Office of Academic Services website
Welcome to Rutgers and to the Program in Criminal Justice! We recommend first viewing this short PowerPoint presentation, which gives you a general overview of the Program, our major, how courses are coded, and the course registration process: Please Click Here.
Our approach to the study of crime and justice administration blends a liberal arts education with pre-professional training. Courses cover the theory and practice of social control, encouraging students to consider practical concerns of management, the challenges of setting policy, the unintended consequences of existing institutional arrangements, and so much more. Throughout our curriculum, we aim to prepare our graduates for the workforce or advanced study by developing the skills of critical thinking and factual inquiry, as well as an understanding and appreciation for the legal, political, and social contexts affecting criminal justice systems in the United States and around the world.
We expect our students to take full advantage of the strengths of a premier research university. Our faculty are drawn from a wide range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences. In fact, many of them have faculty appointments in other departments, including Philosophy, Economics, Anthropology, Law, and Sociology. In addition, majors in Criminal Justice are expected to take courses in other departments to satisfy thematic requirements and, in the case of the forensics course, substantial scientific pre-requisites. Recent graduates have coupled the criminal justice major with another major or minor in Psychology, Political Science, Chemistry, or foreign language. The opportunities for defining your own specialization within Rutgers are nearly limitless.
The Office of Academic Services has a wealth of information available to transfer students from all types of backgrounds—community colleges, both in-state and out-of-state, 2-year colleges that award an Associate’s degree, general 4-year colleges and universities, and even school-to-school transfers from other Rutgers campuses.
All transfer students new to Rutgers should be sure to attend a STAR Day which serves as orientations for transfer students and are usually hosted throughout the summer. For those entering in the Spring term, there are 1-2 STAR Days hosted during the winter break. STAR Days stand for “Students in Transition Advising and Registration Days.” The day generally begins around 9:00am and ends approximately 4:00pm. The day is geared to disseminate a wealth of information regarding the School of Arts and Sciences program at Rutgers, tutorials on how to use Degree Navigator and WebReg (the course registration system). Students will have the opportunity to attend presentations by various academic departments, as well as to meet with academic advisors who will assist students with registering for courses.
Summer STAR Day dates will be mailed to you in late spring. Registration is mandatory. The Transfer Center will send all admitted students an email with an invitation to register for a STAR Day.
Transfer Courses
If you are a new transfer student, all of the courses you have taken at your previous institution will be evaluated by the staff in the Transfer Center within the first several weeks after you accept your offer of admission. They will decide whether a course is able to transfer with appropriate credit(s), or whether a course is not able to transfer. All courses eligible for transfer must have earned a grade of “C” or better. Any course earning below a “C” (2.00) will not be transferred. Moreover, all transfer courses that successfully transfer will appear on your Rutgers transcripts as earning credit, but no grades will appear for these transfer courses. Transfer course(s) grades will not be included in the Rutgers cumulative grade-point average. [Similarly, the Program in Criminal Justice does not factor in transfer course(s) grades into the major GPA for Criminal Justice.]
When you attend a STAR Day, you will receive a Transfer Summary Evaluation which will list every course you have submitted for transfer, and whether or not you earned credit for them. Each course that successfully transfers credit will also be assigned a specific coding. Codes match to the School of Arts and Sciences (01), the department of which the course is matched with (such as 202 for Criminal Justice), and then the last digits are matched to a specific course (if there is an equivalence, such as 201 for Introduction to Criminal Justice). The resulting code for this particular course would be 01:202:201. Please see the PowerPoint slides in this section [above] to learn more about how courses are coded at Rutgers.
It is possible that you might earn credits for a course that transferred, and is assigned a generic coding of TR:T01:EC. This is a generic coding assigned to transfer courses that do not have a direct equivalent to a course offered at Rutgers. What does this mean? This means that you have been awarded credits for the course that transferred and will count toward the 120 you need to graduate; however, these credits are not able to be used toward a major, minor, or Core requirements. If you believe that that a course that has been assigned the TR:T01: EC coding might match an equivalent course in a department, you will need to bring a copy of the syllabus from that course, and you must fill out a Departmental Transfer Evaluation Form to the related department academic advisor and ask for a review. If the advisor determines the course is equivalent to a Rutgers course they will fill out the form, which then needs to be submitted to any of the S.A.S. Advising Centers.
