Mar 29, 2024  
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2020-2021 Undergraduate Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Criminal Justice, B.A.


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This program also is available fully online. The requirements are the same as they are for the traditional program. Internships and practical are supervised via virtual technologies for students who are unable to interact with campus evaluators face-to-face. This program also allows individualized attention and help to those who wish to become more technologically adept. In each course an on-line community is formed that allows peer-to-peer interaction as well as that with the instructor.

Criminal Justice is the study of the laws, procedures, and systems that protect the innocent and punish the guilty.  This often involves understanding the operations of the government, courts, police, and correctional institutions.

Related minors include:  criminal justice, geography, history and political science.

Criminal Justice students at Fort Valley State University (FVSU) take courses including sociology, psychology, ethics, statistics, the Constitution, criminal law, criminal behavior, criminal procedures, juvenile justice, forensic science, criminal investigation, and research, among others.  They intern at a range of locations, including the state capitol, public defender’s offices, government agencies, prisons, probation officers, police departments, law offices, courts, businesses, and schools.

Graduates with criminal justice degrees have a lengthy list of career options are employed in areas such as law enforcement, the court system, and corrections.  Law enforcement careers may be sought at organizations such as municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, state agencies like the Georgia bureau of investigation, and federal agencies like the U.S. Marshal’s Service, the U.S. Secret Service, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  careers in the course system that may be sought are that of judge, defense attorney, prosecutor, law clerk, paralegal, clerk of courts, and stenographer, just to name a few.  Moreover, all of these positions are available on both state and federal levels.

Careers in the arena of corrections include, but are not limited to, prison warden; corrections officer; probation officer; and parole officer and, likewise, these positions are also available on both the state and federal levels.

The FVSU Bachelor of Arts major is administered through the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences in the College of Arts and Sciences

Program of Study for the B.A. Degree
Total Number of Degree Hours: 123

Freshman Year


Sophomore Year


Junior Year


Fall Semester


15 Credit Hours


Spring Semester


18 Credit Hours


Senior Year


Fall Semester


15 Credit Hours


Spring Semester


12 Credit Hours


A. Core Requirements


Area A: Essential Skills: 9 Credit Hours


Area B: Institutional Options: 5 Credit Hours


Area C: Humanities/Fine Arts: 6 Credit Hours


Area D: Science, Math and Technology: 10 Credit Hours


(A science course with a lab is required.)

One of the following:


B. Major Requirements


Area F: Courses Related to the Program of Study: 16 Credit Hours


Major Electives: 12 Credit Hours


(Choose 4 courses from the following list)

Required: 9 Credit Hours


  • Social Sciences Electives (from CRJU, PSYC, SOCI, and SOWK) Credit Hours: 3
  • Free Electives (Select 6 hours) Credit Hours: 3

Institutional Requirements


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