Criminology/Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice diploma

A two-year, 64-credit program designed to prepare students for front-line/entry-level jobs in the criminal justice field. The program consists of a combination of theoretical and skill development courses, and will be of interest to people who wish to become (for example) police officers, correctional officers, youth workers, immigration officers, bylaw enforcement officers, customs inspectors, community service order officers, and sheriff's officers.

Entrance requirements

All applicants must have:

1. B.C. secondary school graduation or equivalent.
2. A minimum C+ average in the following: English 12 (see Note) and two other Approved Grade 12 courses.
3. Prerequisite to or completion of CMNS 125, CMNS 155, or ENGL 105. Acceptance will be conditional upon proof of having met this entrance requirement. Applicants are encouraged to submit proof as soon as it is available and prior to registering.
4. In addition, applicants must:
   a) Be willing to undergo an initial security clearance check and further checks as may be required in individual courses.
   b) Be willing to provide a statement from a physician as evidence of good health as may be required in individual courses.
   c) Attend an orientation session in April during which criminal justice faculty present an overview of the options available and career opportunities in criminal justice. Students will be contacted regarding the orientation process.

Note: English 12 equivalent courses include English 12 First Peoples, English Literature 12, AP English, and IB English A (standard level or higher level).

Students who do not meet these requirements might consider Qualifying Studies.

Basis for admission decision

There are a limited number of seats available in the Criminology and Criminal Justice diploma program. Acceptance into the Criminology and Criminal Justice diploma program will be determined through a first-come first-serve basis, assuming entrance requirements are met. Applicants who meet the entrance requirements will be admitted in order of their application date. This date is set when an application, all required documentation, and application fee have been submitted.

Program outline

The Criminal Justice diploma credential is available to students who have completed the first two years of the BA (Criminal Justice) degree.

Students wanting a diploma must also complete CRIM 201, and one of CRIM 202 or CRIM 203.

Note: CRIM 201 and CRIM 202 cannot be taken concurrently.

Students should check with the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice program advisor for complete details.

Graduation

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure all program requirements are met. This should be done by regular consultation with a Criminal Justice Program Advisor. A minimum program and CGPA of 2.0 is required to graduate. For students intending to proceed to the Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree, please note that there is a duplication policy which prevents students with more than five course duplications from graduating with a Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree.

Candidates who qualify to receive a UFV diploma must be approved by the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and the Senate. Students must apply for graduation by completing the Graduation Request form available at ufv.ca/admissions, or from the Office of the Registrar. We recommend this be done in the first month of the final semester. The final deadline for students who wish to attend the June Convocation ceremony is April 1st of each year, with all program requirements completed by April 30th of each year.

BCIT Forensic Investigation transfer option

This option of the Criminal Justice diploma is designed primarily for students who wish to transfer directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Technology in Forensic Investigation at BCIT, following completion of their UFV diploma. Students taking this option must choose one of three paths (Economic Crime Studies, Forensic Science Studies, or Computer Crime Studies), each of which provides the prerequisites for a path of study at the upper-level with the BCIT Bachelor of Technology in Forensic Investigation transfer option.

Students can also ladder directly into the third year of the Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) program. Students considering this option are reminded that they can also enter directly into the third year of the Bachelor Technology in Forensic Investigation with either an Associate of Science degree or Computing Information Systems diploma from UFV.

Students interested in this transfer option can obtain details from the department.

Fees and additional costs

See the Fees and Other Costs section of the calendar for further information. Books and additional supplies cost approximately $100 -$150 per course.

Dates and location

Full-time students are advised to register for the fall semester. Since many courses in the diploma and degree programs are sequential, students registering in January may be unable to take preliminary courses until the following September.

The normal university year is from September through April, with between 15 and 18 credits required in each of the fall and winter semesters. Students enrolled in field practice in any semester (normally requiring two full days per week) would normally take 9 credits in addition to the practicum. Occasionally, courses are challenged for credit, making it possible to complete the program more quickly. Mastery of course objectives must be demonstrated in order to successfully challenge a course; contact the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice for further information.

