Minor in Criminal Justice

The minor in criminal justice examines the social context and contemporary realities of crime, institutions of criminal justice such as policing, courts, and punishment, and related topics such as reentry, juvenile justice, and victimization. Students in the minor complete four core courses: Introduction to Criminal Justice; Introduction to Sociology; Criminal Law; and Criminology. The curriculum requires two electives, one of which may be from a department outside of sociology, allowing students to incorporate fields such as political science, psychology, and forensic sciences into their studies. 

Sociology majors may not pursue a minor in criminal justice. 

Visit the program website for additional information.

For more information on the admission process, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Admissions website. Applications may be submitted via the Common Application.
Supporting documents not submitted online should be mailed to:
Office of Undergraduate Admissions
The George Washington University
800 21st Street NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20052
Contact for questions:
gwadm@gwu.edu or 202-994-6040

The following requirements must be fulfilled:

Achievement of a minimum grade of C- in any course that counts toward the minor.

18 credits, including 12 credits in required courses and 6 credits in elective courses.

Course List

Code	Title	Credits
Required
SOC 1001	Introduction to Sociology
or SOC 1002	The Sociological Imagination
SOC 1003	Introduction to Criminal Justice
SOC 2136	Criminology
SOC 2145	Criminal Law
Electives
Two courses (6 credits) selected from the following; at least one course must be in Sociology (SOC).
AMST 1160	Race, Gender, and Law
ANTH 3513	Anthropology of Human Rights
or ANTH 3513W	Anthropology of Human Rights
ECON 2167	Economics of Crime
FORS 2107	Fundamentals of Forensic Science
HIST 2341	History of FBI Counterintelligence
HIST 3370	U.S. Constitutional History
PSC 2213	Judicial Politics
PSC 2215	U.S. Constitutional Law and Politics II
PSYC 2011	Abnormal Psychology
PSYC 2554	Psychology of Crime and Violence
SOC 2135	Youth and Delinquency
SOC 2137	Transnational Crime
SOC 2139	Alternatives to Imprisonment
SOC 2143	Criminal Justice System Arrest Through Appeal
SOC 2146	The Bill of Rights and Criminal Justice
SOC 2164	Sociology of the Holocaust and Genocide
SOC 2167	Sociology of Law
or SOC 2167W	Sociology of Law
SOC 2178	Deviance and Control
SOC 2184	Violence and the Family
SOC 2185	Victims, Victimization, and the System
SOC 2189	Special Topics in Criminal Justice

Note: A student majoring in sociology may not declare a second major or a minor in criminal justice, or vice versa. 

Visit the program website for additional information.