Departmental Forms - Criminal Justice

Prior to the first day of class. Prior to the first day of classes, students are required to check the online registration at www.mynmu.nmu.edu to see if the CJ class has an opening and then do an online add/drop. Students should not contact the professor to request to be added to the course. The instructor will only refer the student back to this department policy.

Students graduating this semester. In unusual circumstances, if the student has tried repeatedly to get into a CJ course that is full and still needs the CJ course in order to graduate, the student should contact the Criminal Justice Department Head (906) 227-2660 and request to be added to the CJ course. In this case, evidence is required for consideration to be added.

Evidence required. The student must run a degree evaluation, which outlines the official major/minor and shows which courses have been met for the degree. The CJ course needed  should show up as not met, as shown on the degree evaluation.The criminal justice department head will make a decision to add the student to the CJ course based on extenuating circumstances and the evidence provided.

Currently enrolled students can be dropped automatically from class if they do not attend class the first week of the semester. To allow additional students into the course, the instructor can choose to automatically drop a currently enrolled student from the class if the student has not attend class the first week (or its equivalent of first week of class); and the student has not contacted the instructor. The instructor will complete the Automatic Withdrawal form, located above. The form must be received in the Registrar’s Office by the Tuesday of the second week of the semester and a copy furnished to the student. The instructor can choose to fax the form to the Registrar’s Office at 906-227-2231.

How to add a course during the first week of school. During the first week of school, students will attend the first CJ class and bring a drop/add card (PDF) for the instructor to sign. If the instructor signs the drop/add card, the student will bring the card to Student Services Office in Hedgcock building to be officially added to the course.  

How to add a Web course. On the first day of class, students who want to get into a CJ Web course must e-mail the instructor (including the student's first/last name and NMU IN#), to ask for permission to be added. If, the instructor grants permission, he/she will forward the student's request to the department secretary's e-mail (and copy the student) with the approval. The course will appear on the student’s schedule within 24-48 hours.

Northern Michigan University has a growing list of online and hybrid programs and courses.

Our department offers several online programs.

• Loss Prevention Management Major
• Criminal Justice Major

However, the university also offers some hybrid / blended instruction programs which include the traditional learning environment (face-to-face, for on-campus classes) enhanced by technology and often employing tools in a learning management system (EduCat).

We consider our NMU Criminal Justice - Undergraduate Programs, as being available as an online program, depending on the minor selected by the student. Students have the opportunity to complete the degree by taking classes online, on campus or by transferring the credit(s) to NMU. Students would still have to comply with CJ degree requirements, including issues associated with transfer policy and residency requirements.

Refer to our advising sheets to give you an idea of what courses we may offer online for our majors in any given semester. For example, the advising sheet for the criminal justice bachelor's degree (indicates online Web courses marked with a "W" (for example CJ 110w Introduction to Criminal Justice)). If you have already earned college credit and want to see how your courses would apply toward one of our CJ degree programs follow the Instructions For Filling Out Your Advising Sheet.

• Our two-year degree program in Criminal Justice
• Our two-year degree program in Law Enforcement (However, a student is still required to come to campus to complete the Regional Police Academy)
• Our Bachelor in Criminal Justice degree (At this time, all but one course (CJ 490) could be offered via the web in order to complete our major. We hope to have it available soon)

In addition to our courses, a student would still need to select courses for the remaining requirements of the degree:

• Liberal Studies requirements
• Minors (Sociology, Business Administration and Computer Information Systems can be completed online. The Sociology minor, although not sanctioned as a minor does offer enough courses that you could use it as a minor as well.
• Health Promotion requirements (HP 200 Physical Well Being is available online. However, the HP activity course would have to be transferred in or taken on campus).

View Current Online Web Courses now!

So YES. There is a good chance that you could finish your degree online. If you take the time to map out your courses, we would be glad to discuss your program. Contact us at 906-227-2660.

The easiest way to determine what you need to take in order to meet the requirements of a specific degree is to map it out on the appropriate advising sheet. This will take a little bit of time on your part, but will provide you (and your adviser) with a complete overview of where you stand to complete the degree. You will be required to have an updated advising sheet when you meet with your adviser. We recommend that you download the interactive form and save it to your computer so you only have to update it each semester. View our advising video in order to gain some insight on how the advising process works.

See these SAMPLE advising sheets as an example of how your advising sheet should look. Then follow the directions below.