Program requirements

Upon acceptance to the Criminal Justice diploma program and in accordance with the B.C. Government's Criminal Record Review Act, UFV requires all students to complete a criminal record check through the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General. For clarification and more details, please visit the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General's website.

To maintain their status as a program student, individuals with more than 15 credits must maintain a program and cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of at least 2.0.

Practicum regulations

Acceptance into the Criminal Justice diploma program does not guarantee practicum placement.

The prerequisites for placement in CRIM 281 are:

• CPGA of at least 2.67;
• CRIM 100, 103, 104, 105, and 265;
• CRIM 129 with a grade of B- or better;
• one of CMNS 125, 155, or ENGL 105 or higher;
• the ability to pass a criminal record check is a prerequisite for placements; and
• departmental approval.

Students must complete 200 hours of practicum work in CRIM 281.

Students who meet these requirements must complete CRIM 281 for the diploma. Students who do not meet the requirement for CRIM 281 must take six lower-level credits of CRIM electives in place of CRIM 281.

The Career Development Coordinator will work collaboratively with each student to identify practicum sites that respond to individual learning interests and that provide criminal justice learning opportunities.

Practicums are offered throughout the region of the Fraser Valley and Metro Vancouver, although other placement sites may be considered. Students are responsible for transportation to and from practicum sites. Students are also responsible for maintaining suitable personal appearance.

The Criminal Justice diploma program must approve any agency or institution that provides placements for student practicums, and reserves the right to change any placement assigned to a student. The student has the right to be informed in writing of the reasons for any change in placement. While the program accepts the responsibility to provide a sufficient number of practicum opportunities to serve the needs of all registered students, a student may be required to withdraw from a practicum course if none of the available practicum agencies will accept that particular student.

Undergraduate continuance

Students enrolled in undergraduate courses (courses numbered 100 or above) must maintain an undergraduate Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of at least 2.00 to remain enrolled in Good Academic Standing at UFV. Students in Good Academic Standing will have no registration limits placed on them. Failure to meet the minimum CGPA requirement will result in restrictions on registration and may eventually lead to academic suspension from undergraduate studies at UFV. Students on Academic Warning or Academic Probation are limited to registering in 10 credits. For further details, see the Undergraduate Continuance section of the academic calendar. Academic standing is governed by UFV’s Undergraduate Continuance policy (92).

Students who have been required to withdraw are not normally readmitted to the diploma program.

Re-taking courses

The School of Criminology and Criminal Justice does not approve challenge requests from students who are asking to re-take a Criminology/Criminal Justice course. These students must register in, and complete the requirements for a regularly timetabled section of the course.

Auditing courses

Students wishing to audit a course in Criminology/Criminal Justice must request permission from the instructor no later than the end of the fourth week of classes. No changes from regular to audit status will be permitted after this date.

Prerequisites

A prerequisite is a requirement which must be met before a student enters a course or program. A P grade does not, unless stated otherwise, meet a prerequisite requirement. Students who do not have the stated prerequisite courses may not register in a course having these requirements without the permission of the instructor.

Transfer credit

At least 25% of the course work must be completed at UFV.

Course withdrawal deadlines follow UFV's Course Withdrawal policy (81).

Program outline

Semester I

Semester II

Semester III

Semester IV

Note: Students wanting a Criminal Justice diploma must also complete CRIM 201, and one of CRIM 202 or CRIM 203. CRIM 201 and CRIM 202 cannot be taken concurrently. It is recommended that students planning a Bachelor of Arts (Criminal Justice) degree complete their science requirement in the first two years of the program.

CRIM electives include: CRIM 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 216, 250, 251, 252, 270.

Course listings

For complete details on courses see the course descriptions section.

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