Criminal Justice

Program Description

The Criminal Justice program is designed with inputs taken from Criminal Justice industry experts and employers. Keep up with the pace of innovation with access to the most up-to-date research and trending advancements in the Criminal Justice field.

The Criminal Justice program combines criminal law, law enforcement study and experience, and criminology. This degree will provide a broad foundation for work or further study in the Criminal Justice field. Students will be exposed to and study facets of the criminal justice system, including law enforcement and the court system. Students will be prepared to enter into further education or prepare for a career in various law enforcement roles.

Curriculum will also concentrate on issues faced by the Criminal Justice industry such as:

• Providing more adequate knowledge and understanding about diverse populations in the Criminal Justice field.

• Providing the Criminal Justice field more adequate workers.

• Introducing more people to possible job opportunities in the Criminal Justice field.

This program also includes a helpful feature that lets students choose courses that correlate to a student’s experience and professional needs. Core classes include exposure to advanced concepts of law enforcement, the justice system, psychology, and social work.

General Education courses include key concepts to develop students’ skills in areas where soft skills and communication are needed in order to thrive in today’s competitive markets.

Course outline

Criminal Justice is a 16-month, 64 semester credit hour program. The program consists of 20 courses. In addition to the broad field across the breadth of advanced Criminal Justice courses, students should apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired to real-world experiences. Students will be awarded an Associate of Science degree in Criminal Justice upon successful completion of all required coursework.

Instruction takes place online in an asynchronous manner – this means students are not required to be logged into the system at any particular time of the day or week.

Discussion boards will close at the end of each week – after 11:59 p.m. MST on Sunday evenings and students will be able to view all posts after that time; however, students will not have the ability to make additional posts. Only substantive comments made in the discussion boards will contribute towards a student’s participation grade.

Program Objectives

1) Students will earn a minimum of 64 credits, including a collection of general education requirements.
2) Students will be exposed to real-world examples of the criminal justice system and law enforcement.
3) Students will receive a broad and varied education on several facets of the justice system.

4) Students should be prepared to enter into further education related to the justice system or a career in law enforcement.
5) Students will receive an introductory education to related fields as well, including psychology and social work.

Program Curriculum for criminal justice: