Criminal Justice

Description:

The Criminal Justice program provides the education, knowledge, and skills needed to protect the public and work within the law enforcement and criminal justice systems. A sequence of courses is offered to help students 1) establish a knowledge base about Justice, 2) develop a set of professional values and 3) improve skills related to professional activity.

Upon completion of the program, persons already working in a justice setting will substantially enhance their knowledge, values and skills. Students will also be prepared to transfer to a four-year institution or to enter a justice setting at an entry level.

Students completing the Criminal Justice program will be prepared to work as state or municipal police officers/troopers, state or municipal corrections officers, parole and probation officers, private security managers, private investigators, homeland security investigators/screeners and youth detention counselors.

Digital Investigation Proficiency Certificate: 

Please note that by selecting specific classes in the Criminal Justice program, students are able to earn a proficiency certificate in digital investigation that will provide them with an understanding of digital investigation, including fundamentals of crime scene investigation, chain of custody, and constitutional concerns relating to admissibility of evidence at trial. Through completion of this certificate, students will learn how to recover digital evidence in a legally defensible manner in criminal investigations.

Philadelphia Police Officers and Correctional Officers:

Persons who have graduated from the Philadelphia Police Academy may be eligible to receive academic credit for Justice 101, Justice 151, Justice 221, Justice 241 and Justice 261.  Graduates of the Philadelphia Correctional Training Center may be eligible to receive credit for Justice 235 and BHHS 241.

Program Learning Outcomes:

Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to:

  • Identify the foundation, structure and components of the contemporary criminal justice system.
  • Identify and analyze the core principles, practices and skills required for a successful career in criminal justice.
  • Describe and evaluate the role of the criminal justice concepts of reasonable suspicion, probable cause and proof beyond a reasonable doubt from interrogation, arrest, prosecution and conviction.
  • Describe the legal concept of juvenile delinquency including the traits and social characteristics that are the common correlates of delinquent behavior, explaining the difference between the juvenile process and procedures and the adult processes and procedures.
  • Analyze the role of ethical principles and behavior that permeate multiple aspects of the criminal justice system.
  • Observe, interact with, and participate in the criminal justice system through multiple experiential learning opportunities.

Program Entry Requirements:

All students interested in the Criminal Justice field may enroll in this curriculum. Those identified as needing developmental coursework must satisfactorily complete the appropriate English and mathematics courses as part of their degree program.

Program of Study and Graduation Requirements:

To qualify for the Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice, the student must complete a minimum of 60 prescribed credit hours and attain a minimum grade point average of 2.0 ("C" average).

Course Sequence:

Semester 1

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
FYE 101 - First Year Experience   3 credits  
ENGL 101 - English Composition I or
ENGL 101H - English Composition I (Honors)
  3 credits Writing/Research/Info Lit 1
JUS 101 - Survey of Criminal Justice   3 credits Cultural Analysis & Interpretation
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology or
SOC 101H - Introduction to Sociology (Honors) 
  3 credits  
JUS 131: Technology in Criminal Justice   3 credits Technological Competency

Semester 2

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
ENGL 102 - The Research Paper or
ENGL 102H - The Research Paper (Honors)
ENGL 101 with a grade of "C" or better 3 credits Writing/Research/Info Lit 2
PSYC 101 - Introduction to Psychology or
PSYC 101H - 101H Introduction to Psychology (Honors) or
PSYC 222 - Forensic Psychology
For PSYC 222: JUS 101 or PSYC 101 and ENGL 101 3 credits  
JUS 122 - Race and Justice JUS 101 or PLS 101 3 credits  
MATH 150 - Introductory Data Analysis or
FNMT 118 - Intermediate Algebra
FNMT 017 or FNMT 019 completed or FNMT 118 (or higher) placement 3 credits Quantitative Reasoning
JUS 171 - Juvenile Justice   3 credits  

Semester 3

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
JUS 241 - Criminal Law JUS 101 or PLS 101 3 credits  
JUS 191 - Victimology and Trauma JUS 101, which may be taken concurrently 3 credits  
Criminal Justice Elective (choose one): 
any Criminal Justice course (JUS) and/or
DF 101 - Introduction to Digital Forensics
For JUS courses: JUS 101

For DF 101: JUS 101 or PLS 101 

3 credits  
BIOL 104 - Forensic Biology or 
EASC 111 - Environmental Conservation or
EASC 111H - Environmental Conservation (Honors)
FNMT 118 or MATH 118 (or higher) placement 3 or 4 credits Scientific Reasoning
ENGL 115 - Public Speaking or
ENGL 116 - Interpersonal Communication or
ENGL 118 - Intercultural Communication 
ENGL 101, which may be taken concurrently 3 credits Oral Communication/Creative Expression

Semester 4

 

Course Number and Name Prerequisites and Corequisites Credits Gen Ed Req.
JUS 291 - Contemporary Issues in Justice JUS 101JUS 171JUS 241 3 credits  
POLS 111 - American Government or
POLS 111H - American Government (Honors) or
BHHS 121 - Addiction Studies or
DF 201 - Digital Forensics II** or
BLAS 101 - Introduction to Black Studies or
World Language
For DF 201: DF 101 3 credits  
Criminal Justice Elective (choose two): 
JUS 298 - Criminal Justice Internship or
any Criminal Justice course (JUS) and/or
DF 101 - Introduction to Digital Forensics*
For JUS courses: JUS 101
For JUS 298: JUS 241 and permission of department head

For DF 101: JUS 101 or PLS 101

6 credits  
SOC 215 - Criminology   SOC 101 or ANTH 112  3 credits  

Notes

* Students enrolled in the Digital Investigation Proficiency Certificate should select DF 101, JUS 261 and JUS 221 as their electives. 
** Students enrolled in the Digital Investigation Proficiency Certificate should select DF 201.

Minimum Credits Needed to Graduate:

60

General Education Requirements:

All general education requirements necessary for graduation are met through the courses in the program as indicated above. Students who wish to take courses that differ from the general education courses indicated above must complete a course substitution request form. To access the form, login to the MyCCP portal, and in the Student tab, under Electronic Forms, click on the Records and Registration Forms link, then choose Request For Course Substitution Of Graduation Requirement link. A more detailed explanation of the College's general education requirements is also available.

For More Information, Contact:

The Division of Liberal Studies, Room BR-21, 1700 Spring Garden Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130, Telephone (215) 751-8450; or the College Information Center (215) 751-8010.