Juvenile Justice Forum

Two of our Criminal Justice majors, Bianca Valencia and Cameron Hopkins, took leading roles in organizing and speaking at the Juvenile Justice Forum held by the GW Justice for Juniors chapter in February 2014. Bianca chaired the evening and moderated the panel, and Cameron gave an opening talk about the disproportionate impact of the juvenile justice system on and for African American youth in Washington DC. This well-attended event was co-moderated by Professor Fran Buntman.

BA in Criminal Justice

More information on these requirements can be found in the current GW Bulletin.  See also, the Criminal Justice Undergraduate Handbook for additional details. Note: A student majoring in criminal justice may NOT declare a second major or a minor in sociology, or vice versa.

Major in Criminal Justice

The following requirements must be fulfilled for a total of 42 credits:

  1. The general requirements stated in the GW Bulletin under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
  2. Prerequisite Courses (6 credits) - SOC 1001 or 1002, and SOC 1003.
  3. Required Courses (21 credits) - SOC 2101, 2102, 2135, 2136, 2145, 4192 (6 credits).
  4. Elective Courses (15 credits) - Five courses chosen from SOC 2137, 2139, 2146, 2167, 2177, 2178, 2184, 2189; PSYC 2011, 3154; FORS 2104; ANTH 3513; HIST 3370; PSC 2213, 2215, 2217 (or PPPA 2217); ECON 2167. Note: At least one sociology course and at least one non-sociology course must be taken. SOC 2101 and 2102 should be taken by the junior year. Check to make sure prerequisites are met (e.g., FORS 2104 requires two labs as prereqs).

Minor in Criminal Justice

The following requirements must be fulfilled for a total of 18 credits:

  1. The general requirements stated in the GW Bulletin under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences.
  2. Prerequisite Courses (6 credits) - SOC 1001 or 1002, and SOC 1003.
  3. Required Courses (6 credits) - SOC 2136, 2145.
  4. Electives Courses (6 credits) - SOC 2135, 2137, 2139, 2167, 2178, 2184, 2189; PSYC 2011, 3154; FORS 2104; ANTH 3513; HIST 3370; PSC 2213, 2215; ECON 2167. Note: At least one elective must be a sociology course.

Grade Requirements

Students are required to earn a grade of C– or better in any required course. If a student receives a grade of D+, D, or D–, the student may either (1) repeat the course, in which case the grade in the repeated course must be no lower than a C–, and grades for both the original and repeated courses will appear on the student’s transcript; or (2) take a 1000-level course in the same department, in addition to the minimum number of courses required for the major, and receive a grade no lower than C–. Option 1 must be approved by the department chair in writing before the student may register for a course a second time.

 

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

The general requirements stated under Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, Undergraduate Programs.

Program-specific curriculum (below).

Achievement of a minimum grade of C- in any course that counts toward the degree.

Prerequisites
SOC 1001Introduction to Sociology
or SOC 1002 The Sociological Imagination
SOC 1003Introduction to Criminal Justice
Required
SOC 2101Social Research Methods (recommended to be taken before the senior year)
SOC 2102Techniques of Data Analysis (recommended to be taken before the senior year)
SOC 2135Youth and Delinquency
SOC 2136Criminology
SOC 2145Criminal Law
SOC 4192Advanced Seminar in Criminal Justice
Electives
Five of the following, including at least one Sociology (SOC) course and at least one non-Sociology course:
ANTH 3513Anthropology of Human Rights
ECON 2167Economics of Crime
FORS 2104Introduction to Forensic Sciences
FORS 2151Crime Scene Investigation
HIST 2341History of F.B.I. Counterintelligence
HIST 3370U.S. Constitutional History
PSC 2213Judicial Politics
PSC 2215U.S. Constitutional Law and Politics II
PSC 2217Executive Branch Politics
or PPPA 2117 Executive Branch Politics
PSYC 2011Abnormal Psychology
SOC 2137Transnational Crime
SOC 2139Alternatives to Imprisonment
SOC 2146The Bill of Rights and Criminal Justice
SOC 2164Sociology of the Holocaust and Genocide
SOC 2167Sociology of Law
SOC 2177Sociology of the Sex Industry
SOC 2178Deviance and Control
SOC 2184Violence and the Family
SOC 2189Special Topics in Criminal Justice

Note: A student majoring in sociology may not declare a second major or a minor in criminal justice, or vice versa. 

GW Undergraduate Admissions

Spring 2018 Course Offerings

For a complete list of all Spring 2018 course offerings, click here.