Criminal Justice Concentration (Comprehensive)
Program Description
The Legal Studies and Criminal Justice program integrates a liberal arts foundation with the study of law, policy, and justice systems. Grounded in the social sciences, it invites students to think critically about how law and justice operate in practice and to recognize the deep connections between systems, communities, and lived experience. The Criminal Justice concentration develops analytic thinkers and ethical practitioners who understand both the structures of justice and the values that shape them. Students examine how crime is defined, measured, and addressed, exploring the intersections of power, policy, and human behavior. Through internships, community engagement, and other preprofessional experiences, students connect classroom inquiry to the realities of justice work. A central goal of the UW-Superior's Criminal Justice Program is to prepare students for meaningful careers in the justice field and to support the continued education and professional growth of those already working within it. Courses emphasize evidence-based approaches, social science research, and applied learning that puts theory into action across policing, courts, and correction.
Because the program is housed in a Legal Studies major, students gain a broad understanding of law's role in democratic society and its evolving relationship to justice. An interdisciplinary approach strengthens students' ability to approach problems from multiple perspectives and to recognize the human and systemic dimensions of justice.
Graduates from UW-Superior's Criminal Justice program are prepared to enter a wide range of professions or continue their studies in graduate or law school. They bring their ability to think critically, communicate effectively, act ethically, and engage constructively with diverse communities to build fairer, more responsive systems of justice.
No minor is required because the Criminal Justice Concentration in Legal Studies is a comprehensive major.
Depending on course selection, the number of credits is either 54 or 55.
Requirements
54 total credits (55 credits with a core University Studies mathematics course - MATH 130 Elementary Statistics)
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Legal Studies Core Courses | ||
| LSTU 115 | Law and Human Behavior | 3.00 |
| LSTU 211 | Criminal Law | 3.00 |
| LSTU 212 | Criminal Procedure | 3.00 |
| LSTU 493 | Senior Capstone | 3.00 |
| Justice Core Courses | ||
| CJUS 106 | Survey of Criminal Justice | 3.00 |
| CJUS 207 | Police and Society | 3.00 |
| CJUS 316 | Crime, Corrections and Punishment | 3.00 |
| CJUS 373 | Criminology | 3.00 |
| CJUS 463 | Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | 3.00 |
| CJUS 492 | Criminal Justice Policy Issues and Reform | 3.00 |
| Research Design and Quantitative Analysis Courses | ||
| CJUS 374 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3.00 |
| MATH 130 | Elementary Statistics | 3.00-4.00 |
| or PSYC 301 | Statistics for Psychological Research | |
| Diversity Course | ||
| CJUS 312 | Gender, Crime, and Justice | 3.00 |
| or LSTU 365 | Race, Ethnicity, and Justice | |
| Elective Credits 1 | ||
| Select nine credits of the following Law and Justice courses: | 9.00 | |
| Fraud Examination and Investigation | ||
| Criminal Investigations | ||
| Study Abroad | ||
| Special Topics | ||
| Foundations of Ethical Policing | ||
| Issues in Ethical Policing | ||
| Leadership in Ethical Policing | ||
| Victimology | ||
| Delinquency and Juvenile Justice | ||
| Student Initiated Seminar | ||
| Individualized Research | ||
| Contemporary Issues in Law and Society | ||
| Legal Theory | ||
| Comparative Law and Courts | ||
| U.S. Constitutional Law | ||
| Internship | ||
| International Law | ||
| Select six credits of the following Human Behavior, Harms, and Ethics courses: | 6.00 | |
| Contemporary Moral Problems | ||
| U.S. State and Local Government | ||
| Power and Resistance | ||
| Theories of Justice | ||
| Social Psychology | ||
| Psychopharmacology | ||
| Psychological Disorders | ||
| Memory and Cognition | ||
| Race and Ethnicity | ||
| Crisis Intervention | ||
| Introduction to Addiction and Recovery | ||
| Total Hours | 54.00-55.00 | |
- 1
With advisor's approval, other courses not listed below can be substituted and count as part of the nine credits.