelve upper-division hours from the blocks below, with three to six hours in each12
1 Although the UTEP choice is larger, these choices satisfy the requirements of both the core and the major.
2 French and Spanish majors must fulfill this requirement in a language other than their major.
Total Hours120
 

University Core Curriculum

The department may make specific suggestions for courses which are most applicable towards your major.

All courses require a C or better

I. Communication (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on developing ideas and expressing them clearly, considering the effect of the message, fostering understanding, and building the skills needed to communicate persuasively. Courses involve the command of oral, aural, written, and visual literacy skills that enable people to exchange messages appropriate to the subject, occasion, and audience.
Select six hours of the following: 6
For students whose secondary education was in English:
Written and Oral Communication
Writing About Literature
Rhetoric & Composition I
Rhetoric & Composition 2
Rhetoric, Composition & Comm
For students whose secondary education was not in English:
Expos Engl Compos-Spkr Esl
Res & Crit Writng Spkr Esl
Total Hours6

II. American History (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on the consideration of past events and ideas relative to the United States, with the option of including Texas History for a portion of this component area. Courses involve the interaction among individuals, communities, states, the nation, and the world, considering how these interactions have contributed to the development of the United States and its global role.
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
Total Hours6

III. Language, Philosophy & Culture  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on how ideas, values, beliefs, and other aspects of culture express and affect human experience. Courses involve the exploration of ideas that foster aesthetic and intellectual creation in order to understand the human condition across cultures.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-African Amer Studies
Latina/o Presence in the U.S.
English Literature
English Literature
Intro to American Fiction
Intro to American Drama
Intro to American Poetry
Making of the "Other" Americas
World History to 1500
World History Since 1500
Introduction to Philosophy
Ethics
Introduct to Religious Studies
Seeing & Naming: Conversations
Introduction to Womens Studies
Global Feminisms
Total Hours3

IV. Mathematics  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on quantitative literacy in logic, patterns, and relationships. Courses involve the understanding of key mathematical concepts and the application of appropriate quantitative tools to everyday experience.
Select one of the following:3
College Algebra
Trigonometry and Conics
Math in the Modern World
Math for Social Sciences I
Calculus I
Precalculus 1,2
Math for Social Sciences II
Statistical Literacy
Elementary Statistical Methods
1 A higher-level course in the calculus sequence can be substituted.
2 TCCN MATH 1314 will also satisfy this requirement.
Total Hours3

V. Life & Physical Sciences  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on describing, explaining, and predicting natural phenomena using the scientific method. Courses involve the understanding of interactions among natural phenomena and the implications of scientific principles on the physical world and on experiences.
Select one of the following:1-4
Astronomy Lab I
Elem Astronomy-Solar System
Elem Astr Stars & Galaxies
Introductory Biology Lab
Human Biology Laboratory
Topics in Study of Life I
Organismal Biology Laboratory
Introductory Biology
Human Biology
General Biology
Organismal Biology
Human Anat/Physio Lab I
Human Anat/Physio Lab II
Human Anat/Physiology I
Human Anat/Physiology II
Laboratory for CHEM 1305
Laboratory for CHEM 1306
Intro General Chemistry Lab
Intro Organic & Biochem Lab
General Chemistry
General Chemistry
Intro to General Chemistry
Intro Organic & Biochemistry
Environmental Sci. Lab
Non-major Lab for ESCI 1301
Intro to Environment Science 2
Intro to Environmental Sci
Laboratory for GEOG 1306
Physical Geography
Lab for GEOL 1313
Lab for GEOL 1314
Principles of Earth Sci - Lab
Laboratory for Geology 1212
Principles of Earth Sciences
Principles of Earth Science
The Blue Planet
Natural Hazards
Intro to Physical Geology
Intro to Historical Geol
Fundamentals of Nutrition
Wellness Dynamics
Microorganisms and Disease
General Physics I
General Physics II
Laboratory for PHYS 2320
Laboratory for PHYS 2321
Introductory Mechanics
Introductory Electromagnetism
Total Hours 6

VI. Political Science  (six hours)

Courses in this category focus on consideration of the Constitution of the United States and the constitutions of the states, with special emphasis on that of Texas. Courses involve the analysis of governmental institutions, political behavior, civic engagement, and their political and philosophical foundations.
Required Courses:
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Total Hours6

