Criminal Justice

Criminal justice explores everything—from the sociological reasons behind crime—to the evaluation of public policies that respond to crime. Students with backgrounds in criminal justice are well-prepared for careers in social services, law enforcement, and government intelligence.

Program Overview

Explore every aspect of the criminal justice system.

The Criminal Justice emphasis focuses on the three main institutions that make up the criminal justice system: crime, courts, and corrections. Through a dynamic blend of courses like Constitutional Law II and Psychopathology, you will critically examine the social constructions of social control and deviance, theories of crime and criminality, sentencing, punishment, alternate forms of punishment and rehabilitation.

To get a better sense of which career path you’ll want to take, industry professionals will teach some of your courses, including a law enforcement course taught by a local police detective and law courses taught by a chief district judge. Before graduating, you’ll have the opportunity to complete an internship in your area of interest including sheriff’s departments, police departments, domestic violence centers and other advocacy programs.

By the book

Students critically examine the social constructions of social control and deviance, theories of crime and criminality, sentencing, punishment, alternate forms of punishment and rehabilitation.

Program Requirements

At Western, course rotations are crafted to encompass a variety of subject fields for a comprehensive education and versatile degree. For required courses and degree plans, visit the official University Catalog. Below is a general overview of courses at Western Colorado University related to this area of study.

Program Requirements
Degree Plan

Program Requirements

All standard majors require a minor in a second discipline or a second major.

A minimum of 42 credits is required including:

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
POLS 301	Constitutional Law II	3
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3)	3
SOC 225	Self and Society	3
SOC 259	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
SOC 285	Criminology	3
SOC 302	Origins of Sociological Theory	3
SOC 310	Qualitative Research Methods	3
SOC 349	Law Enforcement	3
SOC 367	Corrections	3
SOC 380	Social Class, Status, and Power	3
SOC 498	Capstone	3
One of the following:		3
PSY 200	Statistics and Data Analysis
SOC 211	Quantitative Research Methods
Select at least two of the following:		6-12
GEOG 340	INTRO GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS
PSY 368	Psychopathology
SOC 150	Environmental Sociology
SOC 168	Social Problems
SOC 303	Contemporary Sociological Theory
SOC 320	Sociology of Families
SOC 322	Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine
SOC 323	Cultural Studies
SOC 340	Social Movements
SOC 350	Deviance
SOC 351	Juvenile Delinquency
SOC 355	Drugs and Society
SOC 397	Special Topics
SOC 399	Internship in Sociology
SOC 492	Independent Study
Total Credits		42-48

Capstone Course Requirement

The following courses in the Sociology Major fulfill the capstone course requirement: SOC 498 CAPSTONE, or SOC 399 Internship in Sociology.

Graduation Requirements

Undergraduate programs require a minimum of 120 semester credits for graduation. Of those 120 credits, 40 credits must be in upper-division courses (those marked 300 and above). Fifteen of these 40 upper-division credits must be earned in courses that are part of the standard or comprehensive major program being pursued.

