Admission
Any student with a declared major in criminal justice is eligible for the criminal justice pre-law concentration.
Program Requirements
A minimum total of 120 credit hours is required for the BS in criminal justice with a concentration in pre-law. In addition to meeting the requirements of the WSU General Education Program and the requirements of Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, students must meet the following requirements:
The criminal justice major requires a minimum of 39 credit hours in criminal justice courses with 33 credit hours in 11 required core courses and 6 credit hours in two criminal justice electives. For the pre-law concentration, students must complete all graduation requirements for the BS in criminal justice, and take at least 18 credit hours of law-related courses as follows:
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| General Education | ||
| Select courses to meet General Education requirements 1 | 34-35 | |
| College Requirements | ||
| Select courses to complete all LAS Competency Areas 1 | 24 | |
| Additional Requirements | ||
| ENGL 210 | Composition: Business, Professional and Technical Writing | 3 |
| SPAN 212 | Spanish for Law Enforcement | 5 |
| In lieu of SPAN 212 students may take another world language through 204. | ||
| Major Core Courses | ||
| CJ 191 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 360 | Multiculturalism in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 391 | Corrections | 3 |
| CJ 392 | Law Enforcement | 3 |
| CJ 407 | Introduction to Research Methods | 3 |
| CJ 593 | Crime Causation and Criminal Justice Policy | 3 |
| CJ 598 | Contemporary Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| Concentration Courses | ||
| CJ 220 | Professional Responsibility in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 315 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 320 | Criminal Procedure | 3 |
| CJ 394 | Courts and Judicial Systems | 3 |
| Select 6 credit hours from the following law-related courses | 6 | |
| The Victim in Criminal Justice | ||
| White Collar Crime | ||
| Criminal Evidence: Mock Trials | ||
| Constitutional Criminal Justice in the 21st Century | ||
| Forensic Victimology | ||
| Child Abuse and Neglect: The Role of Child Welfare Agencies | ||
| Open Electives | ||
| Select enough electives to reach 120 credit hours | 14-15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Required major courses may also count towards General Education and/or LAS Competencies. Students will need to select additional electives to reach 120 credit hours required for graduation with assistance from an advisor.
Applied Learning
Students in the BS in criminal justice - concentration in pre-law program are required to complete an applied learning or research experience to graduate from this program. The requirement can be met by successfully completing CJ 407 Introduction to Research Methods.
Students in the traditional course have a hands-on experience serving or benefiting a community agency. Research questions are developed in conjunction with the agent of the agency identified at the beginning of each semester.
Students in the online course learn how to apply the course concepts thus far. Each student identifies four research study ideas directly linked to their everyday lives.