Criminology and Justice Studies BS
Major: Criminology and Justice Studies
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science (BS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 181.0
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years); One Co-op (Four years); No Co-op (Four years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 45.0401
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 11-9199
About the Program
Criminal Justice: A Flexible and Forward-Looking Degree
At Drexel, we call our major in Criminology and Justice Studies a Criminal Justice concentration to provide a familiar reference point for prospective students. But in truth, this is our full and only major pathway—a modern, flexible curriculum that covers the full spectrum of crime, justice, and public safety in both U.S. and global contexts.
The Criminal Justice concentration introduces students to the workings of justice institutions—police, courts, corrections—while also exploring broader questions about crime policy, community safety, and the role of data and technology in understanding crime. All students complete core sequences in research methods and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), building tools to ask better questions and design stronger solutions.
To allow students to specialize and personalize their degree, we encourage them to add one or both of our department’s minors:
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The Justice Studies minor supports students interested in advocacy, law, and public service.
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The Crime Analytics and Digital Investigations minor is ideal for students interested in mapping, analysis, and problem-solving in public safety fields.
Many students pair their major with minors in areas like psychology, business, legal studies, or languages—and the degree structure makes this easy. With 55.0 free elective credits, students have the flexibility to double major or customize their path without extending their time at Drexel.
Students also learn by doing. Our program includes community-based courses and faculty-led study abroad programs that examine justice systems through an international lens. Recent seminars have explored The Legacy of Nazi Policing in Germany and the Czech Republic, and Crime and Justice in Scandinavia in Sweden and Norway. We continue to develop new opportunities for our students to take our intensive courses abroad across an expanding list of countries.
Students build maps and visualizations that uncover where and why crime clusters—near schools, transit stations, or abandoned properties—and how those patterns shift over time. These tools help answer big questions: Where should resources go? What strategies work? How can we design safer communities?
Criminology and Justice Studies at Drexel gives students the insight, tools, and hands-on experience to analyze problems—and the vision to imagine what justice can become. At its core, Drexel’s Criminal Justice degree prepares students to think clearly, analyze crime and justice with purpose, and take part in building safer, more just communities—at home and abroad.
For more information about Criminology and Justice Studies, contact Senior Academic Advisor, Mica Storer mls46@drexel.edu or Department Head, Dr. Robert J. Kane rjk72@drexel.edu.
Degree Requirements
University Requirements | ||
CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
UNIV H101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
UNIV H201 | Looking Forward: Academics and Careers | 1.0 |
College of Arts and Sciences Core Curriculum | ||
Developing Quantitative Reasoning ** | 6.0-8.0 | |
Two courses in MATH based on placement exams OR | ||
Symbolic Logic I (or) | ||
Symbolic Logic II | ||
Engaging the Natural World ** | 6.0-8.0 | |
Analyzing Cultures & Histories ** | 6.0-8.0 | |
Understanding Society & Human Behavior ** | 6.0-8.0 | |
Cultivating Global Competence ** | 6.0-8.0 | |
Perspectives in Diversity ** | 3.0-4.0 | |
CJS Core Requirements | ||
CJS 100 | Freshman Seminar in Crime and Justice | 3.0 |
CJS 101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3.0 |
CJS 200 | Criminology | 3.0 |
CJS 220 | Crime and the City | 3.0 |
CJS 260 | Justice in Our Community | 4.0 |
CJS 261 | Prison, Society and You | 4.0 |
CJS 276 | Introduction to Computer Crime | 3.0 |
CJS 290 | Crime and Public Policy | 3.0 |
CJS 320 | Comparative Justice Systems | 3.0 |
Methods and Analytics Sequence | ||
CJS 250 | Research Methods & Analytics I | 3.0 |
CJS 300 | Research Methods and Analytics II | 3.0 |
CJS 301 | Methods and Analytics III | 4.0 |
CJS 330 | Crime Mapping I Using Geographic Information Systems | 4.0 |
CJS 331 | Crime Mapping II Using Geographic Information Systems | 4.0 |
Program Electives | ||
Complete 33.0 credits of any CJS courses not already listed above | 33.0 | |
Free Electives | 55.0 | |
Total Credits | 181.0-192.0 |
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Students not participating in co-op will take one additional credit of free elective instead of COOP 101.