Students are expected to review all graduation requirements, which can be found in the Western Undergraduate Catalog: Graduation Requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
Year One
Fall		Credits
SOC 101	Introduction to Sociology (GT-SS3)	3
ENG 102	Writing and Rhetoric I (GT-CO1)	3
HWTR 100	First Year Seminar	1
Gen Ed	Social Sciences	3
Gen Ed	Arts & Humanities	3
	Credits	13
Spring
SOC 225	Self and Society	3
MATH 113	Statistical Thinking (GT-MA1)	3
ENG 103	Writing and Rhetoric II (GT-CO2)	3
Gen Ed	Social Sciences	3
Gen Ed	Arts & Humanities	3
	Credits	15
Year Two
Fall
SOC 211	Quantitative Research Methods	3
SOC 259	Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
Gen Ed	Social Sciences	3
Gen Ed	Natural Sciences w/lab	4
MINOR	Minor of Interest	3
	Credits	16
Spring
Gen Ed	Natural Sciences w/lab	4
Gen Ed	Arts & Humanities	3
MINOR	Minor of Interest	3
SOC 285	Criminology	3
SOC 150 or SOC 259 or SOC 285 or SOC 322 or SOC 397 or GEOG 340	Environmental Sociology (SOC ELECTIVE - prereqs may apply) or Introduction to Criminal Justice or Criminology or Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine or Special Topics or INTRO GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS	3
	Credits	16
Year Three
Fall
Minor should be declared by the beginning of third year.
SOC 302	Origins of Sociological Theory	3
SOC 349	Law Enforcement	3
SOC 380	Social Class, Status, and Power	3
MINOR: Minor Course		3
SOC 168 or SOC 259 or SOC 320 or SOC 323 or SOC 340 or SOC 350 or SOC 351 or SOC 355 or SOC 397 or GEOG 340	Social Problems (SOC ELECTIVE - prereqs may apply) or Introduction to Criminal Justice or Sociology of Families or Cultural Studies or Social Movements or Deviance or Juvenile Delinquency or Drugs and Society or Special Topics or INTRO GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS	3
	Credits	15
Spring
SOC 310	Qualitative Research Methods	3
SOC 367	Corrections	3
MINOR	Minor Course	3
Elective	Elective	6
SOC 150 or SOC 259 or SOC 285 or SOC 322 or SOC 397 or GEOG 340	Environmental Sociology or Introduction to Criminal Justice or Criminology or Sociology of Health, Illness, and Medicine or Special Topics or INTRO GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS	3
	Credits	18
Year Four
Fall
MINOR	Minor Course	3
Elective	Elective	9
SOC 168 or SOC 259 or SOC 320 or SOC 323 or SOC 340 or SOC 350 or SOC 351 or SOC 355 or SOC 397 or GEOG 340	Social Problems (SOC ELECTIVE - prereqs may apply) or Introduction to Criminal Justice or Sociology of Families or Cultural Studies or Social Movements or Deviance or Juvenile Delinquency or Drugs and Society or Special Topics or INTRO GEOGRAPHIC INFO SYSTEMS	3
	Credits	15
Spring
POLS 301	Constitutional Law II	3
SOC 498	Capstone	3
MINOR	Minor Course	3
Elective	Elective	9
	Credits	18
	Total Credits	126

Faculty & Staff

Matt Aronson, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Jacqulyn Gabriel, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Sociology

Greg Haase, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology, Department Chair of Behavioral & Social Sciences Department

Spotlight

Alyssa Ware

Alumni

“I’m really happy with the route that I took. Western has afforded me opportunities that I don’t think I would have had anywhere else. I don’t think I would have had the same access to different resources at a bigger school.”

Learn More

Ming Goetz

Student

“Having small classes makes it easier to bring real-life examples into our curriculum.”

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Careers

Top Skills

Advocacy
Communication
Critical Thinking
Investigative Skills
Legal Knowledge
Problem Solving

Career Pathways

Correctional Officer
Crime Scene Investigator
Forensic Psychologist
Law Enforcement Officer
Paralegal
Victim Advocate

Take the first steps toward your academic and personal growth.

Fostering your intellectual development is the primary focus of every academic program at Western. Our professors and Office of Career Services will help you identify your strengths, hone your skills, define your goals, and prepare for a fulfilling and enriched life after graduation. Wondering how you can apply your program of choice to your intellectual and personal journey? Check out our “What Can I Do With This Major?” tool to explore the diverse opportunities and pathways within any degree program.

Western’s Scholarship Application portal allows you to search for, apply to and manage your scholarship opportunities. This platform houses over 300+ departmental and privately funded scholarship opportunities available to both new and returning students. Through the scholarship portal, students may identify scholarship opportunities based on academic program, campus involvement, academic standing, specific keywords and more. Students may click below to begin learning about what scholarship opportunities are available to them.

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Please check individual scholarship opportunity start dates and deadlines as there are exceptions.