Limits on Transfer Credits
- The following limits are set on the maximum number of degree credits transferrable into the School of Arts and Sciences: No more than 60 credits from two-year institutions, no more than 90 credits from four-year institutions, and no more than 12 of the last 42 credits earned for the degree may be transfer credits. A maximum of 90 credits may be transferred from any combination of two- and four-year institutions.
- Once a student has transferred to Rutgers University and if the student has received the maximum number of credits from a two-year institution, then he/she may not take additional courses at a two-year institution for transfer credit at Rutgers. Students may also not decline previously awarded credit in exchange for additional transfer credit. This applies for students awarded the maximum amount of credits from a four-year institution as well.
- The Program in Criminal Justice does not accept credit for Winter session courses. The Program in Criminal Justice also does not accept credits earned for internships as transfer credits
- Online courses that are submitted for transfer evaluation and any other courses that were not offered in traditional classroom format will be awarded transfer credit only upon evaluation and recommendation from individual academic departments.
- Extension, professional, military technical training, and continuing education courses typically have informal or no prerequisites and are designed to provide discrete, targeted knowledge rather than being a part of a broader liberal arts curriculum. As such, many of these courses are not awarded credit in S.A.S. unless they are clearly equivalent to courses that are already offered.
- Students doing a School-to-School transfer are subject to restrictions on the maximum number of credits that the Program in Criminal Justice will accept to count towards the C.J. major. Students transferring from Newark or from Camden will be allowed to use approximately 9 transfer credits to count toward the Criminal Justice major. For more information about School-to-School transfers, please see the appropriate section below.
Transfer from New Jersey Community Colleges
- In the case of students who apply and are admitted directly to S.A.S. after successfully completing an associate degree (A.A. or A.S.) transfer program at any public New Jersey county or community college that conforms with the statewide transfer agreement, credits taken at the community college awarding the degree and required for that degree program are accepted for transfer credit, up to a total of 60 credits. This excludes transfer credits accepted by the community college from other institutions, credits earned by examination, credits in physical education, and course equivalent to non-credit courses offered by S.A.S. Credits earned beyond the requirements for the degree program are evaluated on a course-by-course basis.
- Transfer credits from New Jersey county or community colleges for students who did not earn an associate degree conforming with statewide transfer agreement are considered under general transfer policies.
- Credits earned at another college after receiving an associate degree from a New Jersey county or community college are considered under general transfer policies as well.
- For those students transferring from New Jersey community colleges, be sure to access NJTransfer.org for a wealth of information; furthermore, this website has a section where you can go to evaluate how your courses are going to transfer to Rutgers. To evaluate how your courses would transfer, click here.
School-to-School Transfer from Newark or Camden
Currently enrolled undergraduate students working toward a degree who wish to apply for admission to another school within the university should submit the online School-to-School Transfer Application. The following eligibility requirements must be met:
- You want to transfer between Camden, Newark, or New Brunswick.
- You want to transfer from one of the professional schools to a liberal arts school or from a liberal arts school to a professional school.
If you are considering a School-to-School transfer, please review the website of your prospective school. For a list of schools and colleges, go here: Rutgers University Colleges and Schools.
STAR Days are not geared for school-to-school transfer students; rather, students transferring from Camden or Newark should contact the Transfer Center directly to get situated with new registration procedures, help with selecting courses, and to learn more about general education requirements/CORE’s. Moreover, school-to-school transfer students are welcome to contact us directly in order to set up an advising appointment to discuss the C.J. major, its requirements, and for help registering for C.J. courses, specifically:
For questions on transferring into the School of Arts and Sciences from within another unit at Rutgers, please see the FAQ’s below. If you have a question not answered below, contact the Transfer Office at
Frequently Asked Questions:
{slider What are the S.A.S. criteria for admission from another New Brunswick School?}
Students applying from one of the New Brunswick professional schools (the College of Nursing, Mason Gross School of the Arts, the School of Engineering, School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, or the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy) must have completed by the end of the semester in which they are applying:
- 12 degree credits
- a Rutgers cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.000
- Expository Writing (01:355:101) or an acceptable equivalent course with a grade of “C” or better
- at least two years of one foreign language in high school (or one year in college).