VII. Social and Behavioral Sciences  (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the application of empirical and scientific methods that contribute to the understanding of what makes us human. Courses involve the exploration of behavior and interactions among individuals, groups, institutions, and events, examining their impact on the individual, society, and culture.
Select one of the following:3
Intro-Phys Anth/Archeolog
Intro-Cultural Anthropology
Cultural Geography
Intro to Linguistics
Econ for Engrs & Scientists
Intro to Chicano Studies
Asian American Studies
Interpersonal Communication
Mass Media and Society
Principles of Macroeconomics
Principles of Microeconomics
Introduction to Ed Psychology
Action Research in Classrooms
Introduction to Linguistics
Cultural Geography
Community Service
An Intro. to Linguistics
Lang. Inside & Out: Sel Topics
Introduction to Psychology
Introduction to Sociology
Cultural Geography
Total Hours3

VIII. Creative Arts (three hours)

Courses in this category focus on the appreciation and analysis of creative artifacts and works of the human imagination. Courses involve the synthesis and interpretation of artistic expression and enable critical, creative, and innovative communication about works of art.
Select one of the following:3
Art Appreciation
History of Art I
History of Art II
Chicana/o Fine Arts Appreciat
Dance Appreciation
Intro-Art of Motion Pict.
Music Appreciation
Jazz to Rock
Music, Culture, and Society
Introduction to Theatre
Total Hours3

IX. Component Area Option (six hours)

a. A minimum of 3 SCH must meet the definition and corresponding Core Objectives specified in one of the foundational component areas. b. As an option for up to 3 semester credit hours of the Component Area Option, an institution may select course(s) that: (i) Meet(s) the definition specified for one or more of the foundational component areas; and (ii) Include(s) a minimum of three Core Objectives, including Critical Thinking Skills, Communication Skills, and one of the remaining Core Objectives of the institution's choice.
Intro to Global Business
Public Speaking
Business/Profession Comm
Intro-Computational Thinking
Computer Programming Sci/Engr
Eng Innovation and Leadership
Introduction to Leadership
Inquiry in Math & Science
Seminar/Critical Inquiry
Total Hours0

Block Electives

(Core courses and courses from major or minor area cannot be counted as block electives)

Fine and Performing Arts

ART 3300Art Exploration3
ARTE 3307Introduction to Art Education3
ARTH 3353Pre-Columb Art & Arch3
CHIC 3302Chicano Cinema3
CHIC 3303Border Image in Mexican Film3
CHIC 3304Chicano/Latino Music in the US3
CHIC 3335Regional Mexican Music3
CHIC 3343Latino/a Voices in Perf Activi3
CHIC 3344Chicana/o Theatre3
CHIC 3345The Roots of Latina/o Hip Hop3
CHIC 3346Dances of Mexico and Spain3
CHIC 3347AmerCinema of the US-Mex Bord3
DANC 3303History of Dance as a Perf Art3
DANC 3322World Dance3
DANC 3347Jazz & Other Stage Danc Form I3
DANC 3348American Dance Forms - Jazz3
DANC 3349American Dance Forms Hip Hop3
FILM 3302Chicano Cinema3
FILM 3303The Border Image in Mex. Film3
FILM 3315Screenwriting3
FILM 3391African-American Filmmakers3
FILM 3394Documentary Cinema3
FILM 3395Women and Film3
FILM 4340Selected Topics/ Film Studies3
FREN 4389Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage3
MUSL 3324Music in World Cultures3
MUSL 3325Cumbia: Mus, Diff, & Id. in Am3
MUSL 3326Social History of Rock3
MUSL 3327History of Jazz3
MUSL 3329Topics in Music Hist & Culture3
MUSL 3332Music and Film3
MUSL 3333Music of the Middle East3
MUSL 3334Intro to Ethnomusicology3
SPAN 4341Modern Drama3
THEA 3335Latinx Theatre3
THEA 3340History of Costume Design3
THEA 3341Principles of Costuming3
THEA 3342Lighting Design3
THEA 3343Scenic Painting3
THEA 3350Creative Drama3
THEA 3351Theatre Hist and Literature I3
THEA 3352Theatre Hist and Literature II3
THEA 3355Broadway Musicals-A History3
THEA 3356Women in Drama3
THEA 4304Theatre Pract/Non-Majors3
WS 3331Gender & Popular Culture3
WS 3335Feminist Film3
WS 3382Gender Issues in the Arts3

