Criminal Justice Degree Programs
Now available on Campus, in Amarillo and Online
Criminal Justice Online Information
What you can do with a degree in Criminal Justice
You can have a career in the following fields:
- A state trooper
- A juvenile probation officer
- A police officer
- A manager in a criminal justice agency
- A deputy sheriff
- An emergency manager
- Parole Officer / Probation Officer
- ATF Special Agent
- Court Administrator
- Paralegal/ Legal Assistant
- Corrections Case Manager
- Correctional Officer
- Customs Agent
- Bailiff
- Border Patrol Agent / Customs Agent
- Fire Investigator
- Bureau of Diplomatic Security Special Agent
PLAN OF STUDY
Criminal Justice - Administration (B.A.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
Criminal Justice - Administration (B.S.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
Criminal Justice - Corrections (B.A.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
Criminal Justice - Corrections (B.S.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
Criminal Justice - Policing (B.A.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
Criminal Justice - Policing (B.S.) ♦ Curriculum Guide
- Criminal Justice Minor
Learning Possibilities
- What a person's Constitutional Rights are
- How to legally search someone's home and vehicle
- What probable cause is for an arrest
- What reasonable suspicion is to stop a person or vehicle
- Why police officers must give the Miranda warnings
- How to investigate a crime scene
- What the study of criminology is
- What community corrections is (probation and parole)
- What the Texas Penal Code is and how it is applied
- What terrorism is
- Why understanding crime statistics is important in preventing crimes
- What drug types Americans abuse
- What prisons are like in the United States
- How to create a budget for a police or probation department
- How to manage criminal justice organizations in their unique environment.
DEGREE OPTIONS
You may choose between a Bachelors of Science that includes additional math or science classes
OR
You may choose a Bachelors of Arts that includes foreign language
CAREER CLOSEUP
Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersMedian wage (TX) - $56,810
Median wage (US) - $59,680
Detectives and Criminal Investigators
Median wage (TX) -
$74,047
Median wage (US) -
$78,120
Internship opportunity
All criminal justice majors must complete an internship in a criminal justice agency. All undergraduate students work with the Program Director in finding a criminal justice agency of their career interest, then the student works in that agency, receives a grade for 6 hours of credit, and then has an excellent opportunity to be hired by that agency once the student graduates!
program Prerequisites
- Apply critical thinking skills to solve complex issues
- Be able to work with a team
- Be able to lead individuals
- Ability to communicate under crisis to solve emergency situations
- Communicate effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience
- Apply applications of federal and state laws into practical situations
- Make ethical decisions
- Design programs that solve criminal justice issues
