Criminal Justice, B.S.

Criminal Justice

Associate Professor Tammy Garland, Interim Head

Mission Statement:

The Department is committed to excellence in teaching, research, and service. Our undergraduate program prepares students for professional and personal success in the context of a strong liberal arts education. The program promotes an understanding of the legal and justice systems for both majors and non-majors. We are committed to coursework that is grounded in theory, research, and community engagement to help students prepare for careers in criminal justice and social services. Emphasis is placed on intellectual, experiential, critical thinking and problem solving abilities. We are committed to preparing students to become ethically informed, culturally sensitive, engaged scholars and practitioners. This goal is achieved by an inclusive curriculum that includes common core areas of study, while allowing for flexibility in electives which allows students to tailor their degree in ways that are most reflective of their career and academic goals.

Learning Objectives:

Graduates of the Criminal Justice program will:

Identify and apply the major theoretical perspectives in criminology and criminal justice and apply the social and policy implications of these approaches.
Demonstrate an understanding of the components and functions of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and corrections).
Apply knowledge of the operation of the criminal justice system to practical problems in the field and understand the role of ethical decision making in the process.
Demonstrate the ability to identify, analyze, and interpret data on and related to crime.
Illustrate how gender, race, ethnicity, age, social class, and sexual orientation function at both the macro and micro level in the criminal justice system.
Students will experience a curriculum that requires them to think about issues of race, class, gender, sexual orientation and ethnicity.

Transfer Students

The program also welcomes students who hold a two-year degree or who have had some criminal justice college courses. Transfer students in the program must complete the University General Education requirements or transfer the equivalent and meet all other university graduation requirements in addition to major requirements. Students who cannot physically attend UTC (due to location or other circumstances) may be eligible for our online degree completion program. Students interested in the online program should consult the departmental web pages at: http://www.utc.edu/Academic/CriminalJustice/

General Education

(see Certified General Education Courses for list of approved courses)

Rhetoric and Writing: (6 hours)

Two approved courses in rhetoric and writing

Fine Arts and Humanities: (12 hours)

Complete one approved course in each subcategory

Historical Understanding (3 hours)

Literature (3 hours)

Thought, Values and Beliefs (3 hours)

Visual and Performing Arts (3 hours)

Natural Sciences: (7-8 hours)

Two approved natural science courses, at least one including a laboratory component

Behavioral and Social Sciences: (6 hours)

Two approved behavioral or social science courses in two different disciplines outside of the Criminal Justice program.

Mathematics: (3 hours)

One approved mathematics course

Statistics: (3 hours)

One approved statistics course

Non-Western Culture: (3 hours)

One approved non-western culture course

Program Requirements

27 hours of core courses including:

21 hours of the following:

15 - 18 hours of Criminal Justice electives with at least 9 hours at the 3000/4000 level and
3 - 6 hours selected from the following Legal Assistant Studies Courses

Legal Assistant Studies Courses:

Additional Information and Notes

(No more than 6 hours of Criminal Justice 4780 and 4790 may be applied toward Criminal Justice electives.)

A minimum grade of C required in all core Criminal Justice courses, and a 2.0 GPA in all required major and related courses (including specified General Education courses).

Electives to complete 120 hours.

Minimum of 39 hours of 3000-4000 levels courses.

See Degree and Graduation Requirements for additional requirements.

*Also satisfies requirement in the major.

#Also satisfies general education requirements.

ClearPath Showcase

ClearPath Showcases provide students with an opportunity to see program requirements defined in a semester-by-semester format. The ClearPath Showcases also provide students with important tips, pointers, and suggestions for staying on track with progress toward the degree. Students should also meet regularly with their academic advisor.