Humanities

AFST 3390Topics in African/Amer Studies3
CHIC 3301La Chicana3
CHIC 3305Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen3
CHIC 3311Chicano Studies: Societal Issu3
CHIC 4301Chicano Legal History3
CHIC 4308Chicana/o Thought3
CRW 3362Intro to Creative Writing3
CRW 3373Writing in Society3
ENGL 3300Intro. to Literary Studies3
ENGL 3301Literary Studies3
ENGL 3302Literature and Film3
ENGL 3304Gothic Literature3
ENGL 3305Children's Literature3
ENGL 3306Young Adult Literature3
ENGL 3309Detective Fiction3
ENGL 3310Chicana/o Literature3
ENGL 3311American Literature to 18653
ENGL 3312Am. Literature 1865 to Present3
ENGL 3315African American Literature3
ENGL 3316Native American Literature3
ENGL 3317Postcolonial Literature3
ENGL 3318British Literature Before 14853
ENGL 3319Sixteenth-Cent. Prose & Poetry3
ENGL 3320Shakespeare3
ENGL 3321Shakespeare's Plays and Poetry3
ENGL 332317th Century Prose and Poetry3
ENGL 3325Literature of the Bible3
ENGL 3327Jewish American Literature3
ENGL 3328Holocaust Literature and Film3
ENGL 3330Restoration & 18th Century Lit3
ENGL 3331World Literature3
ENGL 3333Romantic Literature3
ENGL 3337Victorian Literature3
ENGL 3341History of Form I3
ENGL 3344Am. Poetry 1900 to Present3
ENGL 3360Women in Literature3
ENGL 3371Southwestern Literature3
ENGL 3374Folklore Of Mexican American3
ENGL 4308Chaucer3
ENGL 4309Milton3
ENGL 4314Literary Criticism3
ENGL 4316Am. Nonfiction/Poetry To 19003
ENGL 4317American Fiction To 19003
ENGL 4318Early 20TH Cent Am. Fiction3
ENGL 4319Am. Fiction 1945 to Present3
ENGL 4322The American Drama3
ENGL 4325British Drama Since 18803
ENGL 4340Advanced Literary Studies3
ENGL 4347British Novel thru 18th Cent3
ENGL 4348British Novel: 19th Century3
ENGL 4349British Novel: 20th Century3
ENGL 4350Maj Am. Writer(s) through 19003
ENGL 4351Maj Am Writer(s) since 19003
FREN 3301French Literature to 17153
FREN 3303French Literature Since 17153
FREN 3320French Civilization3
FREN 3355Assuming the Power of Speech3
FREN 4387Poetry, Art of Ages:Lai to Rai3
FREN 4388Pleasure of Text: Genre, Narra3
FREN 4389Acting Out:Spectacle & Stage3
FREN 4390Topics in French3
all HIST 3300 - HIST 4300 except HIST 4325, HIST 4330, HIST 4390
all HUMN 3300 - HUMN 4300
JS 3300 - JS 4300
LABS 3300The Americas3
LABS 3301The Border3
LING 3313English Historical Linguistics3
LING 3315History of Spanish Language3
MS 3313U.S. Military History3
all PHIL 3300 - PHIL 4300
all RS 3300 - RS 4300
RWS 3355Workplace Writing3
RWS 3359Technical Writing3
all SPAN 3300 - SPAN 4300 except SPAN 3309, SPAN 3311, SPAN 4301
WS 3351Gender & Religion3
WS 3360Women in Literature3
WS 3383Gender Issues in Humanities3
WS 4310Feminist Theory3

