Criminal Justice & Criminology Major, B.S.

There is so much more to this degree than catching bad guys.

As a student studying for a bachelor of science degree in Criminal Justice and Criminology at MSU Denver, you’ll explore the cause and effects of criminal behavior and victimization from white collar crime and human trafficking to cybercrime and serial killings as well as study the three arms of America’s Criminal Justice system, law enforcement, courts and corrections. Plus, you will critically examine how social justice is administered in a diverse and global society, including the firsthand comparison of our system to that of the Netherlands, South Korea and the United Kingdom.

MSU Denver’s Criminal Justice and Criminology department has a substantial internship program that includes placements in probation and parole departments, public defender and district attorney offices, police departments, sheriff offices and other ancillary agencies such as halfway houses, safe houses and rape awareness and assistance programs.

Our Criminal Justice and Criminology faculty is as diverse as any in the nation, with each professor bringing substantial teaching and/or professional agency experience to their classrooms.

MSU Denver’s Criminal Justice and Criminology core curriculum is consistent with Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) national standards for a criminal justice baccalaureate degree.

Recognized for their expertise, eight Criminal Justice and Criminology faculty members have been asked or elected to city- and state-level boards, including the Governor’s Colorado Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Council, the Colorado Sex Offender Management Board, Colorado Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice, the Denver Community Corrections Board, City of Denver Crime Control Commission and the Colorado Faculty Advisory Council.

Facilities and Resources

MSU Denver is located on the Auraria Campus near Downtown Denver. Its proximity to the City and County of Denver’s Criminal Justice departments, including the courts and jail, allows for easy access for students participating in internships with city agencies.

You may also have the opportunity to participate in Delta Gamma Xi, the Criminal Justice and Criminology honors society. Members strive to keep abreast of the advances in scientific research, elevate the ethical standards of the criminal justice professions and sustain in the public mind the benefit and necessity of education and professional training.

Overview
For the majority of Criminal Justice and Criminology majors, preparation revolves around entry into the workforce and occupations. A smaller proportion of Criminal Justice and Criminology majors and minors aspire to graduate education or law school, which indicates that we need a curriculum that is of high quality and efficient: focused on (a) basic conceptual and theoretical understandings, (b) methodological inquiry, (c) statistical/data analysis and (d) practical information. Elective courses reflect mainstream, substantive areas that are relevant to the field, and are also typical of courses offered by many other CJC programs in the United States.

Students have the opportunity to participate in internships from various criminal justice agencies throughout the Denver Metropolitan area including probation departments in various counties as well as municipalities. Other agencies include Colorado Parole Department, public defender offices, police departments, sheriff offices, and other ancillary agencies in Colorado such as half-way houses, safe houses, rape awareness and assistance programs, district attorney offices.

Criminal Justice and Criminology Major
The Criminal Justice and Criminology program at MSU Denver offers a course of study leading to a Bachelor of Science degree in CJC. This 120-credit degree appeals to students who are interested in working in the fields of: law, law enforcement, probation and parole, corrections or other related social service agencies. This degree also prepares students to undertake graduate school in criminal justice or other related fields as well as law schools.

The Criminal Justice and Criminology B.S. program also welcomes students returning to school who are interested in earning their degree to assist in furthering their career goals. Recognizing that many people who are interested in such education are already employed in some form of criminal justice work, and that many people have completed course-work at the community college level, the curriculum is also structured to facilitate transfer from two-year police science/criminal justice programs. The department has articulation agreements with Colorado community colleges to facilitate students to transfer from community colleges to MSU Denver.

Students must meet MSU Denver’s and the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology’s requirements for the bachelor’s degree, which includes the successful completion of General Studies courses, courses related to the Minor of your choice, and the core and elective courses available to all Criminal Justice and Criminology majors.

Degree Requirements for Criminal Justice and Criminology Majors
Students are required to take the Introduction to Criminal Justice System course (CJC 1010) as a pre-major requirement. This class cannot be counted towards their general studies requirements if you are a CJC major. If you are a CJC major, there are 21 hours of major core requirements to complete the major and 15 hours of area electives. There are an additional 9 hours of CJC electives required. In total, 45 credit hours are required for the CJC degree.

Please click on the link below to visit the Internships & Volunteer Opportunities page.

As a Criminal Justice and Criminology graduate, you’ll have a wide range of career opportunities (some that require post graduate degrees) with the most common jobs being:

• Police Officers and Detectives
• Probation and Parole Officers
• Victim Advocates
• Social Service Workers
• Correctional Officers
• Youth workers
• Special Agents
  • Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
  • Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA)
  • Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
• Lawyers
• Judges

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024 Occupational Outlook Handbook lists the following examples of median salaries for Criminal Justice and Criminology careers, some that require a postgraduate degree:

• Correctional Officers and Bailiffs: $57,950
• Paralegals and Legal Assistants: $61,010
• Probation Officers and Correctional Treatment Specialists: $64,520
• Court Reporters and Simultaneous Captioners: $67,310
• Forensic Science Technicians: $67,440
• Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators: $67,710
• Police and Detectives: $77,270
• Judges and Hearing Officers: $135,160
• Lawyers: $151,160

Allison Cotton, Ph.D.

Professor Allison Cotton is a two-time Fulbright Scholar whose publications range in subject from issues related to the death penalty, eye-witness identifications, lethal behavior and expert witnesses to issues around race, class, gender and crime. She is author of “Effigy: Images of Capital Defendants” (2008, Lexington Books) and co-author of “Class, Race, Gender & Crime: The Social Realities of Justice in America” (6th edition, October 2024, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.)

Henry Jackson, Jr., Ph.D., M.P.A.

Professor Henry Jackson’s research interests explore the relationship among race, class and punishment as well as racial profiling. His work appears in the peer-reviewed journal Justice and Research Policy, McNair Scholars Research Journal and Crime and Justice in America: An Introduction to Criminal Justice Studies. He currently serves on the City of Denver’s Crime Prevention and Control Commission.

Denise Mowder, J.D., Ph.D.

Professor Denise Mowder is an attorney and former prosecutor in Oregon who, for over 10 years, specialized in prosecuting cases of domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault. Her expertise is in trial practice, investigations and victim advocacy and her research focuses on the impact of current immigration law and the undocumented battered Latina woman and the wrongful conviction of the factually innocent.