Bachelors - Criminal Justice
Bachelors - Loss Prevention Management
Associates - Criminal Justice
AAS - Law Enforcement

Advising Sheet: Navigate to the Forms tab at the top of this page and download the appropriate advising sheet for your degree program. Please note that you must meet the minimum credits in each of the appropriate areas (major, minor, liberal studies, physical education and general electives) of the advising sheet. Overall, the TOTAL credits must be met. Pay close attention to the notes in each of the areas of the advising sheet. For example, in the major area, CJ 110 Intro to CJ is a pre-requisite to all other CJ courses and requires a minimum grade of "C" before taking other CJ courses. Directions: You’ll need two or three items: the appropriate advising sheet and your NMU transcript(s) (which you can download from MyNMU). If you are a transfer student you may also need the transfer equivalency worksheet if your transfer credits are not included on your NMU transcript. Then follow the guidelines below:

• Transcript: Current NMU students can download their transcripts from MyNMU. Using your NMU transcript, insert all of the courses you have completed on the advising sheet in the appropriate areas. Be sure to fill in all blocks of information with "Sem/Yr" taken, "Grade" received and "Credits" earned. This will be important when adding up the total credits and verifying the minimum grade needed for the CJ major. If you need additional space for general elective credits, use the back of the form.
• Transfer Equivalency Worksheet: If you are a transfer student you must submit your "official" transcripts to NMU Registrar’s Office to be evaluated. You will be provided with your "transfer equivalency worksheet." Using this worksheet, insert the equivalent course in the appropriate area on the advising sheet. Please remember any course that does not apply to your major, minor, physical education or liberal studies areas, goes in the general electives area.
  • Please be aware that many community college courses are not always the same equivalency for the same course at NMU, and will require you to take additional credits in the respective area. For example: John Smith attended XYZ College and took CJ 1000 Introduction to Criminal Justice for 3 credits. This course equates to our NMU Course CJ 110 Intro to CJ. However, our course is 4 credits and the course transferred in is only 3 credits. This means that you have satisfied the requirement of the course, but you still need to make up the CJ total credits required for the major. In this case, you need to take one additional CJ elective. You choose to select CJ 214 Investigative Process I. Of the 4 credits for the course, one credit will be applied in the CJ major area and the remaining 3 credits will be applied to the general elective area. 
• Course Equivalency Site: If you have not had your transcripts officially evaluated by the NMU’s Registrar’s Office, but you want to see how the courses you took at one school would equate to courses at NMU, refer to transfer equivalencies. If your school is not listed on this site, you will have to submit your transcripts to NMU to be officially evaluated. 
• Liberal Studies: The interactive advising sheets help you go directly to the current undergraduate bulletin, which provides an explanation of the liberal studies program. Please use the side toolbar on that Web site to learn more about each division. To view older bulletins, go to Registrar's Office and click on the appropriate bulletin. Please be aware that all liberal studies courses are listed in the undergraduate bulletin, but not all courses are offered each semester. 
• Bulletin (Major/Minor Departmental Guidelines): Follow the guidelines as specified in the appropriate academic bulletin for the first year you entered NMU. Some departments require a specific GPA in the major or minor and/or specific number of credits completed here at NMU. NMU also allows you to graduate under the degree bulletin when you first entered NMU or the bulletin in use at the time you graduate. Please review Bulletin Options for Graduation Requirements.
• Talk With An Adviser: Find who your adviser is so he/she can assist you with the advising and registration process. When you have completed the advising sheet, contact your adviser and set up an appointment to discuss your questions. Keep in mind that the advising sheet should be filled out completely with the semester/year the class was taken, the grade received and the number of credits you received. Your adviser can quickly look at the advising sheet and determine what you need to accomplish to finalize your degree. Your adviser can also talk with you about career objectives and help you target the specific program that is best for you. 
• Final Note:  These instructions for filling out your advising sheet provide only a general overview for completing your degree requirements. Every student is different, and other options and/or policies may differ depending on your particular status. We recommend that you spend time with your adviser to ensure you ask appropriate questions as it pertains to your specific degree. Also, refer to your online degree evaluation which is available as a tool to track your completion of degree requirements. Official evaluations are completed by the Degree Audits office when you have completed 87 credits/bachelors or 32/associate degree. The Degree Audits office is the final authority to verify that you have met the requirements of your degree for graduation. If you find discrepancies in your evaluations, contact your adviser immediately so corrective actions can be initiated.  
• Questions: Call us at the Criminal Justice Department, 906-227-2660.