Criminal Justice
Associate of Arts
Transfer Major
Decisions on the transferability of courses are made by the four-year colleges and differ from school to school. Students enrolled in this major should contact the Transfer Services Office early in their academic program to determine which courses will transfer to the college of their choice.
School of Social & Behavioral Science
Grupp 301 • Phone (215) 968-8270
Curriculum Code No. 1189
The transfer major has the following objectives
- to provide students with a solid foundation in Criminal Justice as an academic field of study in preparation for transfer to a four-year institution;
- to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the functioning of the criminal justice system's major components- police, courts, and sanctions; and
- to provide students with an understanding of the purposes, scope, and sources of criminal law
Graduates of this program are able to:
- apply their knowledge of the function and roles of the police to representative situations
- describe the function and roles of the courts and apply to representative situations
- analyze the function and roles of sanctions and apply to representative situations
- examine the constitution, elements of crimes, and defenses and apply to appropriate legal cases
- analyze evidentiary data using software programs.
Upon completion of this associate degree program, the student will be qualified to apply for a position as a police officer, sheriff deputy, or correctional officer.
Degree Course Requirements
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| BIOL101 Biological Science I C,E,7 | 4 |
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| COMM110 Effective Speaking C,4,5 | 3 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,C,2,10 | 3 |
| COMP111 English Composition II C,2,4,10 | 3 |
| CRIJ100 Introduction to the Administration of Criminal Justice E | 3 |
| CRIJ110 Introduction to Criminal Law D | 3 |
| CRIJ130 Criminal Investigation/Forensics D,9 | 3 |
| CRIJ160 Introduction to Juvenile Justice D | 3 |
| HIST151 U.S. History: Young America 1,2,3 | 3 |
| HIST152 U.S. History: Modern America 1,2,3 | 3 |
| MATH101 Mathematical Concepts A,C,H,2,6 | 3 |
| POLI120 American State and Local Government | 3 |
| PSYC110 Introduction to Psychology A,E,2,3,8 | 3 |
| SOCI110 Introduction to Sociology 2,3,8 | 3 |
| SOCI150 Criminology | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Electives D,F | 9 |
| Electives G | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 62 |
Recommended Semester Sequence
The recommended course sequence is designed for full-time students who average 15 credit hours per semester. Students may need more time to complete major requirements based on placement testing. This additional time will entail some adjustments to the sequence recommended.
First Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COLL101 Orientation to College | 1 |
| COMP110 English Composition I A,C,2,10 | 3 |
| CRIJ100 Introduction to the Administration of Criminal Justice E | 3 |
| SOCI110 Introduction to Sociology 2,3,8 | 3 |
| POLI120 American State and Local Government | 3 |
| HIST151 U.S. History: Young America 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 16 |
Second Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| COMP111 English Composition II C,2,4,10 | 3 |
| CRIJ110 Introduction to Criminal Law D | 3 |
| CRIJ160 Introduction to Juvenile Justice D | 3 |
| PSYC110 Introduction to Psychology A,E,2,3,8 | 3 |
| HIST152 U.S. History: Modern America 1,2,3 | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Third Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| MATH101 Mathematical Concepts A,C,H,2,6 | 3 |
| COMM110 Effective Speaking C,4,5 | 3 |
| CRIJ130 Criminal Investigation/Forensics D,9 | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Elective D,F | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 15 |
Fourth Semester
| Course | Credits |
|---|---|
| BIOL101 Biological Science I C,E,7 | 4 |
| SOCI150 Criminology | 3 |
| Criminal Justice Electives D,F | 3 |
| Elective G | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours | 16 |
A Placement testing required. B Pre-college level courses do not meet this requirement. C Course requires prerequisite. D Course requires prerequisite or co-requisite of CRIJ100. E Prerequisite: Reading Placement Test score Level 3 or Read110 (C or better), or Co-requisite: Reading Placement Test score Level 2 and enrollment in a paired section of READ110. F Students may choose any elective within Criminal Justice or other course outside of Criminal Justice with prior written approval from the Criminal Justice Coordinator or the Assistant Academic Dean. Criminal Justice electives include: CRIJ 115, CRIJ 116, CRIJ 120, CRIJ 140, CRIJ 210, CRIJ 220, CRIJ 250, CRIJ 260, CRIJ 275, CRIJ 280, CRIJ 285. G Pre-college level courses do not meet this requirement. H Depending on career choice and transfer institution, MATH115 may be substituted. Students should consult an academic advisor. 1 Satisfies Arts/Humanities 2 Satisfies Critical Thinking 3 Satisfies Cultural Competency 4 Satisfies Information Literacy 5 Satisfies Oral Communication 6 Satisfies Quantitative Literacy 7 Satisfies Scientific Literacy 8 Satisfies Social Sciences 9 Satisfies Technological Competence 10 Satisfies Writing