Criminal Justice
| Grantham's Degree Programs | Credit Hours |
| Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice | 122 credit hours |
| Associate Degree | 62 credit hours |
| The Criminal Justice program is available as a general program of study or with a concentration in Homeland Security OR Computer Science | |
Criminal Justice Program Description
Associate of Arts
The Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice (AA-CJ) prepares the student to demonstrate a basic working knowledge of law enforcement, corrections, investigations, and juvenile justice. The student gains the core curriculum needed to be successful in the criminal justice workforce or to purse a more advanced degree in criminal justice.
Bachelor of Arts
The Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice (BA-CJ) engages the student in theories of criminal justice as it relates to real-world experiences. The student gains the ability to analyze both theoretical and conceptual aspects of crime and relate their analytical skills to their ability to make decisions and solve problems. It prepares the student for a career in local, state, or federal law enforcement.
Concentrations
The program requires a minimum of 18 credit hours in major electives from the criminal justice discipline. These courses must be Criminal Justice (CJ) courses at the 300 level or higher. These electives allow the student to increase breadth or depth in specific concentrations in the criminal justice field.
Sets of elective courses have been grouped together around selected concentrations in criminal justice. A student may opt to take one of these sets as enumerated below in order to focus attention on homeland security or computer science.
Concentration in Homeland Security
The Homeland Security concentration elective courses prepare students for work in areas involving the protection of our nation’s borders and preparation and recovery from emergencies. Graduates are qualified to work in such areas as border security and intelligence, terrorism prevention and analysis, and emergency and disaster planning. The recommended sequence of courses is as follows:
- CJ450 Understanding Terrorism
- CJ451 Principles of Terrorism
- CJ452 Terrorism and U.S. National Security
- CJ453 Border and Coastal Security
- CJ454 Elements and Issues in Counterterrorism
- CJ455 Emergency Planning
Concentration in Computer Science
Building on the general criminal justice core, this concentration involves study in computer crime, computer forensics, ethical hacking, computer crime scene investigation, and criminal intelligence analysis. The recommended sequence of courses is as follows:
- CJ475 Introduction to Computer Crime
- CJ476 Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime
- CJ477 Computer Crime Scene Investigation
- CJ478 Online Resource Guide for Law Enforcement
- CJ479 Information Security
- CJ480 Criminal Intelligence Analysis
If the student chooses to forego focusing on a specific concentration in CJ, it is highly recommended that the following six courses be taken for the CJ electives as they provide a solid and typical knowledge base:
- CJ412 Current Issues in Criminal Justice
- CJ414 Multicultural Law Enforcement
- CJ415 Police Community Relations
- CJ416 Victimology
- CJ421 Advanced Criminal Law
- CJ425 Judicial Process
Criminal Justice Course Highlights
| CJ201 | Police Systems & Practices |
| CJ202 | Correction Systems & Practices I |
| CJ203 | Juvenile Justice I |
| CJ302 | Criminal Procedure |
| CJ309 | Criminal Law |
| CJ402 | Criminal Investigations |
| CJ403 | White Collar Crime |
| CJ409 | Police Administration |
| PA301 | Introduction to Public Administration |
| PS280 | Psychology & the Law |
View the Associate Degree Curriculum
View the Bachelor's Degree Curriculum
"...Many people are attracted to police work because it is challenging. Persons with college training in police science or who have military experience, or both, should have the best chances for a job..."U.S. Department of Labor |
Career Specific Information
Criminal Justice:
The Criminal Justice degree program prepares graduates for the
detection, apprehension, detention, pretrial release, post trial
release, prosecution, adjudication, correctional supervision or rehabilitation
of accused persons or criminal offenders through the
knowledge and skills acquired during the successful completion of
courses in corrections systems and practices, criminal procedure,
community policing, police systems and practices, white collar
crime, criminal justice research methods, and judicial process. The
Homeland Security specialty prepares graduates for work in areas
involving the protection of our nations boarders and preparation
and recovery from emergencies.
| 10-year Job Growth Forecast:
In the next 10 years, the law enforcement field is projected to grow by more than 97,000 positions. |
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| Average Salaries:
If you choose to work in the law enforcement field, you can expect to earn: |
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The Job Market:
Available positions include: • Border Patrol Agent |
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| The information on Job Titles, Salary, and Job Growth was assembled using information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. These are not promises or guarantees, and they should not take the place of prospective students doing their own research on other possible career outcomes. | |
Enroll Today! Classes Start Weekly.Talk with an Admissions Representative, complete a Transfer Credit Application, and start experiencing what a Grantham online education can do for you. |
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about enrolling call: 800-955-2527 |

