John Jay College of Criminal Justice: A Comprehensive Guide to Degree Programs

John Jay College of Criminal Justice offers a wide array of undergraduate majors tailored to students seeking careers in criminal justice, forensic science, law, public service, and related fields. With a student-faculty ratio of 16:1 and 33.5% of classes having fewer than 20 students, John Jay provides a personalized learning environment. The college's most popular majors reflect its mission, including Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting, Psychology, Social Sciences, and Legal Professions. The average freshman retention rate of 79% indicates strong student satisfaction.

Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice major provides a comprehensive understanding of the American criminal justice system. This dynamic major responds to diversity issues, innovations, and technological changes relevant to criminal justice professionals. It is designed for students planning to attend graduate or professional school or pursue careers in law enforcement, judicial, or correctional agencies.

Advisement and Planning

Effective planning is crucial for success in the Criminal Justice (CJBS) major. Here's a breakdown of advisement based on academic standing:

First-Semester Freshman: Mandatory group advisement sessions conducted by assigned advisors from the Academic Advisement Center in both Fall and Spring semesters.
Sophomore (30-59 credits): Awareness of CJBS major requirements, particularly the three-course sequence: CJBS 250-CJBS 300-CJBS 415. These courses must be taken one at a time, with prerequisites of CJBS 101, ENG 101, and a math foundation course. Individual advisement appointments are available through Navigate.
Transfer Student: Meet with an advisor from the Academic Advisement Center before the first semester to confirm CJBS and General Education requirements completed with transfer credits.
Junior (60-89 credits): One-on-one appointments with assigned advisors in the Academic Advisement Center using Navigate.
Senior (90 or more credits completed): One-on-one appointments with assigned academic advisors using Navigate.

Major holds are placed on upper sophomores (45-59 credits), requiring attendance at a mandatory CJBS group advisement session. Students can check for holds in the "Holds" box of their CUNYfirst Student Center.

Course Sequencing and Requirements

A number of courses build on each other in the CJBS major, so it’s important to plan accordingly, particularly with math. Allow at least four semesters to finish the sequence. Transfer students who do not transfer in MAT 105 or 108 or higher credit but bring in any college math course that meets John Jay's Math and Quantitative Reasoning Requirement (this course will often appear as MAT 1 transfer credit on the John Jay transcript) have the appropriate foundation for CJBS 250 and should be able to register for that course. In the subject line write "CJBS 250 course permission".

Part 3 of the major requires three courses, one from each of the categories (Police, Law, and Corrections). Two of these three courses must be at the 300 or 400 level. If you forget this rule and take a 200 level course in all of these areas, you will need to go back and take a 300 or 400 level course in two of the categories. Remember this rule so you don’t take unnecessary courses, and keep in mind that the degree audit can be misleading when it comes to Part 3 of the CJBS major requirements.

A single course can only meet one CJBS requirement. On the CJBS Major Choice Sheet, you may sometimes notice that one course is on both the Part 2 Diversity list and the Part 3 Corrections list. If you take such a course, you can choose which area you want it to meet, but it cannot meet both.

Tools for Monitoring Progress

DegreeWorks: An online planning tool to track overall progress toward graduation, showing completed, in-progress, and needed general education and major requirements. Note: The degree audit can be misleading in certain areas of the major. Be sure to confirm the accuracy of your degree audit with a general academic advisor.
CJBS Worksheet: A tool for students to monitor their progress in the major.
CJBS Choice Sheet: A resource to see Part 2 and Part 3 course options.
Sample Four Year Plan: An example of how to complete all degree requirements (major, general education, electives) and graduate in four years! Remember that this sample plan shows just one possible way to combine your requirements.

To graduate with a CJBS degree you must have at least an overall 2.0 GPA and at least a 2.0 in the major as well. 120 credits are required for graduation, so careful planning is imperative as major and general education requirements often do not fulfill the 120 credit requirement.

Internships

An internship is not required for the CJBS major, but it may be possible to earn credit (the course number is CJBS 377) for an internship experience that will count towards Part 3 of the major, if its focus is on Police, Law, or Corrections. Discuss your options with John Jay’s Career Learning Lab, which houses the Academic Internship Program, a hybrid of on-site internship experience and class time with a faculty member. Note: CUNY Service Corps students can take the Internship course for their service. CUNY Service Corps provides a year-long experience at a particular internship site-and it pays!

Academic Advisement

A General Academic Advisor will confirm what general academic requirements you still need, make suggestions about smart course planning that will help you graduate without delays, discuss your interest in adding a minor or second major, inform you about opportunities such as study abroad, discuss general questions and concerns, and make helpful referrals.

