Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice
Intakes for this program have been postponed indefinitely.
Description
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice is currently under review. Intakes have been suspended pending completion of the review. Please check with an Arts Degree Advisor to discuss your academic plan.
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice program is designed to enable students to critically examine and explore the concepts and practices of justice, equality, and fairness that underpin our social and legal institutions. In so doing, students embark on community engagement and on an active and sustained engagement with institutions of civil society that can be productively harnessed to bring about social justice.
By combining theory and practice, students investigate issues of class, race, gender, and socio-economic conditions and examine how they shape our society. This program integrates opportunities to engage in undergraduate research, service learning, and practicum placements that provide students with highly transferable and marketable knowledge and skills.
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice program provides students with the following benefits:
- A broad understanding of crime and social justice issues within community, national, and international contexts.
- Courses unique in Canada that unite practical and professional skills with community building and social justice.
- An understanding of social and legal responses to crime and justice and the inter-relationship of these responses on societal attitudes.
- A solid understanding of, and familiarity with, the research techniques that allow us to accurately document crime, victimization, attitudes, and social and legal change.
- Ability to think critically and respond innovatively to emerging trends in community-based justice and related agencies.
- Opportunities to work in direct partnership with local agencies and faculty on projects or engage in research, working closely with academic supervisors.
- An understanding of, and ability to use, various means to promote social justice, including conflict resolution, restorative justice, community advocacy in a human rights framework, and an ability to deal with the many regulatory regimes that affect people in the justice system.
This unique program ensures that graduates have covered a range of theoretical, scientific, legal, and practical courses. Specific upper-division courses build knowledge and skills in:
- Understanding historical and contemporary perspectives of social justice and injustice
- Developing individual skills and leadership abilities to work effectively with community-based agencies and organizations that promote social justice goals
- Understanding crime in communities and its prevention
- Empirical data collection, analysis, and presentation
- Conflict resolution and mediation
- Restorative justice
- Professional communication skills
- Project planning, management, and evaluation
- Advocacy, human rights, and decision making in regulatory agencies
- Professional ethics
Students who are interested in applying to graduate school or prefer more extensive research experience are encouraged to undertake a structured program leading to an Honours degree. Students may obtain a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree by completing a further 12 credits of coursework centred on developing, researching, and writing an Honours Thesis.
Note: See the Bachelor of Arts Honours, Major, and Minor in Criminology for information on an alternate program.
Career Opportunities
The limited success of traditional responses to crime, violence, poverty, homelessness, mental illness, and other social issues has increased calls for different approaches and strategies. New awareness of the burdens and social costs associated with these issues requires communities to rethink and refocus their efforts. KPU's Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice features a unique focus on community-based solutions to crime and social justice issues. Our innovative program prepares students for career opportunities in community-based work, social service delivery, legal advocacy, public safety, human rights, and the non-profit sector. The conceptual, critical, and applied skills that students acquire in this program will be attractive to employers in a wide range of settings, including community-based agencies and traditional organizations concerned with the justice field, such as law enforcement, courts, corrections, and customs and border security.
Faculty's website: kpu.ca/arts
Department's website: kpu.ca/arts/criminology
Admission Requirements
The Faculty's Admission Requirements, which consist of KPU's undergraduate English Proficiency Requirement, apply to this program.
Declaration Requirements
Students intending to graduate with this Faculty of Arts Bachelor’s degree must declare the credential by the time they complete 60 credits of undergraduate coursework. At the time of declaration, the student must satisfy all of the following requirements:
- In good academic standing with the University
- Completion of a minimum of 18 credits of undergraduate coursework, including the following with a minimum grade of “C”:
- 3 credits of ENGL at the 1100 level or higher
- 6 credits at the 1100 level or higher in the Major area
Curricular Requirements
Students pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree must complete all requirements in the Bachelor of Arts framework in addition to their major or minor program requirements.
