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University of Central Florida

Orlando , Florida ,United States

Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice, BA

The BA in Criminal Justice program at UCF is uniquely designed to provide you with a broad understanding of crime and society’s control mechanisms, as well as to prepare you for a professional career in criminal justice and related professions. You’ll learn how to take a broad yet specialized degree and apply it to the operations of criminal justice professions, such as law enforcement, courts, corrections, advocacy (domestic violence, human trafficking, elderly abuse), juvenile justice and cybersecurity. Along the way, mix your academic experience with practical application through internships, study abroad and experiential learning.

Earn your criminal justice degree fully online or on campus. This provides you with the convenience and flexibility to learn when, where and how you want. Upon graduation, criminal justice majors can find employment as police, correctional or probation officers, justice system administrators, crime analysts, private security administrators, superintendents, county sheriffs/deputies, program directors or elected officials. You can also go on to graduate school and get involved with academic criminal justice; or professional school, like law school, and take positions in the legal aspects of the justice system as prosecutors or defense attorneys. With experience and additional education, you have additional opportunities in supervisory, administrative, or counseling positions.

Scholar’s Track
The Scholar’s Track is for students who maintain a GPA of 3.2 or better and have met the entrance requirement of having achieved a grade of B or better in both ENC1101 and ENC1102. This track introduces exceptional students to specialized topics and provides the opportunity for select students to work closely with criminal justice professors who will mentor them in nine hours of small, seminar-style classes.

Undergraduate Certificates

Crime Mapping and Analysis
Criminal Profiling
Criminal Justice Management and Leadership
Crime Scene Investigation
Security Management
Victim Advocacy

Intakes

  • Jan
  • March
  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 20

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

Career Services has numerous resources and services to offer as you search for the right major or prepare for your job search. It’s never too early or too late to work on your professional development plan. The more time you invest in this process, the more likely you are to achieve your goals.

MyPlan
Match your preferences to career possibilities. Create an account, the UCF group license is V7C3JT8X.

Career Advising
See a career counselor to clarify your career goals and explore options, schedule an appointment in Handshake.

What Can I Do with This Major
Helps connect majors with careers. Includes common career areas, typical employers and strategies designed to maximize career opportunities. Also includes a list of websites that provide information about majors and careers.

Career Planning Class (MHS 2330)
Introduction to career and life planning theories and concepts that assists students in applying these to their own lives.

4-year Career Action Plan
Use your time at UCF to strategically reach your career goals. Career Services can help you from your beginning at UCF, until graduation. Use this plan as a guide to stay on track and get to the finish line.

PSW Opportunity

3 year psw

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

  • Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog
  • Departmental Residency Requirement: at least 21 semester hours of regularly scheduled 3000-4000 level courses must be taken from the UCF Psychology Department
  • Students must earn a grade of "C" (2.0) or better in each course used to satisfy the CPP, Core Requirements, Restricted Electives and Science Electives.
  • Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in all courses satisfying major requirements. If additional Psychology courses are taken beyond the minimum required (e.g. additional restricted electives), those courses will be included in the GPA calculation.
  • Students can select only one Track.
  • Co-op or internship credit cannot be used in this major without prior approval
  • Additional requirements exist for students pursuing the Honors in the Major program.
  • All prerequisites of courses taught within the College of Sciences will be enforced.
  • Courses designated in 1 (General Education Program) and 2 (Common Program Prerequisites) are usually completed in the first 60 hours.

Students whose first language is not English may be required to demonstrate English proficiency by one of the following means:

Proving you’re from a country where English is the only official language
Establishing that a prior bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree was earned from another accredited institution of higher education (meeting university transfer eligibility requirements) in the United States
Establishing that a prior bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree was earned from a country where English is the only official language or from a university at which English is the only official language of instruction
Submitting a qualifying score (220 or higher for computer-based; 80 or higher for internet-based or 550 or higher for paper-based) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or a score of 6.5 or higher on the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
A minimum 520 EBRW rSAT score, 480 Critical Reading SAT score or 20 ACT (English section)
Presenting a minimum grade of “B” in both English Composition I and English Composition II, or the equivalent, taken at another accredited institution of higher education (meeting university transfer eligibility requirements) in the United States
Completion of four years of English in an American high school in the United States
Completion of the UCF English Language Institute (ELI) level 8 or higher with a grade of “B” or better
Completion of EAP 2851 with a grade of “C” or better or placement into ENC 1101