Co-op cycles may vary. Students are assigned a co-op cycle (fall/winter, spring/summer, summer-only) based on their co-op program (4-year, 5-year) and major.
COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
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See Core Curriculum for complete list of course options.
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
4 year, no co-op
First Year | |||||||
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Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 100 | 3.0 | CJS 260 | 4.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
CJS 101 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | CJS 200 | 3.0 | ||
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS 261 | 4.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | Analyzing Cultures & Histories | 3.0-4.0 | ||
Analyzing Cultures & Histories | 3.0-4.0 | ||||||
13-14 | 16-18 | 17-19 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 250 | 3.0 | CJS 300 | 3.0 | CJS 301 | 4.0 | VACATION | |
CJS course | 3.0 | CJS course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||
Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS courses | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | ||
Free elective | 3.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | ||
15-16 | 15-16 | 16-17 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 330 | 4.0 | CJS 220 | 3.0 | Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 | VACATION | |
Perspectives in Diversity | 3.0-4.0 | CJS 290 | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||
Free electives | 9.0 | CJS 320 | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||
CJS 331 | 4.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | ||||
Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 | Free elective | 4.0 | ||||
16-17 | 16-17 | 16-17 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
CJS 276 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | CJS course | 3.0 | ||
CJS course | 3.0 | CJS courses | 3.0 | Free electives | 11.0 | ||
Free electives | 8.0 | Free elective | 9.0 | ||||
14 | 13 | 14 | |||||
Total Credits 181-192 |
4 year, one co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 100 | 3.0 | CJS 260 | 4.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | VACATION | |
CJS 101 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | CJS 200 | 3.0 | ||
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS 261 | 4.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | Analyzing Cultures & Histories | 3.0-4.0 | ||
Analyzing Cultures & Histories | 3.0-4.0 | ||||||
13-14 | 16-18 | 17-19 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 250 | 3.0 | CJS 300 | 3.0 | CJS 301 | 4.0 | COOP 101 | 1.0 |
CJS 320 | 3.0 | CJS course | 3.0 | Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | CJS course | 3.0 |
CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 |
Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | Perspectives in Diversity | 3.0-4.0 |
Free elective | 3.0 | Free elective | 4.0 | Free elective | 3.0 | Free electives | 6.0 |
15-16 | 16-17 | 16-17 | 16-18 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 220 | 3.0 | CJS 331 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
CJS 290 | 3.0 | CJS course | 3.0 | ||||
CJS 330 | 4.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
Free elective | 6.0 | Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 | ||||
Free elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 16-17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
CJS 276 | 3.0 | UNIV H201 | 1.0 | Free electives | 12.0 | ||
CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
Free electives | 9.0 | Free electives | 9.0 | ||||
15 | 13 | 12 | |||||
Total Credits 181-192 |
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COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101.
