Undergraduate Curriculum
Below you will find a list of course descriptions for the Baccalaureate degree in Criminal Justice. Not all courses are offered every semester, please check the schedule of classes for which semester each course is offered.
1310 (CRIJ 1301) Introduction to Criminal Justice. (3-0) History and philosophy of criminal justice: ethical considerations, crime defined, overview of criminal justice system, law enforcement, court system, prosecution and defense, trial process, and corrections
2310 (CRIJ 2328) Police Systems and Practices. (3-0) Police profession: organization of law enforcement systems, the police role, police discretion, ethics, police-community interaction, and current and future issues. Prerequisite: CJ 1310.
2350 (CRIJ 1306) The Courts and Criminal Procedure. (3-0) Judiciary in the criminal justice system: structure of American court system, prosecution, right to counsel, pre-trial release, grand juries, adjudication process, types and rules of evidence, and sentencing. Prerequisite: CJ 1310.
2355 (CRIJ 2313) Correction Systems and Practices. (3-0) Corrections in the criminal justice system: organization of correctional systems, correctional role, institutional operations, alternatives to institutionalization, treatment and rehabilitation, and current and future issues. Prerequisite: CJ 1310.
2360 (CRIJ 1310) Fundamentals of Criminal Law. (3-0) A study of the nature of criminal law: philosophy and historical developments, major definitions and concepts, classification of crime, elements of crime and penalties using Texas Statutes as illustrations, and justifications of and defenses to criminal responsibility.
3300 Juvenile Justice. (WI)(3-0) A study of the juvenile justice process to include both the specialized juvenile law and the role of the courts, police and corrections in juvenile justice. Prerequisite: CJ 1310.
3322 Race, Ethnicity and Criminal Justice. (3-0) This course examines the relationship between race/ethnicity and the criminal justice system. Theories of race/ethnicity and crime, the criminal justice system, and social systems including media, politics and economics are examined toform a comprehensive understanding of the social construction of race as it pertains to a racially disproportionate system.
3323 Mid-Level Management in Criminal Justice Agencies. (3-0) Introduction and overview of the organizational theories of classical behavioral, and systems management concepts. Included in the course content are analyses of the functions of management in modern CJ organizations, internal and external environmental factors, individual & group dynamics, motivation, and leadership styles. Prerequisites: CJ 1310 and 2310 or 2355.
3325 Penology. (3-0) Role of the institution in the process of corrections including the philosophy of imprisonment, the inmate subculture and special problems and programs in institutions. Prerequisite: CJ 1310 and 2355
3329 Forensic Evidence. (3-0) Investigator's role in collecting, preparing and presenting evidence in criminal trials. Special attention will be given to electronic evidence in addition to traditional physical evidence. Prerequisite: CJ 2350 and 2360.
3346 Research in Criminal Justice. (WI)(3-0) Analysis of criminal justice research, survey methods, and the utilization of research in criminal justice. Prerequisite: CJ 1310, CD 1308 or equivalent and Statistics (MATH 2328, PSY 3301, SOCI 3307 or equivalent).
3347 Statistics for Criminal Justice. (3-0) The theory and application of statistical inferential techniques, and correlation and regression for behavioral science data and its applications in Criminal Justice. Emphasis is on the collection, analysis, and interpretation of statistical data in criminal justice settings.
4301-4302 Internship I and II. (WI)(0-6) Field service training in public and private criminal justice agencies at the federal, state, and local levels. The internship is designed to provide actual work experience, observation, and analysis in the student's chosen career field--Internship webpage.
4309 Special Topics in Criminal Justice. (3-0) This course is designed to educate students about important emerging, temporal, and evolving crime and justice issues at the local, national, and global levels. Students will gain content knowledge necessary for a broad-based cross-cultural understanding of operational justice in the 21st Century.
4309A Cybercrime. (3-0)
4309B Serial Murder. (3-0)
4309C Special Operations Units in Law Enforcement and Corrections. (3-0)
4309D Race, Ethnicity, and Criminal Justice. (3-0)
4309E Criminal Justice in Southeast Asia. (3-0)
4309F The Psychology of Antisocial Behavior. (3-0)
4309G Media and Crime. (3-0)
4309H Wrongful Convictions. (3-0)
4309I The Death Penalty in the United States. (3-0)
4310 Special Problems in the Criminal Justice System. (WI)(3-0) A study of contemporary problems in administration, management, organization, and operation of criminal justice agencies. Prerequisite: CJ 2310, 2350, 2355, 2360. (Capstone Course).
