Criminal Justice, A.A.S.
A.A.S. Degree—60 credit hours
Curriculum Code 1260
This program prepares students for entry-level careers in the criminal justice system, including careers in policing, the courts and corrections. Employment of police officers is expected to grow faster than the average, while employment of correctional officers is expected to increase much faster than the average. Because of the attractive salaries and benefits, the number of qualified candidates exceeds the number of job openings in federal law enforcement agencies and in most state, local and special police departments, resulting in increased hiring standards and selectivity by employers.
Required General Education Courses
22 credit hours as follows:
Select 4 credit hours Physical and Life Sciences:
AST-103, BIO, CHM, EAS, GEL, NAT, PHY (two lab science courses recommended)
Select 3 credit hours from Humanities and Fine Arts:
ARB, ART, FRE, HUM, LIT, MUS, PHI, SPA, THE
Required Career Courses
31 credit hours as follows:
| CRJ-101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ-105 | Criminology | 3 |
| CRJ-106 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| CRJ-107 | Juvenile Delinquency & Procedures | 3 |
| CRJ-109 | Introduction to Domestic Violence | 3 |
| CRJ-201 | Police in American Society | 3 |
| CRJ-202 | Investigation & Criminal Evidence | 3 |
| CRJ-203 | Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations | 4 |
| CRJ-206 | Substantive Criminal Law | 3 |
| CRJ-207 | Procedural Criminal Law | 3 |
Electives
Select 7 credit hours from the following course groups or specific courses:
| ADC-230 | Special Topics in Addiction Studies | 1 |
| BUS-142 | Financial Accounting | 4 |
CRJ-___
| (any Criminal Justice) | 1-3 |
| CRJ-110 | Introduction to Homeland Security | 3 |
| CRJ-111 | Homeland Security Incident Command | 3 |
| CRJ-208 | Serial Killers and Mass Murderers | 3 |
| CRJ-210 | Special Topics in Criminal Justice | 1 |
| EMS-101 | Emergency Medical Technician | 10 |
| CIS-115 | Microsoft Office I | 3 |
| MTH-120 | General Education Mathematics | 3 |
| MTH-139 | Probability and Statistics | 4 |
| MTH-141 | College Algebra (Functions) | 4 |
| PEH-107 | Introduction to Group Fitness | 1 |
SLP-___
| (any Security and Loss Prevention) | 1-3 |
Suggested Schedule
Semester 1 (15 credit hours)
| COM-101 | Composition I | 3 |
| CRJ-101 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ-105 | Criminology | 3 |
| SOC-101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
___-___
| Humanities and Fine Arts Elective | 3 |
Semester 2 (15 credit hours)
| COM-103 | Speech Fundamentals | 3 |
| CRJ-106 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| CRJ-107 | Juvenile Delinquency & Procedures | 3 |
| PSC-110 | American National Government | 3 |
| PSY-101 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
Semester 3 (16 credit hours)
| CRJ-110 | Introduction to Homeland Security | 3 |
| CRJ-201 | Police in American Society | 3 |
| CRJ-202 | Investigation & Criminal Evidence | 3 |
| CRJ-206 | Substantive Criminal Law | 3 |
___-___
| Physical and Life Sciences Elective | 4 |
Semester 4 (14 credit hours)
| CRJ-109 | Introduction to Domestic Violence | 3 |
| CRJ-203 | Forensic and Crime Scene Investigations | 4 |
| CRJ-207 | Procedural Criminal Law | 3 |
| CRJ-208 | Serial Killers and Mass Murderers | 3 |
| CRJ-210 | Special Topics in Criminal Justice | 1 |