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Criminal Justice Field of Study (For transfer to UT Arlington, BA in Criminology & Criminal Justice)

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Program Available at:

  • Brookhaven
  • Cedar Valley
  • Eastfield
  • El Centro
  • Mountain View
  • North Lake
  • Richland

Transferrable to:

  • University of Texas Arlington (UTA)

Catalog Year 2021-2022 You may use this pathway if you entered Dallas College on or before this date.

Degree Type Field of Study

GPA Requirement Student must earn a GPA of 2.0 or higher

TSI Must be Complete

For more information, visit the Dallas College Criminal Justice webpage and your success coach at your campus.

This guided pathway is designed to meet the needs of students who plan to major in Criminal Justice at a university. An Associate of Arts degree in this pathway prepares you to transfer to a university to earn a bachelor's degree that opens the door to a career in corrections, probation, government and private security settings.

This is an example course sequence for students interested in Criminal Justice. It does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. Following this pathway will help you earn an A.A. degree with a Field of Study in Criminal Justice, which will increase your chances of transfer to the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) to earn a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and Criminal Justice. Students must earn at least 25% of the credit hours (15 hours) required for graduation through instruction by Dallas College. See catalog for official degree requirements.

Visit www.dcccd.edu/transfer and select "Transfer from Dallas College," then click the University of Texas at Arlington to view more information about transferring to that institution. Speak with your success coach to choose courses that will help you to transfer to UTA.

SEMESTER-BY-SEMESTER MAP FOR FULL-TIME STUDENTS

All plans can be modified to fit the needs of part-time students. This is not an official degree plan. See catalog for official degree requirements.

ASSOCIATE OF ARTS FIELD OF STUDY DEGREE MINIMUM: 60 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

SEMESTER 1

ENGL 1301 – Composition I This is a Core course. Must earn a grade of “C" or higher.

HIST 1301 – United States History I This is a Core course.

MATHEMATICS X3XX Core Elective* This is a Core course. Must earn a grade of “C" or higher.

CRIJ 1301 – Introduction to Criminal Justice This is a Field of Study course.

PHED 1164 – Introduction to Physical Fitness and Wellness* This is a Core course.

CHOOSE ONE:   

  • SPCH 1311 – Introduction to Speech Communication* This is a Core course. OR
  • SPCH 1315 – Public Speaking* This is a Core course OR
  • SPCH 1321 – Business and Professional Communication* This is a Core course.

* There are several options to fulfill this requirement. See your success coach for a specific list.

SEMESTER 1 ACTION ITEMS

  1. Meet with your success coach to confirm academic and career goals before the end of the semester.
  2. At the end of the semester, begin researching information at UTA.
  3. Meet with your success coach to research your career options with a degree in Criminal Justice.

    Total Hours: 16​

SEMESTER 2

ENGL 1302 – Composition II This is a Core course.

HIST 1302 – United States History II* This is a Core course.

CRIJ 1307 – Crime in America This is a Required Criminal Justice course.

CRIJ 1306 – Court Systems and Practices This is a Field of Study course.

SOCI 1301 – Introduction to Sociology* This is a Core course.

* There are several options to fulfill this requirement. See your success coach for a specific list.

SEMESTER 2 ACTION ITEMS

  1. Meet with your success coach to request an official program of study audit and confirm or update your academic/career pathway and program of study.
  2. Ask your success coach about transfer options to pursue the bachelor's degree at UTA.

    Total Hours: 15​​

SEMESTER 3

LIFE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE ELECTIVE* This is a Core course.

GOVT 2305 – Federal Government This is a Core course.

CREATIVE ARTS ELECTIVE* This is a Core course.

LANGUAGE, PHILOSOPHY, and CULTURE ELECTIVE* This is a Core course.

CRIJ 1310 – Fundamentals of Criminal Law This is a Field of Study course.

* There are several options to fulfill this requirement. See your success coach for a specific list.

SEMESTER 3 ACTION ITEMS

  1. Begin applying to UTA.
  2. Begin applying for Financial Aid and Scholarships. You can start the FAFSA in October for the next academic year. (i.e., in October 2021, you can complete the FAFSA if you plan to register for classes at UTA Fall 2022)
  3. Check with your success coach for important deadlines & dates.

    Total Hours: 16​

SEMESTER 4

LIFE AND PHYSICAL SCIENCE ELECTIVE* This is a Core course.

GOVT 2306 – Texas Government This is a Core course.

CRIJ 2313 – Correctional Systems and Practices This is a Field of Study course.

CRIJ 2328 – Police Systems and Practices This is a Field of Study course.

* There are several options to fulfill this requirement. See your success coach for a specific list.

SEMESTER 4 ACTION ITEMS

  1. After reviewing your degree plan and program of study, meet with your success coach to apply for the Associate of Arts degree with the Criminal Justice Field of Study.
  2. Sign up for commencement.
  3. Request final transcripts to be sent to UTA.
  4. Join the Alumni Network!

     Total Hours: 13​  

DALLAS COLLEGE PATHWAY TOTAL: 60 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

University of Texas at Arlington

For questions about the UTA portion of this pathway, contact Amber Owens at (817) 272-0313 or amber.owens@uta.edu. It is best to apply to UTA a full semester before you plan to transfer. It will help if you submit a copy of this pathway with your application. See catalog for official degree requirements.

BACHELOR OF ARTS IN CRIMINOLOGY AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE

SEMESTER 1

UNIV 1101 Career Preparation and Student Success This is a required course for new transfer students.

Modern Language 1441 ASL, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Korean, Russian, Spanish

CRCJ 3338 – Juvenile Justice Systems

CRCJ 3370 – Introduction to Forensics

CRCJ 4301 – American Judicial Systems

Total Hours: 14​

SEMESTER 2

Modern Language 1442

CRCJ 3300 Theoretical Criminology

CRCJ 3350 – Research Methods

CRCJ 4332 or 4333 – Institutional or Community Corrections

CRCJ upper level elective – 3000/4000 level CRCJ course

Total Hours: 16​

SEMESTER 3

CRCJ 3340 Statistics

CRCJ 3380 Race, Crime, and Justice

CRCJ 4380 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

CRCJ upper level elective 3000/4000 level CRCJ course

Any Elective

Total Hours: 15​

SEMESTER 4

CRCJ upper level elective – 3000/4000 level CRCJ course

CRCJ upper level elective – 3000/4000 level CRCJ course

Any Elective

Any Elective

Any Elective

 Total Hours: 15​​  

Please note: Transfer admissions to UTA requires a minimum 2.25 GPA on all academic coursework; grades of D or lower do not transfer. Students who successfully complete the core curriculum at Dallas College as noted in this pathway plan before enrolling at UTA will be considered core complete if certified as such by Dallas College; core complete students will not need to take coursework to complete UTA's core curriculum.

Information about transfer admissions to UTA's BA in Criminology and Criminal Justice program can be found in the UTA Catalog at https://catalog.uta.edu.

A CRCJ major consists of 57 hours, including 36 hours of required CRCJ core courses and 21 hours of major electives. The total number of hours must be 120 or more.
 
Other requirements: 36 hours total Advanced Units required (3000/4000 level courses)
Must earn a grade of “C" or better in all CRCJ courses.
2.0 cumulative and 2.5 CRCJ GPA required for graduation
Students entering the College of Liberal Arts may transfer up to 72 hours from a two-year institution to be applied to degree.

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT ARLINGTON PATHWAY TOTAL: 60 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

BACHELOR OF ARTS DEGREE MINIMUM: 120 SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS

(Transfer Pathway Approved 8.11.2021 by UTA)

Updated August 7, 2025