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Academic Advising Centre

Criminal Justice diploma

This guide has been prepared with the information you need to successfully register for your first year at UFV. Please review the information provided on this page thoroughly before contacting your academic advisor with questions.

 

Overview

A career in the criminal justice field is a dynamic and challenging one; UFV's Criminal Justice diploma program prepares you for front-line/entry-level jobs in the field.

Gain a broad perspective on issues of law, justice, crime, and criminal behaviour with a well-rounded curriculum that includes subject matter from various disciplines, including criminology, psychology, sociology, communications, and political science.

Learn valuable skills in mediation, crisis management, and conflict de-escalation, and participate in a field work practicum that is designed to meet your career interests.

After you graduate, you may go directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice program.

With a Criminal Justice diploma, you’ll set a path toward a dynamic and challenging career as a youth worker, security guard, park ranger, police officer, correctional officer, immigration officer, bylaw enforcement officer, custom inspector, community service order officer, or sheriff's officer.

WorkBC lists police officer as one of the top 100 opportunity occupations in B.C., especially in the Lower Mainland. High demand for law enforcement staff will rise until at least 2025, both because the population is growing and older officers are moving into retirement.

 

Program structure and requirements

Graduation requirements

  • 60 total credits
  • Core course requirements (30 credits)
  • Breadth requirements (18 credits)
  • Elective requirements, CRIM and non-CRIM (12 credits)

Where can I find a list of courses for the program?

You can access a list of all approved and required courses for your program in two ways:

 

First time using MyGRADplan?

Visit MyGRADplan website to get login instructions and review tutorials. Specifically, you will want to learn about the 'What if' and 'Look ahead' features as they will be most helpful in your course planning.

 

Workload

Given that 3 classes correspond to approximately 20+ hours/week of schoolwork both in and out of the classroom, it is very important that you consider your workload capacity carefully.

It is much better to start with less and add more coursework in future semesters than to start out feeling overwhelmed in your first semester.

Ultimately, the number of courses you take each semester is up to you, below you will find a recommend schedule for first-year students:

 

 

Pick
3-4 courses per semester

 

Expect
9-12 hours per week in class

 

And at least
9-12 hours per week
for homework

 

Suggested course plan (first and second semester)

Fall (Sept-Dec)Winter (Jan-Apr)
CRIM 100 CRIM 104
CRIM 103 CRIM 105
One of CMNS 125 or ENGL 105 CRIM 135
One of CSM 108, PHIL 100, PHIL 110, PHIL 120 One of POSC 110, PSYC 102, SOC 101

Full program overview

Please note the plan below is based on approximately 15 credits per semester and does not include a summer semester. For those who will be spreading their studies out over all three academic semesters it is encouraged that electives and breadth requirements be reserved for the summer so that core requirements can be met in fall and winter.

 

Next steps

Prepare for registration

Watch tutorials, review information on fee payment, important dates, and more.

Explore courses of interest

Find official course descriptions and outlines in the Academic Calendar.

Track your degree progress

Access your program audit & identify the requirements that are needed for graduation.

 

 
Still have questions?

Book an appointment with an academic advisor or email your questions to advising@ufv.ca.

If you are starting in the fall, book your next appointment prior to the winter registration (October).