The Bachelor of Arts major in Law and Justice (LAJ) is designed to prepare students for professional employment in the criminal justice system and/or entry into graduate or law school. It retains the humanistic emphasis of the liberal arts while assisting students to prepare for graduate school, careers in law enforcement, corrections, paralegal professions and the practice of law following law school.

CWU offers the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Law and Justice at the Lynnwood Center. This university center program is designed for students who have completed a Direct Transfer Agreement (DTA) associate degree (usually A.A. or A.S. Degree) from a Washington state community college, or its equivalent. Typically, students at the Center have completed 90 credits prior to entering the program in preparation for the 300- and 400- level courses offered. Many of the Law and Justice courses are offered online.

Admission Requirements

The standards for admission to the LAJ major are based on overall grade point average (GPA) of 2.25. The LAJ Department reserves the right to modify these requirements in special cases or as the needs of the department change.

Application Process

1. Meet CWU’s general education requirements through a community college direct transfer agreement (DTA), bachelor’s degree, or equivalent from any state accredited college or university. Students who have not completed a two-year transfer degree (but intend to) must complete the requirements for the degree within one calendar year or within 45 credits after admission to the LAJ program.
2. Apply for admission to Central Washington University online at www.cwu.edu/admissions.  Submit official electronic or hard copy transcripts from any colleges or universities you have attended to Admissions in Ellensburg and a provide the Lynnwood Center with a student copy for advising purposes.

Graduation Requirements

A minimum grade of C- must be earned in all courses used to fulfill the requirements of the major and of the minor, in addition to the university GPA requirements that apply to all CWU major programs.

A minimum of 180 quarter credits is required for a baccalaureate degree. Central allows a maximum of 135 quarter (90 semester) credits to transfer from a regionally accredited four-year institutions, including no more than 105 quarter (70 semester) credits of lower-division (100-200 level) coursework from a regionally accredited community college.

Students seeking a BA degree must complete one year of college/university study or two years of high school study of a single foreign language. If taken at high school, please arrange to have official high school transcript forwarded to Admissions in Ellensburg.

Curriculum

*Course may be offered online.

For more information, visit the Law and Justice site.

BA Law and Justice (PDF)