5-year three co-op
First Year | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CJS 260 | 4.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | Vacation | |
CJS 100 | 3.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | CJS 200 | 3.0 | ||
CJS 101 | 3.0 | Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 | CJS 261 | 4.0 | ||
UNIV H101 | 1.0 | Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | COOP 101* | 1.0 | ||
Developing Quantitative Reasoning | 3.0-4.0 | Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||
Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | ||||||
13-14 | 16-19 | 15-16 | 0 | ||||
Second Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 250 | 3.0 | CJS 300 | 3.0 | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | ||
CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
Understanding Society & Human Behavior | 3.0-4.0 | Analyzing Cultures | 3.0-4.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||
15-16 | 15-16 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Third Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
CJS 276 | 3.0 | CJS 331 | 4.0 | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | ||
CJS 290 | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
CJS 330 | 4.0 | Free Elective | 7.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 14 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fourth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
Cultivating Global Competence | 3.0-4.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | CO-OP EXPERIENCE | ||
Engaging the Natural World | 3.0-4.0 | Perspectives in Diversity | 3.0-4.0 | ||||
CJS Course | 3.0 | Analyzing Cultures | 3.0-4.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | Free Elective | 6.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
15-17 | 15-17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
Fifth Year | |||||||
Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
UNIV H201 | 1.0 | CJS 220 | 3.0 | CJS 320 | 3.0 | ||
CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | CJS 301 | 4.0 | ||
Free Elective | 12.0 | Free Elective | 3.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||
Free Elective | 6.0 | CJS Course | 3.0 | ||||
Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
16 | 15 | 16 | |||||
Total Credits 181-192 |
Professional Experiences
The Department of Criminology and Justice Studies offers three options for students: a five-year three co-op option, a four-year one co-op option, and a four-year, no co-op option. We help students identify a co-op option that best fits their goals, though we encourage students earning their bachelor's degree in criminology to take advantage of the co-op program. Taking on the 5-year three co-op option means students will have earned a total of one and a half years of work experience by the time they graduate, allowing them to apply for crime and intelligence analysis or other positions that require at least one-year experience (What is crime analysis? Click here to find out about this exciting career path for our graduates). Criminology and Justice Studies students have held co-op positions at the Philadelphia District Attorney's Office, at local sheriff and police departments, with local judges, at criminal justice agencies, law firms, community agencies and nonprofit organizations locally and justice organizations nationally.
In recent years, students have been placed in local agencies such as the District Attorney’s Office, the Institutional Law Project, the Juvenile Law Center, the Defendants Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia and Bucks County Prison Systems and the Pennsylvania Prison Society, Pennsylvania and New Jersey State Police. Several students have done co-ops and later worked full time at the Eastern State Penitentiary Historical Site and Museum. On the state level, co-op students have worked with the Board of Probation & Parole and other agencies. At the federal level, the US Customs Service had an agreement to accept cooperative education placements after having been screened by faculty. The faculty in Criminology and Justice Studies has been working over the past few years to expand its list of research co-ops (primarily for students working toward graduate school) and international co-ops.
Program Level Outcomes
- Fluently discuss the processes by which institutions of the public justice system (e.g., police, courts, corrections) label, adjudicate and sanction criminal offenders (Justice Process; Procedural Law; Crime and the City)
- Describe the major theories of crime and criminal offending (Criminology; Advanced Criminological Theorizing, Crime and City)
- Explain the major legal and/or due process requirements that both enable and constrain the justice system (Criminal Procedure; Police Authority and Accountability; Surveillance, Technology, and the Law)
- Identify and evaluate crime policies and policy gaps in order to determine the extent to which they are consistent with current societal values and legal doctrine (Criminal Procedure; Justice Process; Crime and Public Policy; Capstone in Criminology and Justice Studies)
- Apply the standard benchmarks of scientific rigor (i.e., reliability and validity) and ethics to evaluate the quality of scientific studies, particularly those that are related to public policy (Methods and Analytics I, II, & III; Crime Mapping Using GIS; Intelligence Led Decision Making, Program Evaluation; Criminal Justice Ethics)
- Organize, analyze, and visualize data, as well as interpret findings from quantitative and qualitative analyses (Methods and Analytics I, II, & III; Crime Mapping Using GIS; Intelligence Led Decision Making, Program Evaluation)
- Translate through written expression the meaning and value of statistical findings derived from data analysis (Writing Intensive courses. Methods and Analytics I, II, & III; Crime Mapping Using GIS; Intelligence Led Decision Making, Program Evaluation; Capstone in Criminology and Justice Studies)
- Describe the role of government and culture in shaping the roles and behaviors of our institutions of formal and informal social control (Race, Crime and Justice; Criminology, Gender, Crime, and Justice, Justice in Our Community; Prison, Society, and You)
- Compare and contrast cross-cultural perspectives that shape formal and informal social institutions, including those responsible for institutions of social control (Non-Democratic Policing: The Rise of the Nazi Police System; Comparative Justice Systems: courses in the Global Competence sequence; Justice in Our Community; Prison, Society and You)