Option 2 Update
CSUN now has a new Criminology and Justice Studies Department as of fall of 2017. Students who are currently Option 2 Sociology students may elect to complete their degree in Sociology or transfer to the new CJS department and complete their degree. The Sociology Department will not accept new Option 2 applicants as of fall 2017.
New freshmen students entering in Fall of 2017 can seek to declare the CJS major once they are here at CSUN in the fall.
New transfer students entering in the Fall of 2017 with an Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) in Sociology or Administration of Justice will be allowed to change their major to CJS after the degree is verified.
New transfer students entering in the Fall of 2017 without an ADT in Sociology or Administration of Justice will not be allowed to declare CJS as a major. At this time, the policy applies to Spring 2018 but may be reconsidered. Please contact the Department of Criminology and Justice Studies or EOP advisors for the most updated rules that apply to Spring 2018.
Criminology and Criminal Justice (Option II) is intended for those students who have an interest in the study of criminology and criminal justice. It provides students with a theoretical as well as practical foundation for an understanding of criminal and deviant behavior. In addition, this option provides the student with skills for further education or entry level practice in the areas of corrections, administration of justice and criminal justice systems.
Lower division requirements: 13 Units
- SOC 150 Introductory Sociology (3)
- SOC 202 Sociological Analysis (3)
- SOC 250 Introduction to Criminology & Criminal Justice (3)
- MATH 140 Introductory Statistics (4)
Upper division requirements: 16 Units
- SOC 364 / L Social Statistics & Laboratory (4)
- SOC 368 / S Sociological Theory I and Seminar (5)
- SOC 408 Criminological Theory (3)
- SOC 497 / L Methods of Social Research & Laboratory (4)
Electives: 18 units
Category I: Social Deviance (3 units)
- SOC 305* Culture and Personality (3)
- SOC 306 Jewish Communal and Family Structure (3)
- SOC 307 Ethnic Diversity (3)
- SOC 324 Sociology of Sex and Gender (3)
- SOC 333 Chinese Society (3)
- SOC 335 Jewish Identity in the U.S. (3)
- SOC 390 Race Relations (3)
- SOC 401 Class, Status, and Power (3)
Category II: Law and Policy Studies (3-4 units)
- SOC 426 Social Legislation and Social Policy (4)
- SOC 434 Sociology of Law (3)
- AIS 304* American Indian Law and Policy (3)
- POLS 450 Jurisprudence (3)
Category III: Crime and Victimization (6 units)
- SOC 304 Sociology of Deviance (3)
- SOC 348 Juvenile Delinquency (3)
- SOC 418 Gender and Crime (3)
- SOC 428 Domestic Violence (3)
- SOC 438 Diversity and Crime (3)
- GWS 370* Women and Violence (3)
- SOC 485A Selected Topics in Crime (3)
Category IV: Criminal Justice (6 units)
- SOC 415 Gender and the Criminal Justice System (3)
- SOC 454 Policing Society (3)
- SOC 474 Corrections (3)
- SOC 485B Selected Topics in Criminal Justice (3)
- POLS 455 Criminal Procedures (3)
Research/Service Learning Requirement: 3 units
- SOC 489 Research for Crime and Criminal Justice (3)
- SOC 420 CSL** Mosaic Program (3)
- SOC 498CEE Criminal Justice Internship (3)
- POLS 494J** Judicial Internships (3)
* Can also meet Upper Division General Education. IF ALL THREE * TAKEN TO MEET UPPER DIVISION GENERAL EDUCATION, AN ADDITIONAL UPPER DIVISION COURSE WILL BE REQUIRED.
** Applications are required.
Total credit requirements: 50-51 Units
4- and 5-year Degree Completion Program