Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Studies
The multidisciplinary program in Criminal Justice Studies explores the conception and implementation of law, crime, and justice systems and ideas. The program emphasizes critical thinking about law, crime, and justice systems and their entanglement with larger political-economic processes. In particular, the program explores how ideas and systems of crime, law, and justice shape broader issues of social justice, especially those related to the experience of race, class, gender, sexuality, and age inequity in the U.S. The program teaches students the skills of critical analysis and ethical reasoning so that students can challenge structures and assumptions and innovatively contribute to the assessment of alternative solutions to problems associated with the identification, control, and prevention of crime and delinquency.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Analyze how systemic inequality shapes and is shaped by crime, law, and justice systems.
- Examine how people and groups impact, engage, contest, and remake legal institutions and ideas.
- Analyze the history and politics of criminological knowledge.
- Critique and analyze claims, data, and knowledge about crime, law, and justice systems.
- Design and implement a senior capstone project that demonstrates effective written communication, ethical reasoning, and critical analysis.
Steps to Change Major
Undeclared majors and students enrolled in other disciplines at SF State who seek to change their major to criminal justice studies must have junior standing, have completed a minimum of 52 units with a grade of C- or better, and have taken one GE Area A3 Critical Thinking course (formerly Segment I critical thinking) with a grade of C or better before applying for a change of major.
Assistance to Enhance Writing Competence
Criminal justice majors who complete C J 330GW will have satisfied the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GWAR).
Criminal Justice Studies (B.A.) — 36 units minimum
Core Courses (18 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| C J 200 | Construction of Crime and Justice | 3 |
| C J 230 | Crime, Data, and Analysis | 3 |
| C J 300 | Criminal Justice: A Cross-Disciplinary Perspective | 4 |
| C J 330GW | Research Methods in Criminal Justice - GWAR | 4 |
| C J 680 | Field Course in Criminal Justice | 4 |
Elective Courses (18-22 units)
Power and Inequality (3 units)
Select one:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| C J 435/LTNS 430 | Race, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| C J/LTNS 485 | Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| C J 530 | Geographies of Social Control and Urban Diversity | 3 |
| C J 605 | Criminalization of Gender and Sexuality | 3 |
Criminal Justice Law and Administration (3 units)
Select one:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| C J 400 | Police and Public Policy | 3 |
| C J 450 | Jails and Prisons | 3 |
| C J 480 | California Corrections System | 3 |
| C J 501 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| C J 502 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
Select four additional Criminal Justice Studies Electives (12-16 units)
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AA S 595 | Asian American Communities and Public Policy | 3 |
| AFRS 375 | Law and the Black Community | 3 |
| AFRS 376 | Government, the Constitution, and Black Citizens | 3 |
| AIS 330 | American Indian Law | 3 |
| AIS 460 | Power and Politics in American Indian History | 3 |
| COMM 503 | Gender and Communication | 4 |
| COMM 525 | Sexualities and Communication | 4 |
| COMM 531 | Conflict Resolution | 4 |
| COMM 541 | Critical Approaches to Culture and Communication | 4 |
| COMM 543 | Dialogues Across Differences | 4 |
| COMM 564 | Issues in Free Speech | 4 |
| COMM 571 | The Rhetoric of Terrorism | 4 |
| COMM 573 | The Rhetoric of Criminality and Punishment | 4 |
| COUN 630 | Legal Center Training I | 3 |
| COUN 631 | Legal Center Training II | 3 |
| C J 320 | Literature in Criminal Justice - Crime Control, Due Process, and Class Justice | 3 |
| C J 323 | Ethics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| C J 335 | Legal Writing and Research | 4 |
| C J 340/I R 341 | Comparative Criminal Justice | 4 |
| C J 400 | Police and Public Policy | 3 |
| C J 401 | Criminal Profiling | 3 |
| C J 405 | Organized Crime | 3 |
| C J 410 | Crime Scene Investigation | 3 |
| C J 420 | Introduction to Forensic Science | 3 |
| C J 435/LTNS 430 | Race, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| C J 450 | Jails and Prisons | 3 |
| C J 451 | The Architecture of Incarceration | 3 |
| C J 452/SOC 451 | Criminological Theory | 4 |
| C J 460 | Community Corrections and Sentencing | 3 |
| C J 461/I R 361 | Terrorism and Covert Political Warfare | 4 |
| C J 470/SOC 452 | Juvenile Justice | 4 |
| C J 471 | Contemporary Issues in Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| C J 475 | Intervention Policies in Juvenile Justice | 3 |
| C J 480 | California Corrections System | 3 |
| C J/LTNS 485 | Latina/o Youth, Crime, and Justice | 3 |
| C J 490 | Immigration, Criminalization, and Justice | 3 |
