Program: Criminal Justice, BAAS - University of Houston Downtown

Apr 01, 2025

2023-2024 UNDERGRADUATE CATALOG

TBD, Chair
Current Contact: Kevin Buckler, Ph.D., Interim Department Chair; C340, 713-221-2733

Nina Barbieri, Ph.D., Assistant Chair
C340, 713-226-5512

Criminal Justice Academic Advisor
Wykie Freeman

Criminal Justice Academic Advisor
TBD

Major in Bachelor of Applied Arts and Science in Criminal Justice (BAAS)

The BAAS in Criminal Justice is designed for persons who enter the institution with an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in a field of study that is closely related to criminal justice, and students who enter UHD having completed the Texas state law enforcement certification (Basic Peace Officer Certification, or “BPOC”). Only students who have completed an AAS degree in a discipline related to criminal justice at a community or junior college or have completed BPOC certification may declare this degree. Additional technical hours (Military Credits, for instance) may be accepted as technical credit only if a student has completed the AAS in a discipline of study related to criminal justice and/or the BPOC.

Program Outcomes

Graduates who earn a BAAS in Criminal Justice will be able to:

Critically analyze crime and justice issues.
Apply criminological and justice system theories to the study of crime and justice.
Communicate effectively about criminal justice topics.
Analyze criminal justice ethical dilemmas and develop sound courses of action.

Degree Requirements

The BAAS-CJ Degree requires a minimum of 120 hours. At least 25% of the semester credit hours must be earned through instruction offered by UHD. At least 18 hours must reflect approved upper-level courses. 30 semester credit hours must be taken at UHD. The degree requires a minimum of 24 upper-level criminal justice hours earned at UHD. An overall minimum grade point average of 2.0 at UHD is required for graduation, and a minimum average of 2.0 must be maintained in the upper-level hours in the major.

Common Core Requirements (42 hours)

BAAS-CJ majors must meet Common Core Requirements listed in this Catalog.

BAAS-CJ Technical Course Requirements (36 hours)

Students who have earned an CJ-related AAS degree will be awarded 36 hours of transfer credit for this area. If the Associate of Applied Science does not apply and credit is awarded from other technical areas, then the 36-hour block is fulfilled by both the technical credit and academic credit. Students who have earned a Texas Basic Peace Officer Certificate from a TCOLE approved peace officer academy will be given 24 hours of transfer credit for this area. Texas Peace Officers who have achieved additional levels of certification beyond the BPOC will also be awarded academic credit for the certifications: 4 credit hours for Intermediate Certification, 4 hours for Advanced Certification, and 4 hours for Masters Certification. The maximum allowable academic credit for Texas law enforcement certifications is 36 hours.

BAAS-CJ Major Requirements (12 Hours)

Prescribed Elective Courses (Select any 6 courses listed below) (18 hours)

Additional Upper Division Electives (12 hours)

Select 4 upper level courses. They may be from any area. Prerequisites may apply. Electives are an important part of the degree program and should be selected in consultation with an academic advisor.

Criminal Justice, BAAS