4314 Terrorism in the United States. (3-0) Terrorist groups operating in the U.S. are examined with special emphasis on the far-right (militia, Christian identity, neo-nazi, other racist groups). Analyzed are their belief systems and structures, organizational structure, tactics and targets, and weapons. Future trends are discussed, including the threat posed by nuclear, biological, and chemical terrorism.
4316 Treatment in Community and Institutional Corrections. (3-0) A study of community based programs for adult and juvenile offenders, treatment modalities in various correctional settings, administration, legal issues, and future trends associated with community-based and institutional based treatment. Prerequisites: CJ 2355 and 3325.
4321 Occupational Crime. (3-0) A study of the problems of organized and upper social status criminal activities with emphasis on statutes and their application to fraud, embezzlement, deceptive trade practices and illegal trade practices.
4323 Special Operation Units in Law Enforcement and Corrections. (3-0) This course introduces students to the basic principles of Special Operations Units (SOUs) within criminal justice agencies. Topics include the necessity of such units, the changing nature of communities and policing in America, thr principles of crisis management, the development/implementation of SOUs, selection/training/operationalizing of personnel, and types of SOUs.
4326 Women and Criminal Justice. (WI)(3-0) This course is designed to explore women's involvement in three primary areas of criminal justice-as victims, criminals and practitioners employed in criminal justice agencies. It will analyze the impact of sex and gender on such things as criminological theory, sentencing, prison subcultures victimization, and career choices. Prerequisite: junior standing.
4327 Ethics of Social Control (WI)(3-0) This course is designed to explore moral decision making. Basic moral or ethical frameworks are applied to ethical decision which often need to be made in the criminal justice system. Prerequisite: junior standing.
4329 Organized Crime. (3-0) Survey of organized crime in contemporary society. Includes attention to crime types and methods, motivation, affiliations, and the effects of this type of criminality. Related legal and law enforcement perspectives will be covered, along with international and cyberspace issues. Prerequisite: CJ 1310.
4330 Cybercrime. (3-0) This course introduces students to the concepts, technologies, techniques and legal and ethical issues associated with cybercrime, security, and computer forensics. Students will gain knowledge regarding development of national and international computer crime law, crimes unique to computer environments, and traditional crime involving computer and the internet.
4331 Serial Murder. (3-0) This course covers the phenominon of serial murder and the police investigative response. Theories, concepts, and law enforcement analytic methods are covered in detail. Emphasis is placed on understanding the reality versus the myth of serial murder, serial killers, and criminal profiling.
4332 Advanced Criminal Justice Management. (3-0) A critical analysis of the nature of organizations within the criminal justice system. An analysis of theories of organizations and of organizational changes within law enforcement agencies. An examination of the quantitative data gathered by the Criminal Justice System and its effective use and presentation. Prerequisites: CJ 1310 and 3300.
4340 Crime Theory and Victimization (WI)(3-0) Examination of the causes of crime and crime victimization and competing explanations for crime and the impact of crime on crime victims. This course draws on perspectives advanced by a number of diverse fields of inquiry, for example, biology, psychology, sociology, ad the political and economic sciences. Prerequisites: CJ 1310 and 3300.
4350 Contemporary Legal Issues in Law Enforcement. (WI)(3-0) An in-depth study of recent developments in criminal law and procedure. Their effects upon the criminal justice agency official in society will be given special attention. Includes specific case studies with emphasis on analyzing factual situations and legal issues. Prerequisites: CJ 1310, and 2310.
4352 Contemporary Legal Issues in Corrections. (WI)(3-0) A study of the developing body of law defining the rights and duties of persons confined in penal institutions with equal emphasis on legal issues associated with probationers, parolees, and similar status's within the corrections branch of the criminal justice system. Prerequisite: CJ 1310 and 2355.
4362 Readings in Criminal Justice. (3-0) An individualized readings course tailored to the academic and professional interests and needs of the student. Emphasis is placed on developing in-depth knowledge of selected criminal justice subjects through directed research. Repeatable for credit with different emphasis. (Permission of instructor is required for course registration.)
4363 Independent Studies in Criminal Justice. (3-0) Independent study and research on topics in criminal justice related to a student's primary area of interest. Work may include individual research, critical reviews or integration of existing body of knowledge. Course may be repeated with different emphasis once for credit with approval of department chair.
4365 Comparative Criminal Justice. (WI)(3-0) A survey of the organizational, administrative, and philosophical principles of criminal justice systems around the world. Prerequisite: CJ 1310 and 2310 or 2355.