Community Criminal Justice Degree
The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice requires that students complete 120 credits of post-secondary studies.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 1000 Level | ||
| CRIM 1100 | Introduction to Criminology | 3 |
| CRIM 1101 | Introduction to the Criminal Justice System | 3 |
| CRIM 1107 | Canadian Legal Systems | 3 |
| CRIM 1207 | Introduction to Criminal Law | 3 |
| CRIM 1208 | Methods of Research in Criminology | 3 |
| CRIM 1215 | Interpersonal and Professional Development in Criminology | 3 |
| PSYC 1100 | Introduction to Psychology: Basic Processes | 3 |
| SOCI 1125 | Introduction to Society: Processes and Structures | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| General Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Introduction to Moral Philosophy | ||
| Critical Thinking | ||
| Introduction to Formal Logic | ||
| 2000 Level | ||
| CRIM 2103 | Quantitative Data Analysis I | 3 |
| CRIM 2330 | Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour | 3 |
| CRIM 2331 | Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour | 3 |
| CRIM 2341 | Canadian Criminal Justice Administration | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Criminal Justice and Psychology | ||
| Crime, Criminal Justice, and the Media | ||
| Introduction to Policing | ||
| Corrections: Theory and Practice | ||
| Youth Justice | ||
| 3000 and 4000 Level | ||
| CMNS 3100 | Technical Report Writing | 3 |
| CRIM 3000 | Justice/Injustice | 3 |
| CRIM 3104 | Qualitative Research Methods | 3 |
| CRIM 3800 | Service Learning in Criminology and Justice | 6 |
| CRIM 4301 | Community Advocacy and Human Rights | 3 |
| CRIM 4400 | Ethics and Professional Development | 3 |
| Select at least 6 credits of the following courses in the Justice group: | 6 | |
| Community Corrections | ||
| Issues in Conflict Resolution | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and Justice | ||
| Select at least 6 credits from two or more of the following groups: | 6 | |
| Group A: Methods | ||
| Crime Mapping | ||
| Policy and Program Evaluation | ||
| Group B: Theory | ||
| Advanced Theories of Crime and Community | ||
| Contemporary Sociological Criminology | ||
| Critical Criminology | ||
| Contemporary Psychological Criminology | ||
| Group C: Criminal Justice | ||
| White-Collar & Corporate Crime | ||
| Women, Crime, and Justice | ||
| Issues in Youth Justice | ||
| Community Safety and Crime Prevention | ||
| Marginalized Groups and the Criminal Justice System | ||
| Group D: Law | ||
| Procedure and Evidence | ||
| Law and Society | ||
| Philosophy of Law | ||
| Mental Disorder and Canadian Law | ||
| Administrative and Regulatory Law | ||
| Select at least 6 credits of the following courses in the Applied category: | 6 | |
| Practicum in Criminology and Justice | ||
| Select an additional 9 credits of CRIM courses | 9 | |
| Select 12 credits from courses outside criminology in arts, science, or other areas (breadth requirements) | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 102 | |
Credential Awarded
Upon successful completion of the degree program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice.
Co-operative Education
The BA in Community Criminology Justice is offered with a Co-operative Education option. Co-operative Education gives a student the opportunity to apply the skills gained during academic study in paid, practical work experience semesters. Degree students in the Co-op option are expected to complete a minimum of three work terms while completing their degree. Work terms generally occur full-time in separate 4 month work semesters but may also be available part-time over an 8 month continuous (parallel) placement. Work semesters alternate with academic study.
Students wishing to enter and participate in the Co-op Option must meet the following requirements:
Declaration/Entrance Requirements
- Declaration into the BA in Community Criminal Justice
- Minimum GPA of 2.7
Program Continuance Requirements
- Completion of COOP 1101 prior to 75 programs credits
- Minimum program GPA of 2.7
- Instructor permission
Co-op Requirements
The Co-operative Education designation requires successful completion of the following courses:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| COOP 1101 | Introduction to Professional and Career Readiness | 1 |
| COOP 1150 | Co-op Work Semester 1 1 | 9 |
| COOP 2150 | Co-op Work Semester 2 1 | 9 |
| COOP 3150 | Co-op Work Semester 3 1 | 9 |
| Optional | ||
| Co-op Work Semester 4 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 28 | |
- 1
Part-time (parallel) work terms may be taken over two semesters as COOP 1150A/COOP 1150B, COOP 2150A/COOP 2150B, COOP 3150A/COOP 3150B, or COOP 4150A/COOP 4150B respectively.
Note: These COOP courses must be completed sequentially. COOP courses can only be used to satisfy the Co-op designation and cannot be used to satisfy other curricular requirements of the program.
Additional Requirements
In addition to the requirements stated above, all Co-op students must satisfy the General Co-operative Education Requirements.
Credential Awarded
Upon successful completion of the Co-operative Education Option in the degree program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice (Co-operative Education Option).
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