Social and Behavioral Sciences

AFST 4304Envir. Just. & Min. Comm. U.S.3
all ANTH 3300 - ANTH 4300
CHIC 3301La Chicana3
CHIC 3305Chic Ident Form:Race,Class&Gen3
CHIC 3311Chicano Studies: Societal Issu3
CHIC 3339Cultural Diversity & Youth: US3
CHIC 4301Chicano Legal History3
CHIC 4304Envir. Just. & Min. Comm U.S.3
CHIC 4306Comm Formation on US/MX Border3
CHIC 4307Hispanic Entrepreneurship3
CHIC 4308Chicana/o Thought3
CHIC 4309American Immigration & Soc Jus3
COMM 3322Communication and Conflict3
COMM 3323Comm & Org Leadership3
COMM 3344Media Programming for Radio/TV3
COMM 3345Media Scriptwriting3
COMM 3353Intercultural Communication3
COMM 3354Small Group3
COMM 3355Organizational Communication3
COMM 4341Media Announcing & Performance3
COMM 4350Selected Topics3
COMM 4352Contemporary Rhetoric3
COMM 4360Environmental Communication3
COMM 4361Environmental Conflict & Comm3
COMM 4362Gender and Communication3
COMM 4363Political Communication3
COMM 4364Communicating Positive Devian3
COMM 4365Comm Healthy Communities3
COMM 4366Communication of Public Herit3
COMM 4368Borderlands Communication3
CRIJ 3321Family Violence3
CRIJ 3351Crim Just on US-Mexico Border3
CRIJ 4303Crime, Criminal Justice & Film3
CRIJ 4311Immigration Law and Admin3
CRIJ 4385Study Abroad in Crim Justice3
INSS 3301Historical Dev of Nat'l Sec3
INSS 3302Sem in Intel and Nat'l Sec3
INSS 4350Selected Problems in Intel3
INSS 4351Professional Practices3
LABS 3300The Americas3
LABS 3301The Border3
LABS 4301Topics Lat Amer/Border Stud3
LEAD 3300Contemporary Theories of Lead3
LEAD 4350Concepts of SJ & E Leadership3
LEAD 4351Community Engaged Leadership3
LEAD 4380Special Topics in Leadership3
all LING 3300 - LING 4300 except LING 3313, LING 3315
all POLS 3300 - POLS 4399
PSYC 3315Psychology and the Law3
PSYC 4309History & Systems Psychology3
PSYC 4316Language and Cognition3
all SOCI 3300 - SOCI 4300
WS 3301La Chicana3
WS 3370Gender Roles & Society3
WS 3372Women & Work in the Sex Indust3
WS 3380Social Justice Values at Work3
WS 3384Gender Issues in Social Scincs3
WS 4310Feminist Theory3
WS 4360Jr/Sr Seminar/Women's Studies3
RWS 3345Editing3
RWS 3355Workplace Writing3
RWS 3357Issues in Tech & Rhetoric3
RWS 3358Special Topics in Writing3
RWS 3359Technical Writing3
RWS 3365Adv Composition:Rhet Theory3
RWS 3366Advanced Composition: Argument3
RWS 4300Senior Writing Practicum3

 The courses below will apply to different blocks based on the term and section completed

  • Please see dept or schedule book (online) for details

4-Year Sample Degree Plan

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE
FRESHMAN
Fall
MATH 1320Math for Social Sciences I3
CRIJ 1301Intro to Criminal Justice I3
RWS 1301Rhetoric & Composition I3
Component Area Option 3
Creative Arts3
Spring
RWS 1302Rhetoric & Composition 23
CRIJ System Elective3
Language Philosophy and Culture3
Component Area Option3
Life and Physical Science-Lecture & Lab4
SOPHOMORE
Fall
HIST 1301History of U.S. to 18653
Life and Physical Science Lecture3
CRIJ Any level Elective3
CRIJ System Elective3
Social and Behavioral Sciences3
Spring
HIST 1302History of U.S. Since 18653
POLS 2310Introduction to Politics3
Minor Class3
Block Elective 3
CRIJ System Elective3
JUNIOR
Fall
CRIJ 3300Applied Research Methods in CJ3
POLS 2311American Gover & Politics3
Foreign Language3
Block Elective 3
Minor Class3
Spring
CRIJ 3313Criminology3
Foreign Language 3
CRIJ Upper-Division Elective3
Minor Class3
Minor Class3
SENIOR
Fall
CRIJ 4312Criminal Procedure3
Block Elective3
Open Elective3
CRIJ Upper-Division Elective3
Minor Class3
Spring
CRIJ Upper-Division Elective3
CRIJ Upper-Division Elective3
Minor Class3
Block Elective 3
Open Elective 3
Total Hours121