Aug 28, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Criminal Justice (BA) Sample Plan


Year One

Fall Spring
EN - 103 Composition and Rhetoric I   3 EN - 104 Composition and Rhetoric II   3
PL - 109 Philosophical Thinking  
or Expanded Literacies (1/6)
3 PL - 109 Philosophical Thinking  
or Expanded Literacies (1/6)
3
UNIV - 101 First-Year Experience   3 Expanded Literacies (3/6) 3
CJ - 100 Cybercrime   3 CJ - 160 Criminal Law   3
CJ - 109 Crime and Society   
(Satisfies Expanded Literacies: Social Analysis - 2/6)
3 Controlled Elective (1)* 3
TOTAL CREDITS 15 TOTAL CREDITS 15

Year Two

Fall Spring
TH - 109 Catholic Theology   
or Expanded Literacies (4/6) 
3 TH - 109 Catholic Theology   
or Expanded Literacies (4/6)
3
Expanded Literacies (5/6)  
or Free Elective
3 Expanded Literacies (5/6)  
or Free Elective
3
CJ - 250 Criminology   3 CJ - 260 Law Enforcement   3
CJ - 280 Corrections   3 CJ - 295 Ethics in Criminal Justice   3
Free Elective 3 Free Elective 3
UNIV - 110 Being Well  or FN - 100 Financial Literacy   1 UNIV - 110 Being Well  or FN - 100 Financial Literacy   1
TOTAL CREDITS 16 TOTAL CREDITS 16

Year Three

Fall Spring
Lens 1, 2, or 3 (1/3)  3 Lens 1, 2, or 3 (2/3)  3
Expanded Literacies (6/6) or Free Elective 3 Expanded Literacies (6/6) or Free Elective 3
CJ - 349 Applied Data Analysis   3 CJ - 350 Research Methods   3
CJ - 365 Criminal Procedure   3 Controlled Elective (3)* 3
CJ - 353 Careers in Criminal Justice   1 Free Elective 3
Controlled Elective (2)* 3    
TOTAL CREDITS 16 TOTAL CREDITS 15

Year Four

Fall Spring
Catholicism in Dialogue or Lens 1, 2, or 3 
(3/3) 
3 Catholicism in Dialogue or Lens 1, 2, or 3 
(3/3) 
3
CJ - 453 Senior Seminar   3 Controlled Elective (5)* 3
Controlled Elective (4)* 3 Free Elective or MCJ Course** 3
Free Elective or MCJ Course** 3 Free Elective or MCJ Course** 3
Free Elective 3    
TOTAL CREDITS 15 TOTAL CREDITS 12

TOTAL OVERALL CREDITS: 120

*Controlled Electives - Choose five from any the following courses: Any CJ course or HS course; LG 309 ; PO 103 PO 256 , PO 330 PS 109 , PS 230 PS 240 , PS 295 , PS 300 , PS 365 , PS 370 ; PS 390 SO 203 . 

**5-year BA/MCJ: The Criminal Justice Department offers a Bachelor’s to Masters (4+1) program that enables qualifying students to register for MCJ courses during their senior year. For more information, see the DeSales University Graduate Catalog and consult with the MCJ Program Director.

For more information about the requirements in our general education Connections Curriculum, which are included in the sample plan above, please see I. General Education (Connections Curriculum), which can be found in The Undergraduate Program .