Criminal Justice Major

The special major in Criminal Justice is open to students earning a Bachelor of Liberal Studies (BLS) degree. The major includes core courses in Administration of Justice (ADJ), Psychology (PSYC), and Sociology (SOGC) and also features a capstone internship experience to provide hands-on training.

Overview of the Major

The Criminal Justice major requires 45 credits overall. The major includes 15 transfer credits in Administration of Justice (ADJ) from the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). These credits can be completed at any time pre- or post-matriculation, and completion of an Associate’s degree is not required. Students in this special major must earn a minimum of 30 credits at UMW to complete all requirements and a total of 120 overall credits to earn a BLS degree.

ADJ 133 – Ethics and the Criminal Justice Professional

ADJ 201 – Criminology I*

ADJ 211 – Criminal Law, Evidence and Procedures I

ADJ 212 – Criminal Law, Evidence and Procedures II

ADJ 236 – Principles of Criminal Investigation*

*Other courses are possible as approved by the BLS Director.

BLST 312 – Professional Communication [meets WI/SI requirement in the major]

BLST 499 or BLST 491 – Internship or an approved individual study (capstone)

PSYC 201 – Social Psychology [prerequisite: UMW Psychology 100 or equivalent transfer credit]

SOCG 352 – Criminology [prerequisite: UMW Sociology 105 or 155 or equivalent transfer credit]

GEOG 102 – Introduction to Human Geography

GEOG 250 or GISC 200 – Geographic Information Systems/Cartography (4 credits)

GEOG 351 or GISC 351A – Spatial Analysis with GIS (4 credits) [prerequisite: GEOG 250 or GISC 200]

MIST 201 – Management Info Systems

PHIL 160 – Introduction to Ethics

PHIL 225 – Practical Ethics

PSCI 202A – American Public Policy

PSCI 313 – U.S. Federal Judiciary

PSCI 332 – Metropolitan Problems

PSYC 211 – Abnormal Psychology

PSYC 242 – Psychology of Personality

PSYC 322 – Mentoring Children at Risk

PSYC 346 – Forensic Psychology [prerequisite: PSYC 201]

SOCG 304 – Social Stratification

SOCG 313 – Urban Sociology

SOCG 332 – Introduction to Social Welfare

SOCG 415 – Sociology of Law

SOCG 421B – Racial and Ethnic Relations

*Additional interdisciplinary topics courses are possible as approved by the BLS Director.

Please note prerequisite requirements for:

Political Science Courses: PSCI 101 and 102 or equivalent transfer credit

Psychology Courses: PSYC 100 or equivalent transfer credit

Sociology Courses: SOCG 105 and/or 155 or equivalent transfer credit

For more information, please submit a request for information or call the BLS Office at (540) 654-2050.