Program Information
The major in Criminal Justice attempts to develop a basic understanding of the criminal justice system and the society in which it functions. After completion of 60 credits, in-depth knowledge can be obtained by careful selection of courses in policing, corrections, law, AODA counseling and private security.
The University of Wisconsin-Platteville, the first institution of higher education in Wisconsin to grant the baccalaureate degree in criminal justice, has distinguished itself as a leader in providing high quality education. Since its creation in 1966, the Department of Criminal Justice has been recognized by criminal justice agencies across the nation for the excellence of its academic program and the professional accomplishments of its graduates.
Excellent Faculty – In addition to their educational preparation and teaching abilities, faculty members have been involved in research and education in criminal justice and have served as practitioners in the field.
Pride in Being a Criminal Justice Student at UW-Platteville – As part of one of the largest departments on campus, criminal justice majors play a significant role in student government and other activities. The Criminal Justice Association (a student organization) sponsors a number of field trips, social and professional activities for students throughout the year.
Outstanding Placement Rates – UW-Platteville graduates are employed in all areas of the criminal justice system throughout the United States. Students willing to consider a wide range of geographical areas are found to be highly successful in placement.
Student Success in Graduate and Professional Education – Many graduates have gone on to pursue advanced degrees in criminal justice and related fields; others have entered law school or other professional schools.
Criminal Justice Career Day – The Criminal Justice Association, assisted by the Department of Criminal Justice, holds an annual Criminal Justice Career Day. Representatives from all areas of the criminal justice system are invited to campus to give students information on their specialized fields.
An Outstanding Internship Program – UW-Platteville has a nationally recognized internship program, considered by many to be one of the best in the United States. A student who has completed the sophomore year is eligible to apply for an eight-week internship with a criminal justice agency area of career interest. The student is assigned to observe and study the daily operations of the agency and, under agency supervision, may work on active cases and special assignments.
Criminal Justice Seminar in London, England – This program is designed to allow students to study the English criminal justice system on a short-term basis (two weeks). In addition, UW-Platteville has entered into an agreement whereby eligible criminal justice students have the outstanding opportunity to study at Cambridge University in England for a full year.
Research and Directed Studies – Students are actively involved in research projects and directed studies requested by or designed in connection with criminal justice agencies. These projects help students understand the complexities of decision-making and problem-solving in criminal justice agencies.
Wisconsin Police Certification – Criminal justice majors who graduate with particular criminal justice courses are eligible to enroll in a summer
recruit academy which certifies them as Wisconsin police officers.
AODA Counseling Certification – The Departments of Criminal Justice and Psychology and Counseling offer courses that complete the knowledge
portion of certification as an alcohol and other drug abuse counselor.
Crime Laboratories – The usual requirement for employment in a crime lab to analyze physical evidence is a bachelor of science in chemistry although a bachelor of science in biology is sometimes useful. The Departments of Chemistry/Physics, Biology and Criminal Justice cooperate to prepare qualified students to be crime laboratory analysts.
The Criminal Justice Advisory Boards – Advisory boards, made up of leading practitioners, provide feedback, insight, and current information on changes
in their fields. They also give advice to the criminal justice department on future programs and projects.
Workshops and Seminars – Nationally recognized authorities are brought to campus to address students and faculty on matters of social and political concern.
Guest Lecturers – Practitioners are invited into the classroom as guest lecturers. The theoretical and philosophical principles of criminal justice are complemented and clarified by the knowledge offered by these experienced practitioners. Classes are occasionally taken off campus for on-site visits to police, court, and correctional agencies.
Personal Interaction Between Faculty and Student – The Criminal Justice Department is large enough to provide a diversity of perspectives and course offerings, yet small enough to ensure personal contact between student and faculty.
