The Criminal Justice Department at Texas State University offers three degree paths for students interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice

This guide will help criminal justice majors select specific upper-level courses according to the degree plan they choose to follow, Law Enforcement, Corrections or General/Criminal Justice. Students can choose to whether or not to complete an internship, however, participation in the internship program is strongly encouraged because it gives students a chance to gain insight into the practitoner side of criminal justice. Students who complete an internship are more likely to gain employment immediately after graduation; students who do not complete an intership are not as likely to gain employment after graduation because they lack an appropriate network to find and achieve employment opportunities.

The courses included in Corrections degree plan are designed to prepare students for positions in probation and parole. Probation officers are employed in local, state and federal courts to handle the cases of offenders being brought to the attention of the courts. Parole officers are responsible for the supervision of adult and juvenile offenders released by state or federal agencies.

153.00 Corrections with Internship
CJ 3300 Juvenile Justice
CJ 3323 Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies
CJ 3325 Penology
CJ 3346 Research in Criminal Justice
CJ 4301 Internship I
CJ 4302 Internship II 
CJ 4310 Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System
CJ 4316 Treatment in Community and Institutional Corrections
CJ 4340 Crime Theory and Victimization
CJ 4352 Contemporary Legal Issues in Corrections

153.10 Corrections (non-Internship)
CJ 3300 Juvenile Justice
CJ 3323 Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies
CJ 3325 Penology
CJ 3346 Research in Criminal Justice
CJ 4310 Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System
CJ 4316 Treatment in Community and Institutional Corrections
CJ 4340 Crime Theory and Victimization
CJ 4352 Contemporary Legal Issues in Corrections
CJ 4365 Comparative Criminal Justice
CJ Advanced elective (3 hours)

The courses included in the General degree plan are designed to prepare students for non-traditional roles in the criminal justice field. These positions include and are not limited to, research personnel in law enforcement agencies and correctional institutions; auxiliary personnel in specialized fields of communication and laboratory work; private investigative agencies; counselors; rehabilitation counselors; staff personnel in private youth agencies such as Big Brother/Big Sister programs, halfway houses, and residential treatment centers. Criminal Justice is an excellent pre-law program for students interested in pursuing a career in public law (prosecution, defense, government legal representation)

150.00 Criminal Justice with Internship
CJ 3300 Juvenile Justice
CJ 3323 Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies
CJ 3346 Research in Criminal Justice
CJ 4301 Internship I
CJ 4302 Internship II
CJ 4310 Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System
CJ 4340 Crime Theory and Victimization
CJ Advanced elective (9 hours)

150.10 Criminal Justice (non-Internship)
CJ 3300 Juvenile Justice
CJ 3323 Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies
CJ 3346 Research in Criminal Justice
CJ 4310 Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System
CJ 4340 Crime Theory and Victimization
CJ 4365 Comparative Criminal Justice
CJ Advanced elective (12 hours)

In addition to completing the courses in a specific degree plan, criminal justice students must satisfy the related course requirements. These courses include:

CS 1308 or CIS 1323 or equivalent, Statistics: CJ 3347, MATH 2328 or SOCI 3307 (required for sociology minors)

Electives (16 hours)***

Advanced Electives or minor (12 hours)***

6-8 hours of foreign language is required if two years were not completed in high school. ***

***For more information, please schedule an appointment with the applied arts advisor, Rebecca Swindle.

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