• home
  • Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology

Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology

BA in Criminal Justice | BS in Criminal Justice | BA in Victim Studies | BS in Victim Studies | Course Descriptions

 

Chair
Gaylene Armstrong, Ph.D.
garmstrong@shsu.edu
936.294-4735

Faculty
Gaylene Armstrong, Todd Armstrong, Danielle Boisvert, Jeffery Bouffard, Leana Bouffard, Brian Boutwell, Joan Bytheway, Steven Cuvelier, Magdalena Denham, Jerry Dowling, Jim Dozier, Jasmine Drake, Cortney Franklin, Travis Franklin, David Gangitano, R.L. Garner, Jurg Gerber, Howard Henderson, Larry Hoover, Sheree Hughes-Stamm, Sarah Kerrigan, William King, Kelly Knight, Kathleen Latz, Dennis Longmire, Phillip Lyons, Scott Menard, Holly Miller, Lisa Muftic, Janet Mullings, Matt Nobles, Will Oliver, Erin Orrick, John Payne, David Pyrooz, Ling Ren, Mitchel Roth, Ryan Randa, Sam Souryal, Raymond Teske, Victoria Titterington, Michael Vaughn, Bill Wells, Steve Young, Jorn Chi-Chung Yu, Yan Zhang, Jihong Solomon Zhao, Vincent Webb

About

Be a part of one of the highest ranked Criminal Justice and Criminology programs in the nation!

Faculty recently recognized as the 4th most productive researchers in the country provide foundational courses to develop your skills in reasoning and analysis. Focus on the special needs of crime victims, careers in law enforcement or corrections. Or continue your education as a criminal justice researcher by exploring the Master's or Ph.D. program in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Do all this and more in Sam Houston State University’s Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology, one of the largest and most prestigious criminal justice programs in the nation.

As a Criminal Justice major at SHSU, the opportunities are endless:

  • Learn from faculty who conduct research in all aspects of the criminal justice system
  • A top ranked Doctoral program
  • Training institutes that draw law enforcement and correctional professionals from around the world
  • Research Institutes in Law Enforcement, Corrections, Victims, and Legal Studies
  • Recruiters from various agencies around the world visit the center on a regular basis.
  • Students receive real world experience by participating in agency tours, internships, and regional/national conferences.

Mission

The College of Criminal Justice is committed to providing students with a quality liberal arts education. Students will gain an appreciation of their role as criminal justice professionals and as contributing members of society. The College also is committed to producing high quality research and to providing public service and technical assistance to communities and criminal justice agencies.

Contact Information
Doris Pratt
pratt@shsu.edu
keads@shsu.edu 936.294.3637

Academic Programs

MajorDegree(s)
Criminal Justice B.A.B.S.
Victim Studies B.AB.S.
Note: This listing of undergraduate degree programs is correct as of December 2014 and does not include those degree programs being phased out.

Highlights

SHSU’s College of Criminal Justice has been consistently ranked among the top criminal justice programs in the nation in both value and quality by U.S. News & World Report, the Journal of Criminal Justice, and many other publications.

Suggested Minors

  • Accounting
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Communication Studies
  • Computer Science
  • Foreign Language
  • Forensic Anthropology
  • Forensic Science
  • General Business
  • Information Assurance
  • Psychology
  • Sociology

Career Opportunities

  • Police Agencies - Federal, State, County, Municipal
  • Security Management
  • Immigration/Customs Enforcement
  • Border Patrol
  • Drug Enforcement
  • Private Investigation
  • Probation
  • Parole
  • Family/Child Services
  • Correctional Advisor/Counselor
  • Game Warden
  • Military Police
  • Military Intelligence
  • Victim Services Specialist

Student Organizations and Activities

  • Alpha Phi Sigma National Criminal Justice Honor Society
  • Crime Victims Service Alliance
  • Lambda Alpha Epsilon Criminal Justice Association
  • National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice
  • Phi Alpha Delta Pre-Law Society
  • Society of Forensic Science

The College of Criminal Justice hosts a variety of events for students, including special guest lecturers at Real Talk with CJ, a career fair, an undergraduate conference, and mock courtroom trials.

Internships

An integral part of all degree offerings is the opportunity for field placement experience. The internship program is designed to provide students valuable work experience, on-the-job training, and an opportunity to develop a professional networking base for the future. Students in this program are offered unparalleled opportunities to participate in one of the nation's leading internship programs in the field of criminal justice.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available to criminal justice majors and awarded in the spring of each year at the College of Criminal Justice Honors Convocation for the following academic year.  With the exception of incoming freshmen scholarships, a student must have completed at least one long semester at Sam houston State University.

Information on specific scholarships available in the College of Criminal Justice are available through Cutty Gilbert (cutty@shsu.edu) at 936.294.3755 .

Please see the College of Criminal Justice section for information on college and university level scholarships.

Curriculum

Sam Houston State University is authorized by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to offer a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Criminal Justice or Victim Studies. Coursework for these degrees is offered by the College of Criminal Justice. The prefix designation for registration purposes is “CRIJ"

Program Specific Requirements

Please see the individual degree plans below for degree specific requirements.

Criminal Justice Core

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Criminal Justice Core
SHSU Course Number Course Name Hours
CRIJ 2361 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System 3
CRIJ 2362 Criminology 3
CRIJ 2364 Fundamentals of Criminal Law 3
CRIJ 2365 Correctional Systems and Practices 3
CRIJ 2367 Police Systems and Practices 3
CRIJ 3378 Introduction to Methods of Research 3
CRIJ 4385 Crime, Justice, and Social Diversity 3
CRIJ 3350 Victimology 3
24

Major (No Minor)
Core Courses 24
Criminal Justice Advanced Electives 21

Major (With Approved Minor in Another Field)
Core Courses 24
Criminal Justice Electives* 12 or 15
Minor 18

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Criminal Justice

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Bachelor of Science, Major in Criminal Justice

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Bachelor of Arts, Major in Victim Studies

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Bachelor of Science, Major in Victim Studies

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Minor in Criminal Justice

3 Digit to 4 Digit Crosswalk

Minor in Criminal Justice
SHSU Course Number Hours
CRIJ 2361 Introduction to the Criminal Justice System 3
CRIJ 2362 Criminology 3
CRIJ 2364 Criminal Law 3
CRIJ 4385 Crime, Justice and Social Diversity 3
CRIJ Advanced Elective 6
18

Sam Houston State Logo

Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, Texas 77341 | (936) 294-1111 | (866)BEARKAT Member TSUS
© Copyright Sam Houston State University | All rights reserved. | Contact Web Editor