Find your Scholarships

Alumni Association Future Alumni Scholarship

The Alumni Association Scholarship is a one-time scholarship of $1,000 and is applicable for the student’s junior or senior year at Western.

Any child or grandchild of an alumni is eligible to receive the Future Alumni Scholarship.

This is a one-time non-renewable scholarship of $1,000.
Only one Future Alumni Scholarship will be awarded per academic year.
GPA must be 3.2 or above (college).

Due date has been extended to April 30 for 2024. An Alumni selection committee, appointed by the Alumni Advisory Council, will review applicants and select awardee by June 1.

Apply

Alumni Legacy Scholarship

The Alumni Legacy Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western (incoming freshman or new transfer students are eligible).

Do you have a son or daughter looking at college? Have they considered attending Western? As an alumni, your son, daughter and/or grandchildren are eligible for certain benefits distributed through this scholarship, as follows:

This is a one-time scholarship of $1,000.
Nominee must be an incoming first-year student or new transfer.
The cost of orientation is reduced by half (a $45 value).
GPA must be 2.5 or above (high school or college of transfer).

The applicant must fill out the application form found below. Application forms are accepted year-round. If the applicant meets the GPA guidelines, the scholarship will be awarded.

Apply

Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship

The Mountaineer Alumni Recommendation Scholarship is a one-time non-renewable scholarship and is only applicable for the student’s first year at Western. This scholarship is not available to midyear transfers or students beginning in the spring semester.

Are you an alumni or employee of Western and know a prospective (or incoming) student who would be a great fit at Western? A recommendation from alumni and employees can support any new student and provide them a $500 scholarship their first year. (Western employees may not recommend a spouse or dependent receiving tuition benefits).

Any Western alumni/employee may nominate only one student per academic year to receive the $500 scholarship (distributed $250 per semester).
The scholarship is good for the first year only and is non-renewable.
The recommended student must be a full-time undergraduate student, attending Western for the first time.

The applicant must fill out the application form found here. The nominating alumni/employee must fill out the application form and submit the required documents by June 1. The recommended student must meet university admissions acceptance standards and complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

Presidential Promise

The Presidential Promise is guaranteed to students who have received a scholarship through the Denver Scholarship Foundation (DSF) and/or GearUp—and are eligible for a Pell Grant.

For students who meet these criteria, Western will cover the cost of tuition and fees through the combination of federal, state and institutional aid. For more information on the Presidential Promise, visit our scholarships page.

Tuition Discount Programs

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) or Central Plains (CP) tuition represents a substantial savings relative to normal, out-of-state tuition. Students eligible for the WUE or CP program will be charged 150% of Western’s total in-state tuition. For 2018-19, total in-state tuition was $8,934. WUE/CP tuition was $13,401. The WUE/CP discount is valued at $4,695.

For more information about the WUE and CP geography-based programs, visit Western’s Tuition Discount Programs Page.

Western Merit Scholarship

Immediately upon acceptance at Western, every student is considered for a merit scholarship worth between $2,500-$4,500 per year for in-state students and $8,000-$10,000 for out-of-state students. The amount is based on the student’s GPA and ACT/SAT scores. Visit our Net Price Calculator at western.edu/cost to determine whether you qualify for a merit scholarship.

For more information about merit scholarships at Western, visit our scholarships page.

Note: Students enrolled in a Western-CU Boulder Partnership Program (i.e. major) do not qualify for Western Merit Scholarship programs. See the Rady Merit Scholarship section above for scholarship opportunities.

Get Involved

Take advantage of everything Western Colorado University has to offer.

A college education is more than just taking courses. Meet new people, apply your skills and stretch beyond your comfort zone. Make your education an experience.

Alpha Kappa Delta: This is a society of scholars (undergraduate, graduate and professional) who promote excellence in sociology, conduct research on social problems and involve themselves in other activities that attempt to improve the human condition.
Sociology Club: This student organization engages students in academic and social activities outside of the classroom.

Gaining an advantage

A Criminal Justice emphasis prepares you for work within the judicial system and gives you an edge in an industry that is more consistently requiring a degree.