Western Carolina University

Transfer Guide

Western Carolina University
Criminal Justice, BS

Transfer Guide for Associate in Arts

2024-2025

Delivery Method: On-Campus

Program Admission Notes:

Transfer students should apply to Western Carolina University at applynow.wcu.edu. A minimum 2.2 GPA is required for consideration, however, this does not guarantee admission. We recommend that you aim for an average cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above on 12+ hours of college credit for competitiveness with other incoming transfer applicants.

Please note that admission to the institution does not guarantee admission to specific programs, and some programs do require a supplemental application. Check the program website at WCU.edu for supplemental application details and instructions, or reach out to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions at 828.227.7317.

Contact:

Advising Center
transferadvising@wcu.edu

Revised: May, 2024

College Level Foreign Language Requirements:

No foreign language requirement for this program.

Major-Specific Course Recommendations:

Students are encouraged to build the Community College course recommendations below into the associate degree to best prepare for the intended major.

Recommended CC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
CJC 111: Intro to Criminal Justice 3 CJ 150: Intro to CJ & Criminology Elective/Pre-Major Courses Required Course
PSY 150: General Psychology 3 PSY 150: General Psychology UGETC Social/Behavioral Sciences Suggested Course, General Education
MAT 152: Statistical Methods I 4 MATH 170: Applied Statistics & MATH 19A: Lower Level Electives UGETC Math Suggested Course, General Education
CJC 121: Law Enforcement Operations 3 CJ 320: Police in Society Elective/Pre-Major Courses Suggested Course
CJC 141: Corrections 3 CJ 340: Institutional Corrections Elective/Pre-Major Courses Suggested Course

Remaining Associate Degree Requirements:

In addition to major-specific course recommendations above, students should work with a community college advisor to select additional community college courses to fulfill the remaining associate degree requirements identified below.

Recommended CC Course Credit
Hours		 University Equivalent Associate Degree
Requirement Fulfilled		 University Requirement Fulfilled
ENG 111: Writing and Inquiry 3 ENGL 101: Writing and Rhetoric English Composition General Education
ENG 112: Writing/Research in the Disc 3 ENGL 202: Writing and Critical Inquiry English Composition General Education
COM 231: Public Speaking 3 COMM 201: Foundations of Communication UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 6 University Equivalencies UGETC Humanities/Fine Arts General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 6 University Equivalencies UGETC Social/Behavioral Sciences General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 4 University Equivalencies UGETC Natural Sciences General Education
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 14 University Equivalencies Additional General Education Courses General Education
ACA 122: College Transfer Success 1 ELEC 19A: Lower Level Electives Academic Transition Elective
Student Choice/No Preference (Approved Course Options) 5 University Equivalencies Elective/Pre-Major Courses Elective

Additional Information From Western Carolina University:

Residential students are not allowed to take distance education courses or select the distance education concentration in Administration of Justice as part of their program.

A minimum of 25 hours in the major must be completed at WCU.

Remaining Bachelor’s Degree Requirements at University:

University Course Credit
Hours		 University Course Notes
Criminal Justice Core Requirements 13
  • CJ 185 - Majoring in Criminology and Criminal Justice Credits: 1
  • CJ 280 - Research Methods for Criminology & Criminal Justice Credits: 3
  • CJ 355 - Theories of Crime Credits: 3
  • CJ 380 - Statistical Analysis for Criminology & Criminal Justice Credits: 3
  • CJ 495 - Senior Seminar Credits: 3
Area 1: The Justice System 6

Students should select two courses (six hours) from the following:

  • CJ 204 - Criminal Law Credits: 3
  • CJ 305 - Social Justice and the Law Credits: 3
  • CJ 311 - Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Credits: 3
  • CJ 320 - Police in Society Credits: 3
  • CJ 330 - Criminal Courts Credits: 3
  • CJ 340 - Institutional Corrections Credits: 3
Area 2: Diversity & Ethics in Criminal Justice 6

Students should select two courses (six hours) from the following:

  • CJ 347 - Gender & Crime Credits: 3
  • CJ 354 - Comparative Criminal Justice Systems Credits: 3
  • CJ 370 - Ethics in Criminal Justice Credits: 3
  • CJ 438 - Minorities, Crime and Social Policy Credits: 3
Area 3: Criminological Issues 6

Students should select two courses (six hours) from the following:

  • CJ 310 - Victimology Credits: 3
  • CJ 351 - Violence in American Society Credits: 3
  • CJ 356 - Crime: Relativity and Labeling Credits: 3
  • CJ 375 - White-Collar Crime Credits: 3
  • CJ 460 - Drugs and Society Credits: 3
  • CJ 463 - Life Course Criminology Credits: 3
Criminal Justice Electives 15

Students should select five courses (15 hours required) with diverse choices available*, including:

  • CJ 275 - Serial Killers Credits: 3
  • CJ 290 - Introduction to Forensic Science Credits: 3
  • CJ 315 - Investigative Principles Credits: 3
  • CJ 323 - Crime Scene Investigations Credits: 3
  • CJ 342 - Myths and Media in Criminal Justice Credits: 3
  • CJ 343 - Criminal Procedure and Judicial Process Credits: 3
  • CJ 365 - Cyber Crimes Credits: 3
  • CJ 424 - Community Corrections Credits: 3
  • CJ 425 - Police Practices and Problems Credits: 3
  • CJ 470 - Criminal Justice Policy Credits: 3
  • CJ 475 - International Studies in Law and Society Credits: 3, R6
  • CJ 480 - Independent Study in Criminology & Criminal Justice Credits: 1-3, R6
  • CJ 483 - Internship in Criminal Justice Credits: 3-6, R12
  • CJ 493 - Topics in Criminology & Criminal Justice Credits: 3, R12
  • EDM 350 - Cyber Terrorism Credits: 3
  • EDM 352 - Disaster and Crime Credits: 3
  • EDM 358 - Vulnerable Populations and Emergency and Disaster Management Credits: 3
  • EDM 360 - Asset Protection & Critical Infrastructure Credits: 3
  • EDM 400 - Missing Persons and Search and Rescue Credits: 3
  • EDM 405 - GIS and Emergency Mapping Credits: 3
  • EDM 406 - Incident Management Systems Credits: 3
  • EDM 410 - Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Emergency and Disaster Management Credits: 3
  • EDM 435 - Homeland Security Credits: 3
  • EDM 457 - Terrorism Credits: 3

*The 15 hours CJ elective requirement may include additional “area” courses and six hours of credit earned by completion of Basic Law Enforcement Training (BLET).

  • EDM courses may count (double dipping) toward both CJ elective category and EDM minor or EDM major.  A maximum of 9 credit hours from EDM can be applied to the CJ Major Electives requirement.
  • A minimum of 25 hours in the major must be completed at WCU.
General Electives 30

To complete 120 hours, students may need to take additional General Electives (the number depends on how many Liberal Studies courses also count toward the major).