Criminology and Criminal Justice Major

Program Director: Justine Madoo, Ph.D.

The mission of the Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology is to provide a supportive academic and professional environment for faculty and students.  The Department promotes study and teaching concerning crime and delinquency and their prevention and control.  The University of Maryland's Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice is a national and international leader in research and criminal justice education, and its Graduate Program is ranked number one in the field.  Courses offered by this department may be found under the following acronym: CCJS.  Both UMD and Shady Grove offer the CCJS Bachelor of Arts degree.

Admission to the Major

In accordance with university policy, the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at UMD has been designated a Limited Enrollment Program (LEP). All first-time freshmen admits who request Criminology and Criminal Justice will be directly admitted into the major. Other first-time freshman that wish to declare Criminology and Criminal Justice as a major prior to the last day of classes of the first semester in residence will be allowed to do so. The LEP does not apply to the CCJS Shady Grove program.

In order to remain a Criminology and Criminal Justice major, newly admitted freshman will be required to complete the following gateway/entrance requirements on or before the end of the semester in which they attempt 45 University of Maryland credits:

1. Completion of CCJS100 with a grade of "C-" or higher
2. Completion of CCJS105 with a grade of "C-" or higher
3. Completion of MATH107 or STAT100 with a grade of "C-" or higher. A calculus class (MATH120 or  MATH136, MATH140 with a grade of "C-"  or higher may be substituted.
4. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00

All other students, including both internal and external transfer students, will not be admitted to the program until they have met the following requirements:

1. Completion of CCJS100 with a grade of "C-" or higher
2. Completion of CCJS105 with a grade of "C-" or higher
3. Completion of MATH107 or STAT100 with a grade of "C-" or higher. A calculus class (MATH120 or  MATH136, MATH140) with a grade of "C-" or higher may be substituted.
4. A minimum cumulative GPA based on all previous college-level coursework of 2.50 or higher

Policies for Limited Enrollment Programs  

• Only one gateway or performance review course may be repeated to earn the required grade and that course may only be repeated once.
• When more than one course can satisfy a gateway requirement, taking a second course from the list will count as a repeat.
• Students may apply only once to an LEP. Students who are directly admitted and fail to meet the performance review criteria will be dismissed from the major and may not reapply.
• Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.00. Failure to do so will result in dismissal from the major.

Any student denied admission or dismissed from the major may appeal. Dismissed students appeal directly to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Internal transfer students appeal to the Office of the Dean for Behavioral and Social Sciences. External transfer students appeal to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

Program Learning Outcomes

Having completed the CCJS degree program, students should acquire the following knowledge and skills:

1. Students will demonstrate understanding of the three pillars of our criminal justice system - courts, policing, and corrections
2. Students will demonstrate understanding of the major theories that are used to explain criminal behavior
3. Students will demonstrate competency in the ability to read, interpret, and synthesize (in writing) important research related to criminological theory and the criminal justice system
4. Students will demonstrate understanding of the research methods used in the study of criminology and criminal justice
5. Students will demonstrate competency in apply quantitative skills to criminological concepts

The requirements below are in effect for all students who matriculated into the UM system Fall 2015 or later and for students who are currently changing their major to CCJS. 

The CCJS major is comprised of 36 credit hours of coursework in the CCJS department and either MATH107 (formerly MATH111) or STAT100. A calculus class (MATH120, MATH130, or MATH140) with a grade of C- or higher may be substituted for MATH107 or STAT100.

¹

Two CCJS Courses of Choice must be at the 400 level

²

i.e., CCJS325, CCJS360, CCJS418

³

A calculus class, MATH120 (formerly MATH220), MATH130 or MATH140, with a grade of C- or higher may be substituted

Please keep the following information in mind:

• No grade lower than a C- may be used toward the major
• Students must achieve a combined grade point average of a 2.0 in the CCJS major

Other Requirements for the Major

The CCJS Department enforces all prerequisites and does not oversubscribe students to courses that are closed.

Click here for roadmaps for four-year plans in the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences.

Additional information on developing a four-year academic plan can be found on the following pages:

• http://4yearplans.umd.edu
• the Student Academic Success-Degree Completion Policy section of this catalog