Degree Completion Program


GOAL Program Majors - Criminal Justice


Gardner-Webb's Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice prepares the student for a specialized career in the field of law enforcement. Graduates go on to obtain higher administrative positions in law enforcement agencies, parole and corrections officers. The curriculum we've designed for Criminal Justice students is broad based, covering studies from the philosophy of law enforcement, to the social implications of corrections, and appropriately dealing with law violations through the legal justice system.

Prerequisites

Prior to enrolling in the Criminal Justice program, the applicant should have the following in their academic transcript:

  • An Associate degree or the equivalent (60-64 semester hours from an accredited junior or senior college)
  • English 101 and 102 (Basic English Composition and Literature)
  • 15 semester hours of law enforcement related courses

Academic Curriculum

As with all GOAL majors, approximately half of the Criminal Justice major consists of our Core Curriculum of Liberal Arts [see Core Curriculum], providing 33 hours towards the 128 hours needed to graduate. The other half will be particular to the Criminal Justice major, consisting of the following courses:

  • CJC 410 - A Philosophy of Criminal Justice
  • CJC 420 - Administrative Decision Making
  • CJC 430 - Criminal Justice Theory and Research
  • HEA 401 - Drug and Alcohol Education
  • MGT 400 - Human Resource Management
  • PSC 314 - Judicial Process
  • PSY 401 - Psychopathology
  • SOC 400 - Minority Groups