Earning the Bachelor of Criminal Justice Degree Online
The Department of Criminal Justice at New Mexico State University provides a limited online opportunity for students to earn the Bachelor of Criminal Justice degree (BCJ).
All Upper Division courses (those numbered 300 or higher) needed to
complete the BCJ from a distance can be completed Online via
NMSU's CANVAS Learning Management System.
All required Lower Division courses (those numbered 100 - 200) are
NOT OFFERED Online.
The online opportunity is primarily intended to serve students unable to relocate to Las Cruces or who are in professions preventing them from completing the traditional campus-based BCJ program.
Students utilizing the online opportunity must complete all University and College of Arts and Sciences General Education Requirements. These requirements may be viewed in the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog.
Students must also complete all course requirements specific to the BCJ. These requirements are listed below and in the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog.
Bachelor of Criminal Justice Curriculum
Required Courses
Lower Division - Must be Completed Prior to Taking Upper Division Courses
- CJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice - prerequisite for all other CJ courses
- CJ 205 Criminal Law I
- CJ 210 American Law Enforcement Systems
- CJ 230 Introduction to Corrections
- CJ 250 Courts and the Criminal Justice System
Upper Division
- CJ 300 Introduction to Criminal Justice Research (May substitute SOC 352, GOV 300, PSY 310, or SWK 467)
- CJ 301 Advanced Research Methods (May substitute any Introductory Statistics course)
- CJ 449 Senior Seminar - To be completed during the Senior year (90 or more earned credit hours)
Electives
Must complete 4 (12 credits) upper division elective courses (courses numbered 300 or higher) in addition to those listed above.
NOTE: CJ 393 Internship cannot be used to satisfy this requirement but may be used to satisfy the University requirement of 48 upper division credit hours.
Second language requirement: Please visit the link to find information on satisfying the Second Language Requirement for the BCJ:
http://artsci.nmsu.edu/advising/current/language.htm
Complete a second language* through the 212 (non-native speakers, sequence = 111, 112, 211, 212); 214 (native speakers, sequence = 113, 114, 213, 214) level; or MATH 191G.
Pass CD 476, American Sign Language III with a grade of C or better.
Second language can be waived with 3 credits in a single language from high school, with a grade of C or better.
Complete statewide common core courses.
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Additional BCJ Online Information
Enough upper division courses are offered such that students may complete the BCJ at a distance by using the Canvas platform.
Each semester, a small number of upper division Criminal Justice courses are offered online.
Courses offered each semester may be found by visiting this link - Look up Classes.
Selecting the link for the appropriate campus, semester and CJ department. Online classes are identified with a yellow sticky note.
The requirements for any student registering for these courses are:
- Admission as a degree seeking undergraduate student at the Main Campus of New Mexico State University in Las Cruces;
- Formal designation with the College of Arts and Sciences as a degree seeking Bachelor of Criminal Justice student.
For additional course registration information please contact the individual responsible at your institution for coordinating with the NMSU distance education program or contact the NMSU College of Extended Learning.