Criminal justice is a stimulating and rewarding area of study, which can be pursued as part of a broadly based liberal education as well as part of a program of professional and preprofessional studies. With its emphasis on the administration of justice within the context of American society, the criminal justice program is designed to stimulate critical thought about the nature and causes of crime, as well as to assess the diverse methods of responding to criminal and delinquent behavior. As part of the liberal arts tradition, criminal justice can be studied as an end in itself, as a field of study that is personally enriching regardless of one’s career interests. At the same time, however, undergraduate education in criminal justice provides for the needs of students who plan to enter law school or who wish to pursue graduate studies in criminal justice, criminology, or related fields. Similarly, for those
students wishing to begin working in the field immediately upon graduation, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice provides an excellent and often necessary preparation.
The program of study emphasizes a total criminal justice perspective, yet allows students the flexibility to choose specialized courses in areas related to their own professional and academic interests. Students take a core of courses designed to aid them in critically assessing the functions and relationships of the police, prosecution, courts, and correctional systems in the United States.
Students who major in criminal justice are encouraged to consider completing minors in related areas (e.g. psychology, sociology, political science, safety, accounting, chemistry, biology, business, or computer science). Students who are majoring in other fields can minor in criminal justice.
Criminal justice embraces a diverse range of professional opportunities, including law enforcement, prosecution and defense, courts, and corrections. The number and variety of career opportunities can be illustrated by considering just one, single component of criminal justice—law enforcement. There are approximately 40,000 different police agencies in the U.S. Public agencies served include the F.B.I., U.S. Customs, U.S. Marshals, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, various state police agencies, prisons, state youth authorities, narcotics treatment programs, departments of conservation and natural resources, state justice departments, crime laboratories, and literally thousands of local and county police and correctional agencies. In the private sector, there is a rapidly growing number of opportunities in private security, insurance investigation and other private investigative areas.
The major in criminal justice provides a basic understanding of the criminal justice system and the society in which it functions. The first 60 credits are composed primarily of general education courses to develop a broad educational background, along with the first three core criminal justice courses. After completion of 60 credits, in-depth knowledge can be obtained by careful selection of courses in policing, corrections, criminological theory, law, forensic investigation, AODA counseling, and private security.
The Criminal Justice Department has received national recognition for the superior quality of its internship program. As a result, participation in the internship program is competitive. The Criminal Justice Department reserves the right to refuse a student an internship if the department decides that the student is not a suitable candidate on the basis of scholarship, verbal ability or character. To be eligible for internship, the student must have earned at least 60 credits plus 12 upper division criminal justice credits, a 2.25 GPA, and have passed the department's writing certification requirement.
The Departments of Chemistry and Engineering Physics, Biology, and Criminal Justice cooperate in preparing students interested in becoming crime laboratory analysts. In cooperation with the Department of Psychology and the Counselor Education Graduate Program, undergraduate criminal justice majors can obtain AODA (alcohol and other drug abuse) certification. The Departments of Criminal Justice and Psychology also cooperate in the social work certification process.
Total for Graduation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120 credits
General Education - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 44-58 credits
Major Studies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36-54 credits
Bachelor of Science supplement - - - - - - - - - 6 credits
Students must choose six credits, 3 credits per discipline from the following:
ENGLISH 3000 Technical Writing 3 cr
COMPUTER 1830 Microcomputer Applications 3 cr
SPEECH 2250 Communication and Leadership in Small Groups 3 cr
SPEECH 3250 Interpersonal Communication 3 cr
SPEECH 3500 Persuasion and Argumentation 3 cr
BUSADMIN 2330 Leadership and Management 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 3120 Investigative Photography 3 cr
Total for Graduation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 120 credits
General Education - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 44-58 credits
Major Studies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36-54 credits
Bachelor of Arts supplement - - - - - - - - - - - - 4-6 credits
Students must choose one of two options.
