Criminal Justice, BAAS

Beth Sanders, PhD., Chair
C340G, 713-221-5856

Ashley Blackburn, Ph.D., Assistant Chair
C340, 713-222-5326

Criminal Justice Advisor,
Mercedes Gonzales, C340L, 713-221-8519

Criminal Justice Academic Advisor,
Lee Smith, C340B, 713-221-5081

Major in Criminal Justice

The BAAS in Criminal Justice provides a seamless transfer from community colleges for AAS graduates, however, students do not have to complete an AAS degree in order to be admitted into the BAAS in Criminal Justice program..

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 Degree requires a minimum of 120 hours. At least 25% of the semester credit hours must be earned through instruction offered by UH-Downtown. At least 18 hours must reflect approved upper-level courses. 30 semester credit hours must be taken at UH-Downtown. The degree requires a minimum of 24 upper-level criminal justice hours earned at UH-Downtown. An overall minimum grade point average of 2.0 at UH-Downtown 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)

Must meet Common Core Requirements listed in this Catalog.

BAAS Technical Course Requirements (36 hours)

Students who have earned an Associate of Applied Science Degree (AAS) will be given 36 hours of transfer credit for this area. 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. Students will be given 4 hours of transfer credit, respectively, for each of the Texas Peace Officer Intermediate, Advanced, and Masters level certifications. Military credits may also count in this technical course section of the degree plan. A student with AAS, Texas law enforcement certification, and military credits in excess of 36 will not be able to apply the excess credits to the degree plan.

BAAS Criminal Justice Major Requirements (12 Hours)

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

Free 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.