Criminal Justice (BS)

This program was approved for students entering the university in the Summer 2024–Spring 2025 catalog year. For more information about catalog year, go to Catalog Year Information.

Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
Unit: College of Arts and Sciences (AS)
Department:  Criminal Justice
Academic Plan Code(s): JA_ _BS, JA_ _BS_O

Program Information

This program can be completed in a traditional classroom format or entirely online.

The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program is designed to prepare students for a career in the criminal justice system or for further education through a graduate program. Completion of this degree requires work to be submitted for the department’s Learning Outcomes Measurement. For details, contact the department. 

Degree Summary

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Some credit hours from the General Education Requirements may be satisfied by courses defined by the program, in which case additional electives will be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree. See the Degree Requirements tab for specific coursework.

Specific coursework information can be found on the Degree Requirements tab.

Accelerated BS-MS in Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice majors who are considering pursuing a master's degree (MS) in Criminal Justice can speed up the process by applying some of their undergraduate credit hours toward a master's degree.  Students accepted into the Accelerated BS-MS program take four graduate courses (12 credit hours, depending on the graduate option selected) as an undergraduate that apply toward both the bachelor’s degree and the eventual master’s degree.

Interested students should apply to the program during their Junior year (i.e., when they have accumulated 60-90 hours of credit). Applicants must have at least a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.

The accelerated program is not available for completion by online-only students.

Departmental Admission Requirements

There are no specific admission requirements for this degree plan. 

The Change Major Request form can be found under the Academic Progress tile on ULink.

Accelerated BS-MS in Criminal Justice

Students apply during the first or second semester of their Junior year (usually when they have earned between 60-75 hours), and must have a 3.0 GPA at the time of application.

Applicants must submit the following to the Department of Criminal Justice:

• An application to the Accelerated MS CJ degree program, available online at: louisville.edu/justice.
• Two (2) letters of recommendation from individuals who can speak to the applicant's academic capabilities.
• An original essay identifying the applicant's background, professional interest and goals and the applicant's motivation and potential for graduate work.

Upon approval, the successful applicant will be required to submit an application to the Graduate School.

General Education Requirements

*All degrees require the completion of the University-wide General Education Program (link provided above).  Some General Education requirements may be met in the requirements for the major or supporting coursework, in which case additional electives may be required to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

College/School Requirements

Program/Major Requirements

 Students must have a minimum of 50 hours at the 300 level or above.

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Completion of the second semester of a single foreign language; hours will vary depending on language taken

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In addition to courses counted toward General Education

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May be incorporated into other degree requirements

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Fulfills General Education requirement.

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Fulfills 3 hours of the 6 hour 300+ WR requirement.

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Criminal Justice electives must be from approved departmental list at the 300 level or above. A minimum of 15 hours must be in Criminal Justice, but may not exceed 30 hours

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Students who satisfy General Education Requirements by courses defined by the program will require additional electives to complete the minimum hours for the degree.

Flight Plan

Degree Audit Report
Degree Audit reports illustrate how your completed courses fulfill the requirements of your academic plan.  What-if reports allow you to compare the courses you have completed in your current academic plan to the courses required in another academic plan.  Should you have questions about either report, please consult with your academic advisor.

Flight Planner
The Flight Planner tool is available for you to create a personalized Flight Plan to graduation.  Advisors have access to review your Flight Planner and can help you adjust it to ensure you remain on track to graduate in a timely manner.

To create these reports:

1. Log into your ULink account.
2. Click on the Academic Progress tile.
3. Select the appropriate report.
   1. To run a Degree Audit report, click on "View my Degree Audit."
   2. To create a What-if report, click on "Create a What-if Advisement Report."
   3. To run a Flight Planner report, click on "Use My Flight Planner."

Click here to run a Degree Audit report, create a What-if report, or run a Flight Planner report.