Associate of Arts
63 credit hours
The Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice is designed to equip graduates with a comprehensive knowledge of the governmental structures, limitations, and theoretical underpinnings of the American criminal justice system. This curriculum can serve as a terminal occupational degree program for students seeking immediate employment in the private sector or in government agencies at the local, state, or national level. The balanced liberal arts emphasis in this degree, which includes the study of law, criminal justice, social sciences, humanities, behavioral sciences, natural sciences and general education courses, can apply towards a bachelor’s degree program at a four-year institution.
Students who have successfully completed: 1) a New Mexico Department of Public Safety basic or NMDPS-approved satellite police certification training academy or 2) the New Mexico Department of Corrections correctional officer basic training academy or 3) the United States Border Patrol Basic Training Program (USBPI), the Federal Air Marshal Basic Training Program (FAMTP), or the Land Management Basic Police Training Program (LMPT), or 4) military occupational specialties or air force career classifications U.S. army 95B, or 31B; U.S. marine corps 5811; U.S. air force 3PO51, or 3PO91; U.S. navy master at arms, or NEC 9545 (completed NAVEDTRA 14137) will receive credit for CJ 102, CJ 202, CJ 215, CJ 287, and HPE 141 upon provision of an official transcript. Students who have successfully completed the New Mexico Department of Corrections correctional officer basic training academy will receive credit for CJ 102 and CJ 203 upon provision of an official transcript.
Upon program completion students will be able to:
- Describe the historical development, roles, interrelationships, and criminal justice system functions of agencies, actors, structures, and operations of criminal justice agencies.
- Identify and describe major national measures of crime and major theories on causes of criminality.
- Explain functions of criminal laws, Constitutional limitations on laws, and application of laws in criminal courts.
- Identify current trends in crime, police techniques, offender sentencing, corrections practices, and offender reintegration.
To learn more about the program requirements, click on the links below:
