Criminal Justice
Throughout history, criminals and crime have always had a way of capturing our attention. And as long as there’s been crime, there’s also been the rules, systems, and institutions to identify and prosecute them, as well as provide assistance to crime victims. The criminal justice field focuses on understanding the foundational laws, regulations, organizations, and institutions that address crime, criminals, and their victims.
Whether you’re passionate about helping others, or want to understand the system in order to reform it, our Criminal Justice program gives you the hands-on education and experience you can build on in law enforcement and criminal justice careers.
You can choose to major or minor in Criminal Justice.
Learn how to:
- Effectively communicate both orally and in writing
- Apply logic, criminological theory, and analysis (quantitative and qualitative) to criminal justice issues and policies.
- Build and demonstrate an awareness of the social, political, cultural, and historical factors that have influenced the criminal justice field.
- Make positive connections and contributions to law enforcement practice.
750+ Course Options
The Coppin State University Academic Catalog has a wide variety of skill-building courses designed to inspire and prepare you to be in-demand professionals and transformational leaders.
Learn New Ways to Serve
Through our program, students gain the skills to enter municipal and private criminal justice agencies directly after graduation. Partnerships with federal, state, and local facilities complement the course curriculum, allowing students to gain real world value. Coppin’s location in the Baltimore metropolitan area also allows students to take advantage of numerous field training, internship and cooperative education opportunities.
There is more information about major requirements in the Program Requirements section on this page.
Program Requirements
To earn a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice at Coppin State, students must complete 120 credit hours. These credit hours are fulfilled by completing work in General Education Requirement (GER) courses, Criminal Justice core courses, and Criminal Justice and other electives.
Core Courses (21 credits)
Each course must be completed with a grade of C or better.
| Course | Credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 201 | 3 | Introduction to Criminal Justice |
| CRJU 223 | 3 | Criminological Thought |
| CRJU 408 | 3 | Criminal Justice and the Constitution |
| CRJU 413 | 3 | Delinquency Prevention/Control |
| CRJU 416 | 3 | Field Service: Training and Internship I |
| CRJU 430 | 3 | Advanced Legal and Technical Writing |
| CRJU 431 | 3 | Fundamentals of Criminal Justice Research |
Program Electives
Students must complete at least 18 credits of CRJU elective courses with a grade of C or better.
| Course | Credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 302 | 3 | Processes in Criminal Justice |
| CRJU 303 | 3 | Police Organization and Management I |
| CRJU 304 | 3 | Police Organization and Management II |
| CRJU 305 | 3 | Principles of Criminal Law |
| CRJU 306 | 3 | Criminal Investigation |
| CRJU 308 | 3 | Penology |
| CRJU 310 | 3 | Police Roles in Society |
| CRJU 315 | 3 | Seminar in Security Administration |
| CRJU 316 | 3 | Juvenile Delinquency |
| CRJU 322 | 3 | Criminal Justice and Public Policy |
| CRJU 325 | 3 | Forensic Science–From the Crime Scene to the Crime Lab |
| CRJU 326 | 3 | Criminal Procedures |
| CRJU 330 | 3 | Police Community Relations |
| CRJU 332 | 3 | Forensic Anthropology |
| CRJU 335 | 3 | The Administration of Justice and the Community |
| CRJU 382 | 3 | Etiquette, Ethics, Protocol and the Criminal Justice Professional |
| CRJU 406 | 3 | Institutional Correction |
| CRJU 407 | 3 | Terrorism: Prevention, Detection, and Prosecution of Perpetrators |
| CRJU 412 | 3 | Civil Rights and Civil Liberties in Law Enforcement |
| CRJU 414 | 3 | Judicial Courts and Corrections |
| CRJU 417 | 3 | Independent Study Project I |
| CRJU 418 | 3 | Independent Study Project II |
| CRJU 419 | 3 | Field Service Training and Internship II |
| CRJU 423 | 3 | Seminar in Criminal Justice I |
| CRJU 424 | 3 | Seminar in Criminal Justice II |
| CRJU 425 | 3 | Seminar in Criminal Justice III |
| CRJU 433 | 3 | Environmental Crime |
| CRJU 441 | 3 | Analysis of Fingerprints |
| CRJU 442 | 3 | Latent Fingerprint Development |
| CRJU 443 | 3 | Biological Evidence |
| CRJU 445 | 3 | Bloodstain Pattern Analysis |
| CRJU 446 | 3 | Forensic Photography |
| CRJU 448 | 3 | Forensic Entomology |
| CRJU 486 | 3 | Crime Scene Investigation I |
| CRJU 487 | 3 | Forensic Science Lab I |
| CRJU 489 | 3 | Advanced Investigative Techniques |
| Other 300 and 400-level courses |
Remember! You must complete all major and prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better.
Alpha Phi Sigma
Coppin's chapter of the nationally recognized Criminal Justice Honor Society, Alpha Phi Sigma, welcomes undergraduate and graduate students studying criminal justice, criminology, or a related field.
Sample Degree Plan
This plan is only for example purposes. Your academic journey may be slightly different from another student’s journey, so be sure to always communicate with your academic advisor before finalizing your course schedule.
Fall Semester (16 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 101 | 3 | English Composition I |
| PSYC 201 | 3 | General Psychology |
| MATH 125 | 3 | Math for Liberal Arts |
| ORIE 101 | 1 | Freshman Seminar |
| HIST 205 | 3 | African American History I |
| IDIS 102 | 3 | Music and Dance |
Spring Semester (15 credits)
| course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 102 | 3 | English Composition II |
| PHSC 101 | 3 | Physical Science |
| SPCH 105 | 3 | Speech |
| MISY 150 | 3 | Technology Fluency |
| HIST 206 | 3 | African-American History II |
Fall Semester (16 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 201 | 3 | Introduction to Sociology |
| PHIL 102 | 3 | Logic |
| WLIT 207 | 3 | World Literature |
| BIOL 101 | 4 | Biological Science |
| CRJU 301 | 3 | Introduction to Criminal Justice |
Spring Semester (15 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 323 | 3 | Criminological Thought |
| CRJU 408 | 3 | Criminal Justice and the Constitution |
| SOSC 340 | 3 | Introduction to Nonprofit Leadership |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
Fall Semester (15 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 413 | 3 | Delinquency Prevention/Control |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
Spring Semester (15 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 416 | 3 | Field Service Training and Internship |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
Fall Semester (15 credits)
| Course | credits | name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 430 | 3 | Advance Legal and Technical Writing |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
Spring Semester (15 credits)
| Course | Credits | Name |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 431 | 3 | Fundamentals of Criminal Justice Research |
| CRJU xxx | 3 | Program Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
| XXXX xxx | 3 | General Elective |
Related Criminal Justice Programs
Criminal Justice
Forensic Investigation
Criminal Justice
Policing Strategies
Investigative Sciences
Criminal Justice is in the Department of Criminal Justice in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.