Criminal Justice
The field of Criminal Justice builds on criminology, which is a major area of study within the social sciences. Students explore the criminal justice system and learn why society considers some actions to be criminal and how those definitions are influenced by social, economic, political and psychological forces. The goals for the Lasell College Criminal Justice major are to learn principles of the criminal justice system, to acquire professional skills, to develop analytical thinking and to acquire valuable communication skills necessary for criminal justice work. The program prepares students to enter graduate programs in Criminal Justice and Criminology, Sociology, Psychology, Political Science, Public Policy, or Law School. A Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice prepares students to apply their learning in such areas in the criminal justice system as law, law enforcement and public safety, crime prevention, domestic violence, gang interventions, adult and juvenile probation and corrections, parole, drug and alcohol abuse and prevention, and diversion programs for first-time offenders. Graduates receive a Bachelor of Science degree from the Justice Studies Department.
Criminal Justice Major Curriculum
Major Requirements:
39 credits
| CJ 101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice AI (PS) | 3 |
| CJ 201 | Criminology | 3 |
| CJ 323 | Justice, Class, Race and Gender AI (MC) | 3 |
| CJ 312 | Corrections | 3 |
| CJ 313 | Police and Society | 3 |
| CJ 441 | Senior Seminar: Special Topics in Crime and Policy I | 3 |
| CJ 442 | Senior Seminar: Special Topics in Crime and Policy II | 3 |
| LS 311 | The American Court System | 3 |
| CJ/LS 443 | Justice Studies Internship and Seminar I |
3
|
| CJ/LS 444 | Justice Studies Internship and Seminar II |
3
|
| Choose three additional Justice Studies (CJ, LS, or POLS) courses (not otherwise required for the major) |
9
|
|
Additional Requirements:
25 credits
| POLS 101 | American Government | 3 |
| LS 101 | Foundations of the American Legal System |
3
|
| POLS 201 | State and Local Government | 3 |
| POLS 210 | Political Theory | 3 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 331 | Research Methods in the Social Sciences | 4 |
| PSYC 331 | Experimental Design | 3 |
| PSYC 101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| MATH 208* | Introduction to Statistics AI (Q) | 3 |
Choose one of the following three:
3 credits
| POLS 202 | Issues in Contemporary Political Thought | 3 |
| SOC 221 | Contemporary Social Problems AI(ME) | 3 |
| SOC 335 | Social Policy | 3 |
Minimum credits required for graduation - 120
General Education Core Requirements and remaining Unrestricted Electives**
56 credits
* May require prior coursework depending upon Math placement.
** Courses marked with an AI code fulfill Area of Inquiry requirements in the General Education Core.
