COURSE CURRICULUM

The Criminal Justice BA program is focused on law, policing, corrections, juvenile justice, criminal investigation, ethics, and legal procedures while also giving students flexibility through electives, a required minor, and foreign language or sign language study. This 120-credit degree includes core subjects such as criminal law, criminal justice theory, criminal procedure, research methods, organizational management, and criminal justice ethics. Students can specialize through electives in policing, juvenile justice, corrections, victims of crime, drugs and society, child abuse law, or evidence and search procedures. A major highlight is the 3+3 law pathway agreement with Mississippi College School of Law and University of Mississippi School of Law, allowing qualified students to begin law school early and transfer law credits back toward the BA degree. The program strongly develops communication, research, analytical thinking, and leadership skills through writing-intensive and speaking-intensive coursework. Compared to highly technical majors like Computer Science or laboratory-heavy programs like Biochemistry, Criminal Justice is more theory, law, policy, and human-behavior oriented, making it suitable for students interested in law enforcement, legal careers, federal agencies, investigations, homeland security, probation, corrections, or public service. Career options include police officer, investigator, probation officer, correctional officer, forensic support roles, victim advocate, intelligence analyst, or preparation for law school. The curriculum is considered moderate in difficulty because it emphasizes reading, legal understanding, report writing, communication, and critical thinking rather than advanced mathematics or heavy engineering concepts. For students wanting a professional career connected with law, government, investigation, or public safety while avoiding extremely difficult technical coursework, this program offers a balanced and career-oriented pathway with broad employment opportunities in both government and private sectors.