Major and Minor

Criminal Justice Major Program Requirements:

To complete the requirements for graduation with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, students must fulfill the general education requirements. While most courses taken at accredited colleges and universities are transferable for full credit, only four courses will be considered toward criminal justice major programs. Students should take at least two-thirds of the credits constituting their major from Grand Valley State University.

Students majoring in criminal justice or in legal studies may earn either a B.A. or a B.S. degree. The B.A. degree requires third-semester proficiency in a foreign language; the B.S. degree requires the completion of STA 215, CJ 300, and CJ 400.

Effective for students entering Grand Valley State University during the 2003-2004 academic year or later, the following requirements are in place. For students enrolled under previous catalog years, you should check the requirements by going to the following GVSU catalog listing.

Bachelor's in Criminal Justice. A minimum of 39 credits is required. All majors must take the following nine courses (27 credit hours): CJ 101, 201, 305, 312, 330, 350, 470, 495, and SOC 382. In addition, majors must select 12 credit hours of electives from criminal justice courses (not including the Police Academy courses, CJ 415, 416, 417, 418, and 419). Students planning on enrolling in the Grand Valley Police Academy should see the requirements listed below.

Minor Program Requirements:

Minors are required to complete at least 21 credit hours, including, CJ 101, 201, 305 and an additional 12 hours of electives from criminal justice courses. See the Director of the School of Criminal Justice for additional information.