Students currently in either of the degree completion programs offered through the School of Management and Labor Relations or the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy are not eligible to transfer to the School of Arts and Sciences.
{slider What are the S.A.S. admission criteria from Camden or Newark?}
Students applying from Rutgers-Newark and Rutgers-Camden (Newark College of Arts and Sciences, Camden College of Arts and Sciences, and Newark and Camden University Colleges) must have completed by the end of the semester in which they are applying:
- at least two semesters, including the current semester, as students in their present school or college at Rutgers University.
- a Rutgers cumulative grade-point average of 3.000
- English Composition I and II (Camden: 50:350:101 and 50:350:102) (Newark: (21:355:101 and 21:355:102) or acceptable equivalent courses with grades of “C” or better
- at least two years of one foreign language in high school (or one year in college).
{slider What are the application deadlines for fall and spring admission?}
- Fall term admission – June 1st
- Spring term admission – December 1st
{slider When applying for a School-to-School transfer, may I apply to more than one school?}
No, students may apply to only one school.
{slider Does the School of Arts and Sciences have a limit of students they will accept each term?}
No, if you meet the qualifications, you will be admitted.
{slider If I am applying for fall admission, may I use summer session to complete an admissions requirement?}
No, students must complete all admissions requirements by the end of the semester in which they are applying.
{slider If accepted to S.A.S., is it true that all of my credits, including transfer credits will be re-evaluated and I might lose some credits awarded from my prior Rutgers school?}
Yes, your transcript will be evaluated in accordance with SAS policy and procedure. You may lose Rutgers credit and/or transfer credit.
- Example #1: S.A.S. does not award credit for college-level algebra courses; therefore, credit for algebra courses will be removed for all students transferring into SAS.
- Example #2: S.A.S. does not award credit for elementary foreign languages if the student has studied the same language in high school for two years; therefore, credit for elementary languages may be removed.
{slider If I am accepted to S.A.S. for the fall semester and I want to take summer classes, should I get approval in advance?}
Yes, please fill out and submit the Transfer Preapproval Form. Please indicate that you are a school-to-school applicant on the top of the form. You can find more information about petitions for preapproval down below in the appropriate section.
{slider Who should I contact if I have more questions?}
Please write to
{slider What happens when you transfer courses from Newark or Camden?}
Upon successful completion of the course itself—and upon successful transfer of those grades after evaluation by the Transfer Office—grades are posted to your transcript as any other course. The coding of the course will remain with its original Newark/Camden code and that does not change. For major purposes, Degree Navigator will pick up the course with its Newark or Camden coding and count it towards the appropriate requirement of the C.J. major. If for some reason Degree Navigator does not automatically pick up a Newark/Camden course, please contact the Academic Advisor who will manually edit Degree Navigator so that it reflects the appropriate course(s).
To find a list of Newark and Camden courses and what requirements of the C.J. major those courses satisfy, please visit the Transfer Courses section of our website. The list for Newark and Camden courses do not reflect coding changes; rather, the list shows what requirements of the C.J. major courses will satisfy. [Lists are not exhaustive, and are often changing as courses are being added or removed.]
***Students transferring from Newark or from Camden will be allowed
to use approximately 9 transfer credits to count toward the Criminal Justice major.***
{/sliders}
High School Coursework
- Under New Jersey state law, certain approved courses in high school may be taken for college credit. Students should consult with an advisor to determine if these courses qualify for credit at S.A.S., and actually provide an adequate background as a prerequisite to the next level of coursework. Additional information governing the transfer of college credits earned while still in high school can be found on the Office of Academic Services website.
- Please note that for courses taken at New Jersey community colleges while the student is still in high school or courses taken at the high school and recorded on a college transcript, njtransfer.org can not be used to determine course equivalencies. Some courses with Rutgers equivalents in njtransfer.org may transfer as elective credit or may not even transfer at all if taken while the student was in high school. It is important to send all transcripts to the Office of Academic Services for a complete evaluation.
- For students who complete courses in high school that are reported on a college transcript, a maximum of 16 credits may transfer, with no more than two courses in a given semester. For questions about dual enrollment credits, please contact the S.A.S. First Year advising office at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or (848) 445-8888.