| C J 501 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| C J 502 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| C J/SOC 510 | Analysis of the Felon in Society | 3 |
| C J 515 | Extremism as Crime | 3 |
| C J 525 | Global Restorative Justice and Corrections | 3 |
| C J 530 | Geographies of Social Control and Urban Diversity | 3 |
| C J 535 | Alternatives to Criminalization | 3 |
| C J 550 | School Violence and Discipline | 3 |
| C J 570 | Urban Violence | 3 |
| C J 600 | Youth Gangs in Community Context | 3 |
| C J 605 | Criminalization of Gender and Sexuality | 3 |
| HIST 465 | American Ethnic and Racial Relations II: 1890-Present | 3 |
| HIST 470 | The U.S. Constitution to 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 471 | The U.S. Constitution Since 1896 | 3 |
| HIST 472 | The Supreme Court and Social Change in U.S. History | 3 |
| I R 259 | Children and Youth in International Relations | 4 |
| I R 334 | International Organizations: New World Order | 4 |
| I R/C J 360 | Intelligence and Intelligence Agencies | 4 |
| I R/PLSI/C J 362 | The Making of US Foreign Policy | 4 |
| I R 436/PHIL 435 | Human Rights in Global Perspective | 3 |
| I R 453 | Women and Media in International Relations | 4 |
| I R/PLSI 459 | Refugees in Global Perspective | 4 |
| LTNS 415 | Latina/o Economic Empowerment | 3 |
| LTNS 470 | Latina/o Immigration to the U.S. | 3 |
| PHIL 335 | Law and Society | 3 |
| PHIL 378 | Philosophy of Criminal Law | 3 |
| PHIL 380 | Philosophy of Law | 3 |
| PLSI 478 | Judicial Process | 4 |
| PLSI/USP 512 | Urban Politics and Community Power | 4 |
| PLSI 552 | Individual Rights and the Constitution | 4 |
| PSY 472 | Introduction to Legal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 475 | Psychology of Policing | 3 |
| PSY 547 | Social Conflict and Conflict Resolution | 3 |
| RRS/SOC 330 | Comparative Race and Ethnicity in the U.S.: Class, Gender, and Nation | 3 |
| RRS 571 | Women, Race, and Class | 3 |
| SOC 455 | Punishment and Social Control | 3 |
| SXS 455 | Sex, Power, and Politics | 3 |
| SXS 569/PHIL 455 | Sex and the Law | 3 |
| WGS 513 | Gender, War, and Militarism | 3 |
| WGS 514 | Women and the Prison Industrial Complex | 3 |
| WGS 554 | Gender and Global Migration | 3 |
A minimum of 30 upper-division units must be completed for the degree (including upper-division units required for the major, General Education, electives, etc.). A student can complete this major yet not attain the necessary number of upper-division units required for graduation. In this case, additional upper-division courses will be needed to reach the required total.
Up to a total of 6 transfer units in the following Criminal Justice courses completed at a community college may be counted toward meeting the "general electives" requirements for the major:
- Introduction to Criminal Justice
- Concepts of Criminal Law; for applicable courses, go to the ASSIST website: http://www.assist.org/web-assist/welcome.html.
Complementary Studies
Bachelor of Arts students must complete at least 12 units of Complementary Studies outside of the primary prefix for the major. (Note: Students may not use an alternate prefix that is cross-listed with the primary prefix for the major.)
Students who complete two majors or a major and a minor automatically complete the Complementary Studies requirement. Additional ways to complete Complementary Studies for students in the Criminal Justice Studies major is to meet with an advisor to identify 12 units of courses complementary to the major. With advisor approval, up to 12 of these units may be used to satisfy units in the major. Consult with your major advisor for assistance.
Students who have earned AA-T or AS-T degrees and are pursuing a similar B.A. degree at SF State are required to fulfill the Complementary Studies requirement as defined by the major department. Students should consult with a major advisor about how transfer units and/or SF State units can best be applied to this requirement to ensure degree completion within 60 units.
General Education Requirements
| Requirement | Course Level | Units | Area Designation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Communication | LD | 3 | A1 |
| Written English Communication | LD | 3 | A2 |
| Critical Thinking | LD | 3 | A3 |
| Physical Science | LD | 3 | B1 |
| Life Science | LD | 3 | B2 |
| Lab Science | LD | 1 | B3 |
| Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning | LD | 3 | B4 |
| Arts | LD | 3 | C1 |
| Humanities | LD | 3 | C2 |
| Arts or Humanities | LD | 3 | C1 or C2 |
| Social Sciences | LD | 3 | D1 |
| Social Sciences: US History | LD | 3 | D2 |
| Lifelong Learning and Self-Development (LLD) | LD | 3 | E |
| Ethnic Studies | LD | 3 | F |
| Physical and/or Life Science | UD | 3 | UD-B |
| Arts and/or Humanities | UD | 3 | UD-C |
| Social Sciences | UD | 3 | UD-D |
| SF State Studies | |||
| Courses certified as meeting the SF State Studies requirements may be upper or lower division in General Education (GE), a major or minor, or an elective. | |||
| American Ethnic and Racial Minorities | LD or UD | 3 | AERM |
| Environmental Sustainability | LD or UD | 3 | ES |
| Global Perspectives | LD or UD | 3 | GP |
| Social Justice | LD or UD | 3 | SJ |
Note: LD = Lower-Division; UD = Upper-Division.
