Online Bachelor's Degree in Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: This is a survey course designed to acquaint the student with the total field of criminal justice emphasizing the institutions and processes of law enforcement and corrections.

Credits: 3

Description: Criminal Law focuses on substantive criminal law, including constitutional limitations on government power, elements of crimes, and criminal responsibility and defenses. Criminal laws explored include inchoate offenses, person crimes, property offenses, crimes against public morality, alcohol and drug offenses, offenses against public order and safety, and offenses against justice and public administration.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: Examines the role of the police in relationship to law enforcement and American Society. Topics include, but are not limited to, the role and function of police, the nature of police organizations and police work, and the patterns of police-community relations.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: The study of the nature and extent of juvenile delinquency in the U.S., theories of cause, and the special police processing and court systems which deal with delinquency, with focus on the role of schools, drugs, gangs, racial groups, and females as special topics in delinquency.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: This course focuses on writing effective investigatory reports which follow fundamental guidelines established to ensure accurate information for use by professionals working cases in law enforcement, social worker, security, corrections, parole/probation, and forensics. Ongoing topics covered include diligent notetaking, appropriate grammar, and proper organization of information for a clear, concise, correct, and complete report.

Prerequisite: Major in Criminal Justice or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: The course focuses on the historical development of prisons, and a discussion of the current structure, philosophy, character, and issues of modern correctional institutions.

Prerequisite: Major in Criminal Justice or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: The study of the correctional processes at the community level including the parole and probationary concepts. Emphasis is on applied techniques.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: This course focuses on the procedural criminal law, including search and seizure, arrest, interrogation and identification procedures, the pretrial process, the criminal trial, sentencing and punishment, and appeal and post-conviction relief.

Prerequisite: CJA 200 Criminal Law

Credits: 3

Description: This course reviews the nature and causes of crime and efforts of the criminal justice system to predict, prevent, modify, and correct criminal behavior. Criminological theories of crime and criminality from classical theories to modern theories will be examined. Students will also assess the benefits and weaknesses of major sources of crime statistics and their impact on criminal justice policy.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice

Credits: 3

Description: This course is a capstone course wherein students research the career field and job market, conduct original research, focus on issues in the profession, and dialogue on personal values and skills for the career field.

Prerequisite: Criminal justice major and senior standing

Select two from the following (at least 3 credits must be 300-level or above):

• CJA 127 Introduction to Forensic Crime Scene Investigation (3 credits)– Introduction to scientific investigation and the use of the crime laboratory. Includes proper methods of collecting, handling, packaging, and mailing of evidence to be analyzed by the crime laboratory. Also covers such scientific techniques as neuroactivation and analysis, toxicology, and questioned document analysis. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 226 Criminal Investigation (3 credits) – Introduces criminal investigation procedures. Reviews the historical development and investigative processes related to law enforcement functions. Topics include, but are not limited to the proper collection, organization and preservation of evidence using basic investigative tools; examining the primary sources of information; analyzing the importance of writing skills; and reviewing the constitutional (legal) limitations of the investigation. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 235 Security and Loss Prevention (3 credits) – Provides insight into the complex problems of loss prevention in today’s society, including security staffing needs, fire protection and control, duties and responsibilities of security personnel, internal controls, emergency and disaster planning and internal theft. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 360 Homeland Security and Terrorism (3 credits) – This course examines the nature and extent of the threat from internal and external political groups, as well as how the federal law enforcement community was restructured in a post 9-11 period. Agency structure, funding, training jurisdiction, issues, and contemporary court cases are topics. Prerequisite: CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 370 Crime and the Media (3 credits) – This course will examine the representations of crime and the criminal justice system in the media. It will examine how the media presents, represents, distorts, and/or screens issues in our society related to crime and justice. This course will evaluate television, film, newspaper, and electronic/internet media to examine how these entities are used as a mechanism to explore issues that are central to the study of crime.
   
