CRIMINAL JUSTICE
The purpose of the Criminal Justice Associate program is to prepare the student,
academically, for direct entry into many positions available in the Criminal Justice
profession. The student may also choose to transfer to one of many colleges and
universities that offer Bachelor of Applied Science or baccalaureate and graduate programs
in the field of Criminal Justice.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE FIELD OF STUDY
Senate Bill 148 of the 75th Texas Legislature (1997) mandated Field of Study
curricula. The field of study curricula, along with core curricula, are intended to
facilitate transferability of courses among Texas public colleges and universities.
All public four-year institutions are required to accept Coordinating Board
approved field of study courses in fulfillment of lower-division requirements for
bachelor's degrees in majors that correspond to the field of study.
Core Curriculum and Field of Study for Criminal Justice is designed for students
seeking a bachelor's degree BA or BS.
The following set of courses is designed to apply to the bachelor's degree deemed
appropriate by the awarding institution. The field of study curriculum is
furthermore intended to serve as a guide for community and technical colleges in
structuring a transfer curriculum in criminal justice.
Fields of study are valid only when no course substitutions are made.
FIELD OF STUDY TRANSFER CURRICULUM FOR
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Leading to the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice or
Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice
Requirements: 36-48 hours academic major, 21 hours must be upper division level. The
lower division degree requirements must include 15 hours of Criminal Justice courses
consisting of the following:
CRIJ 1301 – Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRIJ 1310 – Fundamentals of Criminal Law
CRIJ 2313 – Correctional Systems and Practices
CRIJ 2328 – Police Systems and Practices
The field of study includes, in addition to the five specified courses, up to an additional six
hours of transfer courses from the Academic Course Guide Manual, specified by a local
agreement, or an additional six semester credit hours at the receiving institution, as long as
the additional coursework does not duplicate content already covered in the other Field of
Study courses.
Core Curriculum Courses:
Select courses from the Core Curriculum.
Semester Credit Hours: 44
Students should visit with an advisor regarding transfer to a specific college or
university.
1Criminal Justice Field of Study
15
CRIJ 1301 Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRIJ 1306 Courts and Criminal Procedure
CRIJ 1310 Fundamentals of Criminal Law
CRIJ 2313 Correction Systems and Practices
CRIJ 2328 Police Systems and Practices
Other Credit: 1
Total Credit Hours: 66
1Note: Up to a total of 6 additional semester credit hours of criminal justice-related lower division
course work may be transferred by local agreement OR required by the receiving
institution, as long as the additional credit does not duplicate any other requirement.
CRIMINAL JUSTICE
ASSOCIATE IN APPLIED SCIENCE |
| BASIC CORE OF GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES |
CREDIT HRS |
1. Communications (9 hours)
|
| ENGL 1301 – Composition |
3 |
| ENGL 1302 – Composition and Literature |
3 |
| SPCH 1318 or SPCH 1311 |
3 |
2. Mathematics (3 hours)
|
| MATH 1314 or MATH 1342 |
3 |
3. Natural Sciences (4 hours)
|
| BIOL 1408, BIOL 1409, CHEM 1411, or CHEM 1305/1105 |
4 |
4. Humanities & Visual and Performing Arts (3 hours)
|
| MUSI 1306, MUSI 1310, ARTS 1301, or DRAM 1310 |
3 |
5. Social and Behavioral Sciences (12 hours)
|
| SOCI 1301 – Introduction to Sociology |
3 |
| GOVT 2301 – Federal and State Government |
3 |
| GOVT 2302 – Federal and State Government |
3 |
| PSYC 2301 – General Psychology |
3 |
Total Hours |
31 |
| REQUIRED TECHNICAL CORE COURSES |
| 6. CRIJ 1301 – Introduction to Criminal Justice |
3 |
| CRIJ 1306 – The Courts & Criminal Procedure |
3 |
| CRIJ 1307 – Crime in America |
3 |
| CRIJ 1310 – Fundamentals of Criminal Law |
3 |
| CRIJ 1313 – Juvenile Justice System |
3 |
| CRIJ 2301 – Community Based Corrections |
3 |
| CRIJ 2313 – Correctional Systems and Practices |
3 |
| CRIJ 2314 – Criminal Investigation |
3 |
| CRIJ 2323 – Legal Aspects of Criminal Justice |
3 |
| CRIJ 2328 – Police Systems |
3 |
Total Hours |
30 |
| OTHER REQUIRED COURSES |
| 7. STSU 0300 – Student Development |
0 |
| PHED 1101 – Exercise & Jogging |
1 |
| PHED 2101 – Exercise & Jogging II |
1 |
| PHED 1306 – First Aid for Health Emergencies |
3 |
Total Hours |
5 |
Total Hours for Degree |
66 |