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Academics

Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Concentration (B.S.)

The criminal justice major may be taken on either the Bachelor of Applied Science degree, Bachelor of Arts degree or the Bachelor of Science degree and can lead to a broad range of career options in law enforcement and corrections. Required criminal justice courses provide students with foundational competencies in law enforcement, corrections, courtroom procedures, and criminal law. Students can build upon this foundation by completing one of two concentrations focused on preparing them for their future careers in criminal justice. Concentrations include Offender Rehabilitation, designed for those seeking careers in community supervision and offender treatment, and Law Enforcement, designed for those seeking careers as police officers or other law enforcement officials.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

  1. Students will be able to compare different styles of policing and evaluate the effectiveness of each.
  2. Students will demonstrate mastery of the overall content of the basic purpose of and styles of policing.
  3. Students will be able to correctly identify and explain the five major philosophies of corrections.
  4. Students will be able to identify and explain common challenges to re-entry for offenders.
  5. Students will demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the major criminological theories.

Courses

Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Concentration General Education Requirements

General Education Requirements - 46 hours
English 1301, 1302, and three hours sophomore literature - 9 hours
Fine Arts (three hours from music, theatre, fine arts, art, or equivalent) - 3 hours
Christian Ministry 1320 and 1330 - 6 hours
History - 3 hours
Political Science 2305 - 3 hours
Social Science (CJUS, ECON, GEOG, POSC, PSYC, SOCI) - 3 hours
Physical Activity - KINE 1238 - 2 hours
Science (must be lab science) - 8 hours
Mathematics 1342 and three additional hours of MATH - 6 hours
Communication 1311, 1315, or 1318 - 3 hours
Departmental Recommendations for Criminal Justice Majors:
Spanish 1411 Elementary Spanish I
Major area of study (see below) -  33 hours
Minor or Concentration (minimum of 18 hours) - 18-21 hours
Electives (to total 120 hours)
Total: Minimum one hundred twenty (120) semester hours

Criminal Justice, Law Enforcement Concentration Major Requirements

Integrated Criminal Justice Major Requirements
Completion of thirty-three (33) semester hours, with a selected concentration or minor:
CJUS 1301 Introduction to Criminal Justice System
CJUS 1306 Courts and Criminal Procedure
CJUS 1311 Fundamentals of Criminal Law
CJUS 1313 Juvenile Justice System
CJUS 2313 Correctional Systems and Practices 
CJUS 2314 Police Systems and Practices
SOCI 3303 Criminology
PSYC/SOCI 3307 Seminar on Moral, Ethical, and Religious Issues
SOCI 3309 Race and Ethnicity
Six (6) additional advanced hours in criminal justice or forensic science
Law Enforcement Concentration
Twenty-two (22) semester hours:
Foundational Studies: Thirteen (13) semester hours
CJUS 2323 Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement
CJUS 3115 Crime Scene Investigation Laboratory
CJUS 3315 Crime Scene Investigation
CJUS 3316 Critical Incident Management
CJUS 4302 Community Policing
Support Studies: Nine (9) semester hours from the following:
CJUS 3306 Violence and Victimization
CJUS 3313 Drugs and Drug Policy 
CJUS 3314 Criminal Justice Practicum
CJUS 4301 Management of Criminal Justice Organizations
CJUS 4350 Criminal Justice Practicum

Semester by Semester Plans

Catalog Year 2023-2024
Catalog Year 2022-2023
Catalog Year 2021-2022
Catalog Year 2020-2021
Catalog Year 2019-2020
Catalog Year 2018-2019
Catalog Year 2017-2018