OPTION ONE
Six credits, 3 credits per discipline from the following:
PHLSPHY 2330 Origins of Western Philosophy 3 cr
PHLSPHY 2430 Philosophy in the Modern world 3 cr
PHLSPHY 2530 Ethics 3 cr
PHLSPHY 3430 Social Philosophy 3 cr
PHLSPHY 3630 Philosophy of Law 3 cr
ENGLISH 2430 American Literature through the Civil War 3 cr
ENGLISH 2530 American Literature since the Civil War 3 cr
or
ENGLISH #### Any English course from 3140 through 3760
HISTORY #### Any History course from 3120 through 3430
OPTION TWO
Four credits from one of the following:
FRENCH 2040 Intermediate French 4 cr
GERMAN 2240 Intermediate German 4 cr
SPANISH 2840 Intermediate Spanish 4 cr
Majors must take the following:
CRIMLJUS 1130 Intro to Criminal Justice 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 2130 The Police Function 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 2230 Correctional Philosophy 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 4030 Criminal Law 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 4930 Criminal Justice Seminar 3 cr
Electives in Criminal Justice 21 cr
Total: 36 cr
In addition, all criminal justice majors:
- must complete 3 credits of course work on the nature and causes of criminal and delinquent behavior, which can be fulfilled by successful completion of CRIMLJUS 3430 Patterns of Criminal and Delinquent Behavior, CRIMLJUS 3630 Juvenile Justice, PSYCH 4830 Psychology and the Law, or SOCIOLGY 3330 Crime and Delinquency.
- must complete 3 credits of course work in research methods, which can be fulfilled by successful completion of CRIMLJUS 3900 Research Methods in Criminal Justice, PSYCH 2230 Introduction to Experimental Psychology, or SOCIOLGY 3430 Social Research.
- must earn a "C" or better in each core course before going on to the next.
In addition, each major must earn a "C" or better in ENGLISH 1130 and 1230 and pass the departmental writing proficiency exam before taking upper division criminal justice courses.
In addition to the social science requirements of the university, the student must either complete at least 6 credits each in psychology, sociology, and political science or complete a minor or second major in any discipline. Minors to consider include foreign languages, accounting for federal law enforcement, or psychology for corrections. Computer science, political science, chemistry, biology and business administration are also excellent minors for students majoring in criminal justice.
Emphases within the major. Students may select one of the three emphases within the criminal justice major. Students are not required to select an emphasis. Students who do not want an emphasis may select 15 -21 credits of electives from criminal justice courses.
Law Enforcement Emphasis (15 Credits)
Students must take the 3 following courses.
CJ 2930 Interviewing
CJ 3130 Criminal Investigations
CJ 4130 PCR
Students will select 2 of the following courses as electives.
CJ 3330 Police Administration
CJ 4330 Procedure and evidence
CJ 4630 Current Topics
Corrections Emphasis (15 credits)
Students must take the 3 following courses.
CJ 3530 Correctional Institutions
CJ 3630 Juvenile Justice
CJ 4230 Community based corrections
Students will select 2 of the following courses as electives.
CJ 2930 Interviewing
CJ 3930 Law of Corrections
CJ 4630 Current topics
Forensics Emphasis (15 -16 credits)
Students must take the 3 following courses.
CJ 1330 Intro CSI
CJ 2520 Crime Scene Processing
CJ 3140 Criminalistics (4 credits)
Students will select 2 of the following courses as electives.
CJ 2320 Fingerprinting
CJ 2420 Evidence Collection
CJ 3120 Investigative Photography
CJ 3120 Criminal Investigation
CJ 4630 Current Topics
Criminal justice minors must take the following:
CRIMLJUS 1130 Intro to Criminal Justice 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 2130 The Police Function 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 2230 Correctional Philosophy 3 cr
CRIMLJUS 4030 Criminal Law 3 cr
Electives in Criminal Justice 12 cr
Total: 24 cr
The minor in forensic investigation provides a basic understanding of the role and procedures used by crime scene technicians at a crime scene. Emphasis is placed on the collection, analysis, documentation and preservation of crime scene evidence.
Forensic Investigation Minors must take the following:
CJ 1130 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3 cr
CJ 1330 Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation 3 cr
CJ 2320 Fingerprint Classification & Development 3 cr
CJ 2420 Evidence Collection & Preservation 3 cr
CJ 2520 Crime Scene Processing Techniques 3 cr
CJ 3120 Investigative Photography 3 cr
CJ 3130 Criminal Investigation 3 cr
CJ 3140 Criminalistics 4 cr
Total: 25 credits