Criminal Justice Degree Online

The program of study follows a recommended eight semester course of study. Students should be aware that certain factors may require deviation from the recommended schedule, and that completion of the degree may take longer than eight semester hours. Entering students, who have already completed an associate degree in criminal justice or the equivalent from an accredited institution may transfer in and be admitted at junior status in the particular specialization chosen. They can then earn the baccalaureate degree by completing the general studies program and those courses specified for the third and fourth year of the major. Up to 72 hours of credit from all regionally accredited community colleges may be applied towards the degree; all hours transferred in will be entered on the transcript and will calculate in the students’ GPA at Bluefield State College.

Up to 13 hours credit will be awarded to individuals within this discipline who present to the registrar a photocopy of graduation certificate from either an accredited police academy or an accredited state or federal correctional academy. Additional credits may be awarded in accordance with articulation agreements made by Bluefield State College and various institutions. The minimum credit awards are:

Law Enforcement
CRMJ 151 Intro to CJ 3
CRMJ 163 Criminal Law 3
CRMJ 215 Criminal Invest 3
HLTH 201 Safety & First Aid 2
PHED 2
13

Corrections
CRMJ 151 Intro to CJ 3
CRMJ 221 Amer Corr Systems 3
CRMJ 132 CJ Writing 3
HLTH 201 Safety & First Aid 2
PHED

To serve and protect.” This simple phrase says it all; it’s what you do, your reason for being, if you choose
a career in law enforcement. To prepare for such a demanding career, come to Schoolcraft College.
We offer two associate degrees in Criminal Justice. The first is
geared toward working professionals looking to enhance their
on-the-job training with specialized CJ courses, as well as classwork
in communications, computing, health, and human relations.
The other degree is aimed at students aspiring to law enforcement careers and who want the academic
credentials and the police academy experience. (The academy also prepares its students to sit for the Michigan
Commission on Law Enforcement Standards certification exam, a prerequisite for employment in this state.)
Either degree will position you for quick advancement in the field. The rest is up to you.

The Criminal Justice degree is designed to provide students with a broad education based in the social sciences and, at the same time, introduce them to the goals and processes of the entire criminal justice system.
Why SVSU?

The Department of Criminal Justice is one of the largest on campus with over 300 students enrolled in the major.

The program has a cooperative agreement with the Delta College Police Academy that permits our students to earn 12 Academy credits toward the SVSU degree.

Class sizes range from 20 to 35 students, allowing for meaningful faculty-student interaction.

Criminal Justice Program

If you are looking for a career where you can…

Help people

Save lives

Take control of difficult situations

…you’ll find a lot of options in the Criminal Justice Program at LCC.

This program is designed to prepare students for entry into corrections or law enforcement career fields. The curriculums offered in the Criminal Justice Program are taught by instructors who have a solid understanding of the theory and practice you need to work in these fields. In fact, many members of our teaching staff are currently active or have had previous experience in criminal justice, bringing a valuable, real-world component to your learning environment.

Students can select from the following areas of concentration in order to prepare for a career in criminal justice:

Students in the Corrections program can choose from the Corrections Associate Degree curriculum with either adult or juvenile specialization, the Corrections Pre-transfer curriculum, and vocational certificate curriculums for Correctional Officer and Juvenile Care Worker.

In the Law Enforcement program, students can select the Criminal Justice Associate Degree curriculum (which includes the Police Academy) or the Criminal Justice Pre-transfer curriculum.

The Mid-Michigan Police Academy is a 18-week basic police training program designed to meet or exceed state mandated certification requirements for preparing individuals for a career in law enforcement.

Click any of the links on the right to view more information about curriculum, degrees and certificates, courses and career fields within the Criminal Justice Program at LCC.

To complete the requirements for graduation with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or legal studies, students must fulfill the general education requirements. While most courses taken at accredited colleges and universities are transferable for full credit, only four courses will be considered toward criminal justice major programs. Students should take at least two-thirds of the credits constituting their major from Grand Valley State University.
B.A. or a B.S. degree
Students majoring in criminal justice or in legal studies may earn either a B.A. or a B.S. degree.
The B.A. degree requires third-semester proficiency in a foreign language
The B.S. degree requires the completion of the following:
CJ 300 - Research Methods in Criminal Justice Credits: 3
CJ 400 - Qualitative Methods Credits: 3
STA 215 - Introductory Applied Statistics Credits: 3
Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice
A minimum of 39 credits is required.
All majors must take the following nine courses Credit Hours: 27
CJ 101 - Justice and Society Credits: 3
CJ 201 - Criminology Credits: 3
CJ 305 - Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties Credits: 3
CJ 312 - Police Process Credits: 3
CJ 330 - Correctional Process Credits: 3
CJ 350 - Juvenile Justice Process Credits: 3
CJ 470 - Crime Control and Justice Policy Credits: 3
CJ 495 - Issues in Criminal Justice (capstone) Credits: 3
SOC 382 - Race and Ethnicity Credits: 3
Additional Courses

In addition, majors must select 12 credit hours of electives from criminal justice courses (not including the B.S. Degree Cognate CJ 300 and CJ 400 or Police Academy courses, (CJ 415, 416, 417, 418 and 419).
Students planning to enroll in the Grand Valley Police Academy
Are required to take:
CJ 411 - Community Policing Credits: 3
CJ 461 - Police Management and Legal Issues Credits: 3
CJ 490 - Criminal Justice Internship Credits: 1 to 6
And the Academy Courses,
CJ 415 - Law Enforcement Physical Education, Defensive Tactics and Firearms Credits: 3
CJ 416 - Special Operations and Training Credits: 3
CJ 417 - Criminal Investigations II Credits: 3
CJ 418 - Patrol and Traffic Administration and Procedure Credits: 3
CJ 419 - Michigan Criminal Law Credits: 3

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, criminal justice job opportunities will continue to rise through 2014. Earning a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice may help lay the groundwork for becoming a federal or state enforcement officer, a police officer, a sheriff’s deputy or another type of law enforcement official. After receiving your degree, you will need further training at a police academy or through another department of law enforcement.

You may enter the corporate world as a loss prevention officer or a contingency manager, assisting in investigations of internal theft and fraud.

In addition, you may work as a detention or custodial officer in a city, county, state or federal jail or prison. You may serve as a probation or parole officer or a victim’s advocate at the county, state or federal level. With additional graduate school training, you may become a criminal lawyer, an administrator with a criminal justice agency or a researcher in crime and law enforcement.

UNT’s criminal justice alumni are found in many criminal justice agencies serving the Dallas-Fort Worth region. Alumni include police chiefs, state law enforcement officers, special agents at federal agencies and supervisory staff at community corrections agencies.

UNT’s Career Center can help you prepare to pursue your career. The center has information about jobs and employers, and the staff can help you with resume and letter writing, job search strategies and interview preparation.