Criminal Justice (BA/BS)
The mission of Dallas Baptist University is to provide Christ-centered quality higher education in the arts, sciences, and professional studies at both the undergraduate and graduate levels to traditional age and adult students in order to produce servant leaders who have the ability to integrate faith and learning through their respective callings.
Criminal Justice is the study of crime and of the agencies concerned with its prevention and control. We, as a Christ-centered educational institution, are dedicated to integrating faith and learning with professional knowledge and skills. Students will be trained to enforce the law not only on a fair and just basis but also under the guidance of Biblical standards and in the scope of God's love.
Goals of the Criminal Justice Major
Provide students with knowledge of the general scope of crime in America and of the criminal justice system.
Prepare students for their careers in areas of law enforcement, the judicial system, corrections, homeland and organizational security, social services, and juvenile justice or preparation for competition at the graduate level or law school.
Instruct students in the societal standards of ethics along with divine truth and Christian doctrines and how these principles apply to the enforcement of the law in practice.
Have in-service Christian instructors to provide a variety of disciplines, cases, and experiences as a reference, so that students may successfully cultivate Christ-centered servant leadership in their careers of protection and service.
Recruit Christian students with a vision and burden to enter this field. Also, recruit qualified in-service officers for our program to be trained as criminal justice agents who are Christ-centered with a servant attitude.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
courses | credit hours (ba) | credit hours (bS) |
|---|---|---|
Developing A Christian Mind | 3 | 3 |
English | 12 | 9 |
ENGL 1301 - Composition and Rhetoric I ENGL 1302 - Composition and Rhetoric II | ||
ENGL 2301 - World Literature I and/or ENGL 2302 - World Literature II | ||
Fine Arts | 3 | 3 |
Foreign Language | 14* | 0 |
Foundations for Excellence | 1 | 1 |
FOUN 1101 - Foundations for Excellence is required of all first-year and transfer students with fewer than 15 credit hours. (AP, CLEP, IB, or dual/concurrent credit earned while in high school does not count toward these 15 credit hours.) | ||
History | 6 | 6 |
Choose two: HIST 1301 - U.S. History to 1865 HIST 1302 - U.S. History Since 1865 HIST 2301 - World Civilization I HIST 2302 - World Civilization II | ||
Kinesiology | 2 | 2 |
KNES 1101 - Fitness for Living and one additional activity course (KNES 1102-1122); for veterans or those 25 years of age or older prior to enrollment at DBU, KNES courses are waived. | ||
Mathematics | 3 | 3 |
(BA) Choose one: MATH 1301 - Math for Liberal Arts MATH 1303 - College Algebra MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I
Choose one: MATH 1303 - College Algebra MATH 1307 - Finite Math for Business Analysis MATH 1405 - Calculus and Analytic Geometry I | ||
Natural Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only) | 4 | 15 |
One laboratory science (BA) or 15 credit hours of laboratory science (BS) selected from two or more areas of Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Geology, Physical Science, or Physics | ||
Religion | 9 | 9 |
RELI 1301 - Old Testament Survey RELI 1302 - New Testament Survey and three additional credit hours depending on credit hours transferred at time of initial enrollment | ||
Social Science (1000 or 2000 level courses only) | 6 | 6 |
POLS 2301 - American National Government and an additional three credit hours may be selected from Economics, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology. | ||
TOTAL GENERAL STUDIES HOURS | 63 | 57 |
Criminal Justice Major | 30 | 30 |
For those students who have not attended college and taken criminal justice core courses, or who have not attended a certified Texas Law Enforcement Academy; requirements include: CRJS 1301 - Crime in America CRJS 1302 - Introduction to Criminal Justice (S-L) CRJS 2304 - Fundamentals of Criminal Law CRJS 2305 - The Courts and Criminal Procedure CRJS 4301 - Ethics in Law Enforcement CRJS 4303 - Organization and Administration CRJS 4307 - Criminology CRJS 4317 - Research Methods Plus an additional 6 upper-level credit hours in criminal justice. | ||
Electives | ||
Upper-Level Lower or Upper-Level | 18 9 | 18 15 |
TOTAL CREDIT HOURS REQUIRED | 120 | 120 |
A 120-credit-hour minimum for a bachelor's degree is required, including 36 upper-level credit hours.
At least 12 credit hours in the major program must be completed at Dallas Baptist University, including nine upper-level course hours.
Minimum GPA Required for Graduation from Dallas Baptist University
DBU requires a minimum institutional cumulative, major, and minor GPA of 2.0.
(S-L) = Course(s) with field-based service-learning component.
ACCELERATED DEGREES AVAILABLE
DBU also offers Accelerated Bachelor’s and Master’s degree program(s) for this degree available for qualifying undergraduate students. Refer to Accelerated Bachelor's and Master's Degree Program Requirements for additional information.
BA/BS in Criminal Justice/MA in Leadership
Refer to individual course descriptions for course requisites.
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
Find course descriptions by category under the Undergraduate Course Descriptions section in the navigation panel.