First-Time Student Roadmap (4 Year)
- The roadmaps presented in this Bulletin are intended as suggested plans of study and do not replace meeting with an advisor. For a more personalized roadmap, please use the Degree Planner tool found in your Student Center.
- In order to choose your English Composition A2 course and your QR/Math B4 course, please complete the online advising activities at writingadvising.sfsu.edu and mathadvising.sfsu.edu. Questions? Contact Gator Smart Start.
Transfer Student Roadmap (2 Year)
For students with an AA-T in Administration of Justice.
AJ Associate Degreee ADT Roadmap
For students with an AA-T in Social Justice Studies.
SJS ADT Roadmap
For students with an AA-T in Sociology.
SOC ADT Roadmap
For students with an AA-T in Law, Public Policy and Society.
LPPS ADT Roadmap
This degree program is an approved pathway (“similar” major) for students earning the ADT in Administration of Justice
California legislation SB 1440 (2009) mandated the creation of the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) to be awarded by the California Community Colleges. Two types of ADTs are awarded: Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) and Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T).
Note: no specific degree is required for admission as an upper-division student. However, the ADT includes specific guarantees related to admission and graduation and is designed to clarify the transfer process and strengthen lower-division preparation for the major.
An ADT totals 60 units and in most cases includes completion of all lower-division General Education requirements and at least 18 units in a specific major. (The Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Science AS-T degrees defer 3 units in lower-division GE area C and 3 units in lower-division GE area D until after transfer.) Students pursuing an ADT are guaranteed admission to the CSU if minimum eligibility requirements are met, though not necessarily to the CSU campus of primary choice.
Upon verification that the ADT has been awarded prior to matriculation at SF State, students are guaranteed B.A. or B.S. completion in 60 units if pursuing a “similar” major after transfer. Determinations about “similar” majors at SF State are made by faculty in the discipline.
Degree completion in 60 units cannot be guaranteed when a student simultaneously pursues an additional major, a minor, certificate, or credential.
A sample advising roadmap for students who have earned an ADT and continue in a "similar" major at SF State is available on the Roadmaps tab on the degree requirements page for the major. The roadmap displays:
- How many lower-division units required for the major have been completed upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- Which lower-division requirements are considered complete upon entry based on the award of a specific ADT;
- How to complete the remaining 60 units for the degree in four semesters.
Students who have earned an ADT should seek advising in the major department during the first semester of attendance.
General Advising Information for Transfer Students
- Before transfer, complete as many lower-division requirements or electives for this major as possible.
- The following courses are not required for admission but are required for graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to complete these units before transfer; doing so will provide more flexibility in course selection after transfer.
- a course in U.S. History
- a course in U.S. & California Government
For information about satisfying the requirements described in (1) and (2) above at a California Community College (CCC), please visit http://www.assist.org. Check any geographically accessible CCCs; sometimes options include more than one college. Use ASSIST to determine:
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy any lower-division major requirements for this major;
- Which courses at a CCC satisfy CSU GE, US History, and US & CA Government requirements.
Remedial courses are not transferable and do not apply to the minimum 60 semester units/90 quarter units required for admission.
Additional units for courses that are repeated do not apply to the minimum 60 units required for upper-division transfer (for example, if a course was not passed on the first attempt or was taken to earn a better grade).
Before leaving the last California Community College of attendance, obtain a summary of completion of lower-division General Education units (IGETC or CSU GE Breadth). This is often referred to as a GE certification worksheet. SF State does not require delivery of this certification to Admissions, but students should retain this document for verifying degree progress after transfer.
Credit for Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or College-Level Examination Program courses: AP/IB/CLEP credit is not automatically transferred from the previous institution. Units are transferred only when an official score report is delivered to SF State. Credit is based on the academic year during which exams were taken. Refer to the University Bulletin in effect during the year of AP/IB/CLEP examination(s) for details regarding the award of credit for AP/IB/CLEP.
Students pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines often defer 6-9 units of lower-division General Education in Areas C and D until after transfer to focus on preparation courses for the major. This advice does not apply to students pursuing associate degree completion before transfer.
Transferring From Institutions Other Than CCCs or CSUs
Review SF State's lower-division General Education requirements. Note that, as described below, the four basic skills courses required for admission meet A1, A2, A3, and B4 in the SF State GE pattern. Courses that fulfill the remaining areas of SF State’s lower-division GE pattern are available at most two-year and four-year colleges and universities.
Of the four required basic skills courses, a course in critical thinking (A3) may not be widely offered outside the CCC and CSU systems. Students should attempt to identify and take an appropriate course no later than the term of application to the CSU. To review more information about the A3 requirement, please visit bulletin.sfsu.edu/undergraduate-education/general-education/lower-division/#AAEL.
Waiting until after transfer to take a single course at SF State that meets both US and CA/local government requirements may be an appropriate option, particularly if transferring from outside of California.