Criminal Justice (B.A. or B.S.) may be completed fully online, although not all elective options or program prerequisites may be offered online. Newly admitted students choosing to complete this program exclusively via UCF online classes may enroll with a reduction in campus-based fees.
Admission Requirements
Degree Requirements
- Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
- Students should complete the General Education Program before transferring within the Florida College System or State University system.
- The courses designated in the General Education Program (GEP) section below may be taken at a Florida College System institution, and should usually be completed in the first 60 hours.
- Students must earn a grade of “C” (2.0) or better in each core course.
- Students must earn a minimum 2.0 overall GPA in courses used towards the restricted electives.
General Education Program (GEP) (36 Credit Hours)
Communication Foundations (9 Credit Hours)
Cultural & Historical Foundations (9 Credit Hours)
Mathematical Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Social Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Science Foundations (6 Credit Hours)
Common Program Prerequisites (CPP)
Core Requirements: Basic Level
Core Requirements: Advanced Level (30 Credit Hours)
See “Common Prerequisites” in the Transfer and Transitions Services section for more information.
1 PR: CCJ 4701
- CJE 3001 - Careers in Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4
- CCJ 3024 - Criminal Justice System Credit Hours: 3
- CCJ 3014 - Crime in America Credit Hours: 3
- CCJ 4701 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4
- CCJ 4746 - Data Analysis for Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4 1
- CJE 4014 - Police and Society Credit Hours: 3
- CJL 3510 - Prosecution and Adjudication Credit Hours: 3
- CJC 3010 - Corrections and Penology Credit Hours: 3
- CCJ 4054 - Capstone: Criminal Justice Ethics Credit Hours: 3
Restricted Electives (30 Credit Hours)
Criminal Justice Upper Level Electives
- 21 hours of upper division criminal justice course work. Seniors can satisfy up to six hours of this requirement with internship and up to six hours with directed independent study; however, the combination of these non-class options shall not exceed nine hours. Program standards must be met to be eligible for either internship or independent study credit.
Supporting Electives
- 9 additional semester hours of supporting courses to be selected from an approved list provided by the department. These courses may vary from student to student depending upon individual needs or objectives, but include selected courses from public administration, legal studies, sociology, statistics, and psychology. The supporting course requirements may also be met by using a portion of the completed hours from a minor in another program approved by the department.
Capstone Requirements
- CCJ 4054 - Capstone: Criminal Justice Ethics Credit Hours: 3 (is required for this major.)
Electives
Foreign Language Requirements
Admissions
- Two years of one foreign language in high school, or one year of one foreign language in college (or equivalent proficiency exam) prior to graduation.
Graduation
- Students pursuing the B.A. degree must demonstrate proficiency in a foreign language equivalent to one year at college level. Proficiency equivalent to two semesters of college instruction in a foreign language or in American Sign Language (ASL). Standardized examinations for foreign languages may be used. The foreign language credits may be used toward the 9 hour supporting course requirement. ASL proficiency is met by successful completion of ASL 2140 and ASL 2150 or an appropriate score on the ASL proficiency exam. Contact the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (https://healthprofessions.ucf.edu/csd/) regarding the ASL proficiency examination.
Additional Requirements
Required Minors
Departmental Exit Requirements
- Students must take a minimum of 36 hours of upper-division CJ credit from the UCF Criminal Justice department to obtain the UCF degree in Criminal Justice.
University Minimum Exit Requirements
- A 2.0 UCF GPA
- 48 semester hours of upper division credit completed
- 60 semester hours earned after CLEP awarded
- 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
- A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
- Complete the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, and nine hours of Summer credit.
Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120
Additional Information
Honors In Major
- Interested students should consult with a faculty advisor.
Related Programs
- Political Science, Prelaw Track (B.A.)
Certificates
- Crime Analysis and Crime Mapping Certificate
- Criminal Profiling Certificate
- Security Management Certificate
- Crime Scene Investigation Certificate
- Victim Advocacy Certificate
- Criminal Justice Management and Leadership Certificate
Related Minors
- Intelligence and National Security Minor
- Public Administration Minor
- Psychology Minor
- Emergency Management and Homeland Security Minor
Advising Notes
Transfer Notes
- Grades below a “C” (2.0) are not accepted in the core.
- Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
- Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be evaluated for equivalency credit. The student must provide all supporting information.
Acceptable Substitutes for Transfer Courses
Program Academic Learning Compacts
- Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at: http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm
Plan of Study
Freshman Year - Fall (12 Credit Hours)
- ENC 1101 - Composition I Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Math Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Social Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Historical Credit Hours: 3
Freshman Year - Spring (15 Credit Hours)
- ENC 1102 - Composition II Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Math Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Science Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Cultural Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Social Credit Hours: 3
Sophomore Year - Fall (16 Credit Hours)
- GEP Communication Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Historical Credit Hours: 3
- GEP Science Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- CJE 3001 - Careers in Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4
Sophomore Year - Spring (12 Credit Hours)
- CCJ 3014 - Crime in America Credit Hours: 3
- CCJ 3024 - Criminal Justice System Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Supporting Elective Credit Hours: 3
Sophomore Year - Summer (3 Credit Hours)
- Core Course (CJE 4014, CJL 3510, CJC 3010)
Junior Year - Fall (16 Credit Hours)
- Core Course (CJE 4014, CJL 3510, CJC 3010)
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Supporting Elective Credit Hours: 3
- CCJ 4701 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4
- CJ Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year - Spring (16 Credit Hours)
- Core Course (CJE 4014, CJL 3510, CJC 3010)
- CCJ 4746 - Data Analysis for Criminal Justice Credit Hours: 4
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Supporting Elective Credit Hours: 3
Junior Year - Summer (6 Credit Hours)
- CCJ 4054 - Capstone: Criminal Justice Ethics Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year - Fall (12 Credit Hours)
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3
Senior Year - Spring (12 Credit Hours)
1 If necessary
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3 1
- Free Elective Credit Hours: 3 1
- Restricted Elective Credit Hours: 3
- Restricted Elective or Criminal Justice Internship. The department strongly encourages the internship experience. Credit Hours: 3