• CJA 372 Environmental, White Collar, and Corporate Crime (3 credits) – This course focuses on individual and group criminal behavior tied to economic, political, and privileged positions that facilitate the commission of crimes and deviance at the national and international level. The course will examine and define environmental crime and environmental justice with special emphasis on types of crimes, types of criminals, related legislation and politics, and enforcement issues.
   
• CJA 377 Gangs and Organized Crime (3 credits) – This course provides insight on gangs and organized crime by examining the history, structure, activities, identification of criminal and organized groups, and government efforts to control them both nationally and internationally. Topics include illegal trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 380 Cybercrime (3 credits) – This course focuses on the latest trends and best practices associated with cybercrime and investigation contexts, processes, and procedures. Topics include identity theft, hacking, cyberterrorism, child sexual abuse, cyberbullying, the Deep Web, and the Dark Web.
   
• CJA 382 Capital Punishment in America (3 credits) – This course considers the legal, political, and social implications of the practice of capital punishment in the United States. Students will examine the historical, moral, philosophical, legal, and socio-cultural perspectives that frame arguments for and against capital punishment.
   
• CJA 404 Drugs, Alcohol, and Crime (3 credits) – This course examines drug use and abuse, the impact of drugs on the human body, and how drugs are correlated with crime. The course will explore theoretical explanations for drug use and abuse, current treatment, and prevention strategies, along with the criminal justice system’s response in prevention and public policy. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 405 Family Violence (3 credits) – The course examines child abuse, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse. Particular topics include theories of abuse, societal responses to abuse, and assistance to victims. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 444 Topics in Criminal Justice (3 credits) – Current or special issues in criminal justice will be examined. The course offers students the opportunity to discuss relevant issues facing society. This course may be repeated, by advisement, with different topics. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 451 Violent Crime and Victimology (3 credits) – This course focuses on definitions, patterns, and society reactions to violent crimes and victims, theoretical explanations of violence, and how the criminal justice system attempts to control crimes and respond to victims. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 460 Emergency Management (3 credits) – Current topics of concern regarding strategies of disaster assessment, mitigation, response, recovery, and preparedness will be discussed. This course will focus on types of natural and man-made disasters, federal, state, and local reactions to disasters, disaster communications, and the management of responses to terrorist attacks. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major or CJA 105 Introduction to Criminal Justice.
   
• CJA 497 Internship (3 credits) – Placement in a professional capacity in an agency for a supervised period of at least 50 hours per credit. Prerequisite: Criminal justice major, instructor permission, 2.5 GPA, and junior level or above.
   
• SOC 220 Social Problems (3 credits) – Study and discussion of selected social issues including racism, ageism, sexism, poverty, welfare, and environment.
   
• SOC 305 Sociology of Deviance (3 credits) – Theory-guided study and discussion of selected topics regarding areas of deviance including alcoholism, drug abuse, mental illness, crime, and domestic violence. Prerequisite: SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology, SOC 220 Social Problems, or instructor permission.
   
• SOC 320 Social Welfare (3 credits) – Designed for those interested in understanding social welfare systems, public assistance processes and policies, social services programs, client/patron relations, current issues associated with welfare programming, and the influences of politics of social welfare. Prerequisite: SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology, SOC 220 Social Problems, or instructor permission.
   
• SSC 300 Social Science Research Methods (3 credits) – This course introduces students to basic quantitative and qualitative research methods. The course covers methodological concepts, the steps in the research process, measurement, research design, elementary data analysis, and report writing. Students are introduced to analysis of research reported in professional literature. This class includes computer applications in research methods. Prerequisite: 9 hours of coursework in the social sciences.
   
• SSC 319 Statistics for the Social Sciences (3 credits) – Introduction to the statistical measures commonly used in Social Sciences research and their application to research problems in the various Social Sciences disciplines. Includes use of computer statistical packages for Social Sciences. Prerequisite: 3 hours of math.