Transfer of Credit Evaluation Appeals
- Transfer Evaluation Appeals for Students Transferring from New Jersey Community Colleges:
- Students who wish to appeal their New Jersey Community College transfer evaluation to the School of Arts and Sciences must do so within 30 days of receiving their official Transfer Summary Report.
- Students should first refer to NJTransfer.org to determine the proper evaluation of any given course offered at a New Jersey Community College. If the transfer evaluation and NJTransfer.org are in disagreement the student should notify the S.A.S. Transfer Center via email at
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The email should include the student name, RUID, and the specific information detailing the error. All clerical errors will be corrected promptly and the student will be notified by return email within 30 days. - If the student is appealing the nature of the evaluation as correctly stated on NJTransfer.org, the student shall submit a completed copy of the Transfer Course Departmental Evaluation Form with an attached syllabus of the course in question to the undergraduate director OR the academic advisor of the specific academic department in which transfer credit is sought. If the department agrees that the evaluation for the course needs to be updated, they will notify the S.A.S. Transfer Center. Upon such written notification, NJTransfer.org will be updated appropriately and the student’s record will be adjusted accordingly within 30 days of receipt of notification from the academic department.
- Transfer Evaluation Appeals for Students Transferring from Schools Other than New Jersey Community Colleges:
- Students shall submit a completed copy of the Transfer Course Departmental Evaluation Form with an attached syllabus of the course in question to the undergraduate director OR the academic advisor of the specific academic department in which transfer credit is sought. If the department agrees that the evaluation for the course needs to be updated, the student’s record will be adjusted accordingly within 30 days of receipt of notification from the academic department.
Transfer Student Resources
Students in Transition Seminar and Passport Events:
The Students in Transition Seminars (STS) are one-credit courses that serve as a personal GPS system in order to navigate the University, the School of Arts and Sciences, and the services that S.A.S. provides.
Course Objectives:
- Help transfer students to make a smooth transition to Rutgers
- Provide the information and self-assessment skills necessary to facilitate successful academic performance and to address developmental needs during the first term
- Begin the development of necessary information technology skills and provide an introduction to the computer resources available at Rutgers
- Provide students with information about the services available at the College that will ensure academic success
- Promote the student's successful connection with the institution academically and socially
Every transfer student will be registered in a transition seminar during their first semester. Transfer students also receive Transfer Passports. Passport events are listed with dates, times, and locations in the passport each semester. Events which require registration are available at the STS Passport Event Registration Site.
Transfer Student Success Guide:
What is Transfer Shock? As a transfer student, you might think you know all about college-level courses. However, unless you have attended a large research university like Rutgers—and even if you have—you may suddenly find yourself feeling overwhelmed. If so, you are not alone. You are suffering from what is commonly referred to as "transfer shock," and because of it, many transfer students do not do as well academically in their first or second semesters at Rutgers as they did at their previous school. In addition, Rutgers itself can be difficult to navigate as it is comprised of an array of schools, campuses, departments, and pre-professional programs.
To check out some tips on how to beat “transfer shock,” go to the Transfer Student Success Guide website.
Visiting Campus:
Looking to visit any of the New Brunswick campuses? Head over to the Undergraduate Admissions website to learn how to visit campus and to take a tour.
We encourage you to explore our website as you will find a wealth of information relating to all aspects of the program, Rutgers as a whole, and the School of Arts and Sciences as well. Learn more about our faculty and our lecturers who come from a wide variety of backgrounds, fields, and research interests: you can explore what they have been up to beyond Rutgers and their scholarly accomplishments.
You can learn more about our program’s history, our major and its requirements, and you might also like to peruse our course offerings. We also have a lot of information on our website regarding internships and independent study, as well as job postings and career information.
Last but not least, our department news section both give an overview of various “goings-on” at the Program in Criminal Justice.
Want to get an idea of what life is like at Rutgers? Head over to the Rutgers Student Blogs website to read through the experiences of various Rutgers students from different backgrounds.
Looking to visit any of the New Brunswick campuses? Head over to the Undergraduate Admissions website to learn how to visit campus and to take a tour.
Parents are encouraged to be involved with Rutgers and the journey through the college experience. Rutgers offers many Parent and Family Programs, as well as many opportunities and events to keep parents involved with the Rutgers community. Check out their website for a wealth of information on how to get involved and join the parent's community: Parent and Family Programs website.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us via email by contacting us at