Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement

Program Goals

Upon completion of the Criminal Justice or Law Enforcement Program, students will have a clear understanding of the Criminal Justice system and its processes including those relating to police, courts and corrections as well as key legal precedent governing each stage of the process. Students will have an appreciation of the historical, political and ethical foundations of the Criminal Justice system. Students will obtain appropriate levels of knowledge in the substantive areas of criminological theory, research methodology and data evaluation.

Programs

Jefferson State offers two separate two-year degrees and a certificate in these areas. There is a Criminal Justice Associate in Science Degree (AS), a Law Enforcement Associate in Applied Science Degree (AAS) and a Certificate in Law Enforcement. All are detailed in your Student Handbook/Catalog.

If you plan to pursue a bachelor's degree, follow the Criminal Justice Associate in Science (60-64 semester hours) degree plan in the University Parallel section of the catalog which specifies required courses for Areas I through V. This degree is guaranteed by the Alabama articulation agreement to students transferring to Alabama's public institutions. Core courses in Areas I-IV are listed in the Catalog's University Parallel section - Alabama General Studies Committee (AGSC) Approved Course Listing as well as in the Course Descriptions section.

The degree plan lists nine hours of required courses in Area V. However, the remaining ten to fourteen hours depend on which institution you are transferring to, and thus, necessitates some research on your part. You can access University Area V Web Sites by going to this page and Advisors, Institutional Links, select Area V page, or contact University advisors to ascertain their requirements.

In addition to the courses covered by articulation (CRJ 100, 110, 150 and 160), the University of Alabama at Birmingham has agreed to accept the following Criminal Justice courses from JSCC to be applied toward the major: CRJ 130, 208, 216, 220, and 290. Other Criminal Justice courses may be applied to general education elective hours.

Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement

The Law Enforcement Associate in Applied Science Degree (64 semester hours) is a career degree that requires fewer core courses than the AA in Criminal Justice, resulting in more General Education Elective and Criminal Justice hours, 12 and 24 respectively. However, there are numerous courses common to both degrees. Therefore, if you are unsure as to which degree to pursue, simply take those courses until you reach a decision.

The AAS degree in Law Enforcement is generally a faster track for those already employed in law enforcement since the college awards up to 12 hours of Criminal Justice credit once an equivalent amount of Criminal Justice coursework has been completed at Jeff State. More information about certification for police academy and military credit is found in the Admissions to College, Credit for Non-Traditional Academic Work section of the catalog. This section also includes information regarding College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Advanced Placement Test (AP).

The Certificate in Law Enforcement (26 hours) is an academic intermediate recognition step. All course work in the certificate program applies to the AAS degree.

Distance Learning opportunities are available via internet classes, telecourses and alternative sites. For more information contact the program coordinator.