Program: Criminal Justice Studies (B.A., B.S.) - University of South Dakota

36 Major Hours, 120 Degree Hours

Students in this major must also complete requirements for a degree in the College of Arts & Sciences .

Departmental Requirements (24 hours)

Electives (12 hours)

Any CJUS course not required above may serve as an elective, with a maximum of six internship credits permitted.

*At least 9 hours of electives must be completed at the 300-level or above

Criminal Justice/Double Major

A student majoring in any discipline may obtain a double major in criminal justice by completing 36 semester hours of criminal justice courses as stipulated above.

Students double-majoring in Criminal Justice and Political Science take either CJUS 205 or POLS 205 (but not both) for a combined major totaling 69 credit hours.

Students may also choose one (but not both) of the following options for a double major totaling 66 credit hours:

Students who complete CJUS 396 or POLS 380 may count 3 credits toward both majors; or
Students who complete CJUS 492 or POLS 492, Faculty Led Program, may count 3 credits toward both majors.

Four-Year Program Guides and Costs

USD encourages students to take 15 credits per semester or 30 credits within the year in order to graduate in four years. To help students complete their academic degree program in four years, we provide a sample academic plan. Please work with your academic advisor to confirm your plan.

Related Programs:

MASTER OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION FAST-TRACK PROGRAM

Political Science, Criminal Justice, International Studies, or Legal Studies faculty will nominate high achieving students who are interested in public service careers to the fast-track of the Master of Public Administration program. Students would apply to the USD Graduate School during the spring of their junior year and be admitted to the USD Graduate School contingent on receipt of their undergraduate degree. After completing 90 hours (senior status), students may take 12 graduate hours that will count toward their undergraduate degree and also count toward the NASPAA accredited Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree. After receiving their undergraduate degree and satisfactory progress in the four graduate courses, students would continue to pursue coursework leading to the MPA degree.

State Authorization - It Matters Where You Live

If your learning placement course (internship, externship, clinical, rotation, practicum, independent study, study away, etc.) or your online course will be taken outside South Dakota, please reference USD’s State Authorization webpage.

State Authorization