Career Opportunities

The CJBS major prepares you for a wide range of careers, whatever your professional goals may be.

Forensic Science

The Forensic Science major provides academic and professional training for work in forensic science laboratories. This major is designed for students planning to pursue careers as research scientists, teachers, or medical professionals. The coursework is strongly focused on basic foundations in chemistry, biology, physics, and calculus-level mathematics at the associate degree level (years 1 and 2).

Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics (FEFF)

The Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics (FEFF) major combines coursework in accounting with training in the tools and techniques used to detect and prevent fraud. The first half of the program leads to an A.S. in Forensic Accounting. Successful completion of this program will lead to admission into John Jay's B.S. in Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics.

Computer Science and Information Security

The Computer Science and Information Security major offers the computing, quantitative, and analytical expertise public and private organizations need to advance the practice of digital forensics and cybersecurity. The program provides the broad background in computing that is needed to thwart the abuse and misuse of computers, data networks, information systems, and information infrastructures, in the environment of ever-advancing digital technology.

Humanities

The Humanities are a family of disciplines that examine fundamental questions about culture and society. Humanities majors at John Jay are part of a community of thinkers and leaders redefining what justice will look like in the 21st century. The humanities provide these kinds of skills-including critical thinking, complex problem-solving, and persuasive communication.

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Applied Mathematics

The Applied Mathematics major has two concentrations, Data Science and Cryptography.

Data Science

The Data Science concentration presents the principles of data representation, big data management, and statistical modeling. Students learn to use modern computing techniques to reveal hidden causal and temporal relationships within large data sets.

Cryptography

Cryptography is the science of both personal and institutional data security. Students learn to secure information, maintain data integrity, authenticity, and non-reputability.

Other Majors Offered

John Jay College offers a variety of other majors:

Anthropology: Provides a strong foundation in Cultural Anthropology, knowledge of regions, peoples, cultures, international/global issues, skills to research, analyze, communicate, work and use information in global, cross-cultural settings, and the values of respect and concern for other cultures and peoples.
Cell and Molecular Biology: An in-depth exploration of the underlying chemistry and molecular biology in living cells.
Criminology: The study of crimes, criminals, crime victims, theories explaining illegal and deviant behavior, the social reaction to crime and criminals, the effectiveness of anti-crime policies and the broader political terrain of social control.
Deviance, Crime and Culture: Uses an interdisciplinary and ethnographic approach to train students to research, analyze and understand deviance and crime in the context of culture.
English: Students acquire a comprehensive and varied foundation in literary study, and then choose to pursue either the field of Literature in greater depth or an optional concentration in Literature and the Law.
Fire and Emergency Service: Provides a foundation in fire and emergency services, with related courses in management and administration, and exploration of current and future problems in fire protection.
Fire Science: Prepares students for careers in fire protection and for graduate-level protection studies.
Gender Studies: Explores how gender and sexuality influence constructions of human identity historically and culturally, and how these in turn shape human development, behavior, and the processes of justice.
Global History: Emphasizes interactions and collisions between and among cultures.
Law and Society: Offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of law and legal institutions, their impact on society, and society’s impact on them.
Philosophy: Involves a critical examination of our most fundamental beliefs about truth and reality, right and wrong.
Political Science: Introduces students to the principal fields of inquiry in political science.
Sociology: Will provide students with a comprehensive understanding of sociological theories and methodologies, as well as the research and analytical skills they need to work in and contribute to today’s globally interconnected world.
Spanish: Designed to be flexible, creative, and meet a host of different goals, allowing students to develop the advanced linguistic skills and forms of cultural competence so frequently sought in today’s globally competitive and interconnected world.
Toxicology: An interdisciplinary science that addresses the adverse effects of substances on living organisms caused by chemical, physical or biological agents.

Career Resources and Networking

John Jay College provides numerous resources to help students find internships and jobs:

Networking: Utilize friends, family, professors, co-workers, and classmates to connect with professionals in your desired field.
Job Fairs: Attend the John Jay College Career and Internship Fair - CareerCon offered each semester.
Career Events: Participate in panels, workshops, information sessions, and tabling events offered through the Career Learning Lab.
Online Resources: Use Handshake as your primary resource for online internship searching.

Graduate School Preparation

Students should use their time during college to start researching their intended graduate program. The Graduate Admissions Office offers information sessions for students interested in John Jay’s graduate programs.

McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program: Encourages low-income and first-generation students (as well as students from underrepresented populations) to pursue graduate study.
Brown Law School Prep Program: Prepares students for the challenges of law school, the LSAT, and the law school application process.

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