The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice Program is designed to help you become an educated citizen, as well as prepare for a career. In addition to the core courses, you will complete social science foundation courses. As you get ready to graduate, you will also be given the opportunity to specialize in one of three areas: law enforcement, pre-graduate criminology, or social justice.
Interested in going to Law School? Learn more about the EWU BA & Gonzaga Law JD 3+3 Program.
The following information comes from the official EWU catalog, which outlines all degree requirements and serves as the guide to earning a degree. Courses are designed to provide a well-rounded and versatile degree, covering a wide range of subject areas.
Criminal Justice Major, Bachelor of Arts (BA)
World Language Requirement: Two years of a single high school world language or one year of a single college-level world language is required.
Required courses in the following program may have prerequisites. Reference the course descriptions for clarification.
| Required Introduction Course | ||
| CRIM 300 | INTRODUCTION TO THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM | 5 |
| Required Foundation Courses | ||
| CRIM 330 | SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH METHOD | 5 |
| or SOCI 357 | METHOD FOR SOCIAL RESEARCH | |
| CRIM/SOCI 356 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIAL STATISTICS | 5 |
| or CSBS 320 | STATISTICS FOR THE SOCIAL SCIENCES | |
| SOCI 301 | SURVEY OF CRIMINOLOGY | 5 |
| Disciplinary Core Courses | ||
| CRIM 340 | ETHICS IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE | 5 |
| or PHIL 212 | INTRODUCTORY ETHICS | |
| PSYC 302 | ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY | 5 |
| Disciplinary Electives - other courses may be selected as approved by the department advisor. | 38-40 | |
| SURVEY OF ALCOHOL/DRUG PROBLEMS | ||
| CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS AND DEVELOPMENT | ||
| FORENSIC INQUIRY | ||
| FORENSIC PHOTOGRAPHY | ||
| WOMEN IN PRISON | ||
| VICTIMOLOGY | ||
| CRIMINAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATION AND ADMINISTRATION | ||
| FORENSIC IDENTIFICATION | ||
| EXTREMISM IN AMERICA | ||
| CRIME AND MEDIA | ||
| COMPARATIVE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS | ||
| RESTORATIVE JUSTICE | ||
| PENOLOGY | ||
| POLICE SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF INVESTIGATION | ||
| INTERNSHIP | ||
| CRITICAL GIS | ||
| CRIMINAL PROCEDURE | ||
| JURISPRUDENCE | ||
| BASIC CONCEPTS OF CRIMINAL LAW | ||
| CHILD AND ADOLESCENT DEVELOPMENT | ||
| CARE AND CUSTODY OF FEMALE OFFENDERS | ||
| DRUGS AND BEHAVIOR | ||
| PSYCHOLOGY AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM | ||
| SOCIOLOGY OF DEVIANCE | ||
| JUVENILE DELINQUENCY | ||
| CRIMINOLOGICAL THEORY | ||
| Required Capstone | ||
| CRIM 490 | CRIMINAL JUSTICE SENIOR CAPSTONE | 5 |
| Total Credits | 73-75 | |
The following plan of study is for a student with zero credits. Individual students may have different factors such as: credit through transfer work, Advanced Placement, Running Start, or any other type of college-level coursework that requires an individual plan.
Courses could be offered in different terms, checking the academic schedule is paramount in keeping an individual plan current. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.
All Undergraduate students are required to meet the Undergraduate Degree Requirements.
This major requires the completion of the World Language requirement. Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree must complete two years of a single language in high school or one year of a single language in college.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| ENGL 101 | 5 | ENGL 201 | 5 | Humanities & Arts BACR 21 | 5 |
| MATH 107 | 5 | Humanities & Arts BACR 11 | 5 | Natural Science BACR 11 | 5 |
| Diversity - graduation requirement1 | 5 | Social Science BACR 11 | 5 | Social Science BACR 21 | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CRIM 300 | 5 | PSYC 302 | 5 | SOCI 301 | 5 |
| Global Studies - graduation requirement1 | 5 | Natural Science BACR 21 | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CRIM 340 | 5 | CRIM 356, SOCI 356, or CSBS 320 | 5 | Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 |
| Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall Quarter | Credits | Winter Quarter | Credits | Spring Quarter | Credits |
| CRIM 330 or SOCI 357 | 5 | Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | CRIM 490 (Senior Capstone - graduation requirement) | 5 |
| Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 |
| Criminal Justice Elective2 | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 | Elective - minor or general elective | 5 |
| 15 | 15 | 15 | |||
| Total Credits 180 | |||||
University Graduation Requirements (UGR) and Breadth Area Course Requirements (BACR) courses may be less than 5 credits and additional credits may be required to reach the required 180 total credits needed to graduate. Students should connect with an advisor to ensure they are on track to graduate.
Recommended Criminal Justice Electives–choose 38-40 credits from the approved list or approved by a department advisor.
Students who earn a BA in Criminal Justice from EWU should be able to:
Pre-requisites: PSYC 100 recommended.
An introduction to the action, use, and abuse of psychotropic agents from analgesics to hallucinogens. Special attention given to drug abuse.
Pre-requisites: CRIM 300.
Explores major ethical theories with an emphasis on their application to components of the criminal justice system. Analyzes current issues and ethical dilemmas that criminal justice professionals deal with. Examines the complex process of moral and ethical decision making in the criminal justice system.
Pre-requisites: SOCI 301.
Examines the socio-structural relationships between women’s lives and women’s crimes and explores how race, class, and gender assumptions shape the experiences of female correctional officers and female inmates. In addition, analyzes how the prison rules and regulations that girls and women have to abide by are deeply gendered. Since the 1980s, the number of women and girls incarcerated has increased drastically. Yet, very little is known about female criminality.
An examination of the philosophic and legal bases for the protection of the rights of the criminally accused, with emphasis on Supreme Court decisions on the 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments and on the due process clause of the 14th Amendment.
A major in Criminal Justice gives you a deep understanding of how the system works, from police work to courtrooms to corrections. You’ll study criminology, criminal law, policies, and ethical considerations in criminal justice jobs.
Along the way, you’ll develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. These tools will be essential for addressing complex social and legal issues.
With a criminal justice degree, you can pursue various roles in law enforcement, legal services, corrections, and social services. Keep communities safe, stand up for justice, help prevent crime, and support people on the path to rehabilitation.
Explore what you can do with a Criminal Justice degree: