Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice (Honours)

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 Honours Degree

The Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice requires that students complete 120 credits of post-secondary studies.

1000 Level
CRIM 1100Introduction to Criminology3
CRIM 1101Introduction to the Criminal Justice System3
CRIM 1107Canadian Legal Systems3
CRIM 1207Introduction to Criminal Law3
CRIM 1208Methods of Research in Criminology3
CRIM 1215Interpersonal and Professional Development in Criminology3
PSYC 1100Introduction to Psychology: Basic Processes3
SOCI 1125Introduction to Society: Processes and Structures3
Select one of the following:3
General Introduction to Philosophy
Introduction to Moral Philosophy
Critical Thinking
Introduction to Formal Logic
2000 Level
CRIM 2103Quantitative Data Analysis I3
CRIM 2330Psychological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour3
CRIM 2331Sociological Explanations of Criminal Behaviour3
CRIM 2341Canadian Criminal Justice Administration3
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 3100Technical Report Writing3
CRIM 3000Justice/Injustice3
CRIM 3104Qualitative Research Methods3
CRIM 3800Service Learning in Criminology and Justice6
CRIM 4301Community Advocacy and Human Rights3
CRIM 4400Ethics and Professional Development3
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 courses9
Select 12 credits from courses outside criminology in arts, science, or other areas (breadth requirements)12
Total Credits102

Honours

In addition to the 120 credits required for the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice, students pursuing the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree must complete the following additional 12 credits of course-work:

CRIM 5000Honours Thesis I3
CRIM 5010Honours Seminar3
CRIM 5020Honours Thesis II6
Total Credits12

Enrolment in Criminology Honours courses requires the permission of the Criminology Honours committee. In order to be considered for Honours courses, students normally must:

  • have completed 90 credits or more at the time of application;
  • achieve a CGPA of 3.5;
  • and have completed CRIM 3104 and CRIM 4410.

Please see kpu.ca/arts/criminology for further information regarding application deadlines and selection criteria.

Students may receive either the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice degree or the Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice Honours degree, but not both.

Credential Awarded

Upon successful completion of the Honours program, students are eligible to receive a Bachelor of Arts in Community Criminal Justice (Honours).

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. 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:

Required
COOP 1101Introduction to Professional and Career Readiness1
COOP 1150Co-op Work Semester 1 19
COOP 2150Co-op Work Semester 2 19
COOP 3150Co-op Work Semester 3 19
Optional
Co-op Work Semester 4
Total Credits28

Note: COOP courses must be completed in ascending numerical order. Contact the Co-op office for information about the possibility of part-time work terms. COOP courses may be used only 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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