Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Science
Purpose
The purpose of the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice is to prepare students to enter or advance in jobs within the criminal justice system, including law enforcement, corrections, and the courts. Upon completion of the undergraduate program, some students may also consider graduate study in law or criminology (sociology). A certificate program in criminal justice is also available.
Program of Study
The Criminal Justice program is dedicated to providing the theoretical, practical, and professional knowledge needed in today’s environment to be successful in the fields of law enforcement, corrections, courts, probation, parole, private security, and the related service careers. Emphasis is placed upon preparing students to enter the professional workplace, grow in their current position, or continue studies in graduate school. The curriculum is designed to provide students with expert instruction on the most current trends, policies, and practices in the field. The goal is to prepare students to become scholarly practitioners in their chosen profession. Further, the General Education Requirements courses, required of all Wilmington University undergraduates, provide a well-rounded academic foundation.
This is not a “one size fits all” major, but one that provides variety in the course selection to encourage each individual student to build a personal program for the future with the assistance of an Academic Advisor.
Students have “out of class” opportunities through membership in the Criminal Justice Association to experience site visits to a variety of criminal justice agencies and meet with practitioners in the field. Internships provide students with an insider’s view of the many facets of the criminal justice field under the guidance of a full-time faculty member. The major also offers a summer study abroad program that awards credit for the opportunity to study criminal justice systems of other countries. The program is offered statewide, with day and evening classes in New Castle, and evening classes in Dover and Georgetown, Delaware, and in New Jersey at the Burlington County College and Cumberland County College locations.
Program Competencies
- Exercise critical thinking strategies, including reasoning, problem solving, analysis, and evaluation in criminal justice settings.
- Exhibit flexible thinking and goal-directed behaviors in criminal justice course projects.
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills.
- Demonstrate skill in the use and the application of technology in criminal justice settings.
- Demonstrate an understanding of basic mathematics and statistics by applying criminal justice research findings to criminal justice practice.
- Incorporate theoretical perspectives into criminal justice practice.
- Demonstrate an awareness of ethical principles, codes, and standards within the criminal justice field and integrate ethical, legal, and economic accountability into professional criminal justice practice.
- Demonstrate a commitment to self-directedness, self-discipline, and lifelong learning through examinations of criminal justice career paths.
- Recognize the principles associated with a pluralistic society in a variety of criminal justice settings as they uniquely apply to practitioners, victims, and offenders and show respect for our multicultural world.
- Recognize an awareness of self in relationship to others in team efforts that demonstrate flexible thinking and goal-directed behavior in the resolution of criminal justice issues.
Minimum Grade Policy
The Criminal Justice program requires a minimum grade of “C-” for program core courses. Students receiving a grade lower than “C-” in any required program core course must retake that course.
Experiential Learning Options
The Office of Experiential Learning takes a 360◦ approach to experiential learning. Whether you come to Wilmington University with a vast amount of professional experience and are awarded Credit for prior learning (CPL), or you participate in a Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) opportunity (Internships or Cooperative Education) embedded in your curriculum for credit, we provide a pathway to completing your degree. Students have the opportunity to participate in an approved internship by taking CRJ 490 in lieu of CRJ 350, contact an advisor for more information. Internships must be pre-approved by the program chair.
Curriculum
General Education Requirements (30 credits)
Humanities Elective (6 credits)
Natural Science Elective (3 credits)
Criminal Justice Core (45 credits)
All criminal justice core courses have the Prerequisite(s) of CRJ 101 and CRJ 205 unless otherwise stated. Non-criminal justice majors who wish to take a course as a free elective should contact the Program Chair for a waiver.
Criminal Justice Electives (18 credits)
Courses beginning with the prefix CRJ, LES, ORG, POL, PSY, or SOC may be used as criminal justice electives.
Free Electives (18 credits)
Students with less than 16 transfer credits are required to take FYE 101 as one of their electives.
Criminal Justice Completion Degree
What is a Completion Degree?
A Completion Degree is a personalized version of a Bachelor’s degree created exclusively for students who have completed an Associate’s degree at an accredited institution. A student who expects to transfer a completed Associate’s degree should communicate with a Wilmington University Academic Advisor before registering for courses. A transcript with documentation of the conferred degree must be received by Wilmington University to confirm eligibility.
Curriculum
As a transfer student who holds an associate's degree from a partner institution, the following Criminal Justice courses are required.
| CRJ 301 | Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 303 | Administration of Criminal Justice Organizations | 3 |
| CRJ 304/LES 304/POL 304 | Constitutional Law | 3 |
| CRJ 316 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CRJ 318 | Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| CRJ 341 | Community Corrections | 3 |
| CRJ 350 | Technology Applications in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 410 | Multicultural Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 411 | Criminal Evidence and Procedures | 3 |
| CRJ 412 | Ethics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 413 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 450 | Seminar in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| ENG 310 | Research Writing | 3 |
| Upper Level Behavioral Science Elective | |
| Upper Level Behavioral Science Elective | |
The following courses or their equivalents are prerequisites for a degree in Criminal Justice:
ENG 122 English Composition II
CTA 206 Computer Applications
CRJ 101 Survey of Criminal Justice
CRJ 205 Principles of Criminology*
CRJ 206 Corrections and Rehabilitation
*Students that have not transferred in CRJ-205 must take CRJ-334 as one of their electives
CRJ to MAJ Accelerated Option
This accelerated option will allow eligible CRJ students to have the option of taking up to two selected graduate level courses in place of selected CRJ courses and the opportunity to be formally accepted into the MAJ program prior to completion of the B.S. in Criminal Justice degree.
In order to be eligible, students must have completed 90 undergraduate credits, completed all required 100 and 200 level CRJ courses, as well as CRJ 303 and CRJ 350. Furthermore those students seeking approval for the CRJ/MAJ accelerated option must have obtained an overall GPA of 3.50 or better. Courses taken at the graduate level will fulfill the requirements for both programs.
Students interested in making application may secure the necessary forms and begin the approval process with the Chair of the undergraduate criminal justice program.