Degree Requirements
John Jay College of Criminal Justice candidates for the baccalaureate degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science) must complete at least 120 credits, composed of the general education requirements, a major and electives (no more than 4 credits of physical education activities courses may be applied in this last category). To receive a baccalaureate degree from John Jay College, students must complete at least 30 credits of coursework in residence and at least 50 percent of their major at the College. Students may not take more than 50 percent of the courses used to fulfill their degree requirements online. In order to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, at least 90 of the 120 required credits must be in Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Bachelor of Science degree requires a minimum of 60 Liberal Arts and Science credits.
General Education
John Jay's General Education program offers students great flexibility in selecting courses that meet the broad goals of a liberal arts education. The 42-credit program consists of the Common Core (30 credits) and the College Option (6-12 credits). In the Common Core, students take required courses in English composition, mathematics, and science, and select additional courses from each of five thematic areas. The College Option consists of a 6-credit Justice Core encompassing issues of justice that are at the heart of the college’s mission as well as courses in two additional thematic areas. See General Education for detailed information about the general education program.
Baccalaureate Majors
Students select a major upon application to the College. Majors may be changed at any time before graduation. To change a major, a student should fill out an Undergraduate Declaration of Major Form and submit it to Jay Express Services. The form is available on the Jay Stop website at http://jstop.jjay.cuny.edu/forms/Declaration_of_Major.pdf.
John Jay College of Criminal Justice offers the following majors for baccalaureate degree candidates:
Anthropology (BA)
Applied Mathematics: Data Science and Cryptography (BS)
Cell and Molecular Biology (BS)
Computer Science and Information Security (BS)
Criminal Justice (Crime Control and Prevention) (BA)
Criminal Justice (Institutional Theory and Practice) (BS)
Criminal Justice Management (BS)
Criminology (BA)
Deviance, Crime and Culture (BA)
Economics (BS)
English (BA)
Emergency Services Administration (BS)
Fire Science (BS)
Forensic Psychology (BA)
Forensic Science (BS)
Fraud Examination and Financial Forensics (BS)
Gender Studies (BA)
Global History (BA)
Humanities and Justice (BA)
Human Services and Community Justice (BS)
International Criminal Justice (BA)
Latin American and Latinx Studies (BA)
Law and Society (BA)
Philosophy (BA)
Police Studies (BS)
Political Science (BA)
Public Administration (BS)
Security Management (BS)
Sociology (BA)
Spanish (BA)
Toxicology (BS)
Students are urged to consult with an academic advisor or major coordinator to plan their courses of study. Students may also consult DegreeWorks, an online tool, available through CUNY at http://www.cuny.edu. Prerequisites for beginning each major are listed in each major description. Be aware that individual courses may have their own prerequisites. Students are advised to read carefully all course descriptions in this bulletin and consult DegreeWorks when planning their schedules in addition to consulting with an advisor. Please note: ENG 101 is a prerequisite for students wishing to enroll in 200-level courses, and ENG 201 is a prerequisite for students wishing to enroll in 300-level courses or above.
Declaration of Major
Students declare a major upon application to the College. Although students may change their major at any time, they must be declared in a major before the completion of 60 credits. Transfer students entering with 60 credits or more must be declared in their major before the end of their first semester at John Jay.
Students who fail to declare a major by the time they earn 60 credits will have a registration hold placed on their records and any TAP financial aid awarded will be removed.
Students are urged to consult with an academic advisor or major coordinator to plan their courses of study. Students may also consult DegreeWorks, an online tool, available through CUNY at http://www.cuny.edu. Be aware that individual courses may have their own prerequisites. Students are advised to read carefully all course descriptions in this bulletin and consult DegreeWorks when planning their schedules in addition to consulting with an advisor.
Please note: ENG 101 is a prerequisite for students wishing to enroll in 200-level courses, and ENG 201 is a prerequisite for students wishing to enroll in 300-level courses or above.
To declare or change a major, a student should fill out an Undergraduate Declaration of Major Form and submit it to Jay Express Services. The major declaration form must be submitted within the first 21 days of classes to apply to a Fall or Spring semester. Forms submitted after this deadline will be held until the subsequent semester. The form is available on the Jay Stop website at http://jstop.jjay.cuny.edu/forms/Declaration_of_Major.pdf.
Changing Your Major After Earning 45 Credits
Students who change their major after they have earned 45 credits often experience a change in financial aid status or an extension in their time to degree.
Students with 45 credits or more earned who wish to change their major are required to meet with a major coordinator or major advisor or academic advisor* to develop an approved degree plan for the new major. The approved degree plan must be submitted to Jay Express along with the Declaration of Major form. No change will be processed without both of these forms.
*A list of authorized approvers for each major is available at Jay Express.
Double Majors
John Jay College permits double majors for students who have earned at least 12 college credits. No more than two courses may be shared by (credited to) both majors. Double majors are permitted when students elect majors that are 45 credits or less. Students electing to double major in an area where the major requires more than 45 credits must receive approval from the Dean of Undergraduate Studies. Students need to earn a 2.0 in each major and a cumulative GPA of 2.0. Students who complete the requirements for two majors will receive one diploma indicating the first degree earned. Both majors completed will be indicated on the transcript.
When a student completes the requirements for two majors from different award designations, such as Forensic Psychology (BA) and Criminal Justice Management (BS), the degree associated with the primary major will be awarded and a notation of completion of all requirements of the second major will be made on the transcript.
If the student wishes to receive the degree associated with the second major, he or she may request through Jay Express Services that the second major be switched to the primary major. This request must be made prior to graduation; no changes of degree will be made retroactively.
Optionally, the student may receive two degrees and two diplomas. In order to receive two degrees (BA and BS), the student must complete an additional 30 credits in residence beyond the 120 required for the first bachelor’s degree. Students who earn their first bachelor’s degree from John Jay and return to earn a second bachelor’s at the college, are not subject to the two-course overlap limitation between their degrees.
Students pursuing double majors must meet with the Major Coordinator or Advisor in each of their intended majors to develop their degree plans.