Criminal Justice

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Community and junior college students interested in completing bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and related majors are strongly encouraged to complete an Associate in Arts (A.A.) or Associate in Science (A.S.) degree prior to transfer. To transfer into an approved bachelor’s degree program in criminal justice as juniors, students need to complete a minimum of 60 semester credits (up to a maximum of 64 semester credits). Since admission is competitive, however, completion of these courses alone does not guarantee admission.

These courses will be accepted in transfer by baccalaureate schools, but they may or may not substitute for professional coursework required for the major. The courses will be accepted as general electives if not accepted as core or elective courses in the major. Students should be knowledgeable in the use of computer, meaning, they must be able to negotiate an operating system, access the Internet, and use word processing, database and spreadsheet software.

The following list of courses is designed for students choosing to begin their college career at Joliet Junior College and later transfer to another Illinois college.

Illinois Articulation Initiative Recommendations

Joliet Junior College participates in the IAI majors panels for the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees to help students transfer major courses to an Illinois college or university that participates in IAI. Transferability of major courses is still dependent upon the transfer institution accepting the courses as major courses. An updated list of courses is available at www.itransfer.org/iai/majors and www.itransfer.org/iai/articulationTables. Students should also check the transferability of courses through u.select (formerly known as CAS), which can be found at www.itransfer.org/uselect. Always consult the four-year college or university to which you plan to transfer and work with a counselor or an adviser at JJC. Note that students do not graduate with a transfer major from a community college but rather the community college prepares students to have the flexibility to transfer and to choose a major from a number of different areas. Students must be responsible to seek information to make good curriculum choices. Students should recognize that, even though they may be admitted to a four-year transfer institution, they may need to meet that institution’s separate requirements to be admitted into a particular major.

Criminal Justice Requirements: 9 Semester Hours

Criminal Justice Core Requirements

IAI General Education Recommendations: 37-41 Semester Hours

I. Communication: 9 Semester Hours

II. Social and Behavioral Sciences: 9 Semester Hours

Select courses from at least two different areas from IAI Social/Behavioral Sciences. PSYC 101 and SOC 101 are strongly recommended.

III. Humanities and Fine Arts: 9 Semester Hours

Select one course from IAI Humanities and one course from IAI Fine Arts and one course from either IAI Humanities or Fine Arts.

IV. Physical and Life Sciences: 7-8 Semester Hours

Select one course from IAI Physical Sciences. Select one course from IAI Life Sciences. Select at least one laboratory course. Students with the appropriate preparation may substitute an initial course designed for science majors for a more general course.