Courses

Penn State's online Associate Degree in Criminal Justice (CRIMJ) program emphasizes social science perspectives to the study of criminal justice.

Deputy Sheriff's Training and Act 120 Program

Students with ACT 120, Pennsylvania State Police, or Municipal Police Training transcripts may receive up to 16.5 credits for the following courses:

CRIMJ 100: Introduction to Criminal Justice (3 credits)
CRIMJ 220: Courts and the Prosecution Process (3 credits)
CRIMJ 210: Policing in America (3 credits)
CAS 203: Interpersonal Communication (3 credits)
KINES 067: Physical Conditioning (1.5 credits)
NURS 203: First Aid and CPR (3.0 credits)

Training from other states will be reviewed upon request.

Prescribed Courses (select 26 credits)

Prescribed courses require a grade of C or better.

3

credits

Explanations and measurement of crime; criminal law; characteristics of criminals and victims; violent, property, white-collar, organized, and sexual crimes.
3

credits

Overview of the criminal justice system, including legal foundations, processing and correction of offenders, extent and types of crime, victims.
3

credits

Police organization and operations in America.

Prerequisite
CRIMJ 100 or concurrent CRIMJ 100
3

credits

Purpose and function of criminal courts in society, organization, jurisdiction and staffing; prosecution, adjudication, and sentencing of offenders.

Prerequisite
CRIMJ 100
3

credits

Punishment and treatment of sentenced offenders, correctional institution organization, staffing, inmates, and subcultures.
3

credits

Ethical theory about virtue, duty, autonomy, and life quality applied to moral problems, including character, violence, oppression, abortion, and suicide.
3–4

credits

Focuses on historical patterns and current status of racial, ethnic and cultural groups and issues locally, nationally, and internationally.
- 3
  
  credits
  
  Methods of collection, presentation, and analysis of quantitative data in the social science, procedures, interpretation, and application.
  
  Prerequisite
  2 units of high school algebra and CRIMJ 100 or permission of the program
- or:
  4
  
  credits
  
  Descriptive Statistics, frequency distributions, probability and normal distributions, statistical inference, linear regression, and correlation.
  
  Prerequisite
  2 units of high school algebra and placement into MATH 021 or higher

Additional Courses (select 3 credits)

Additional courses require a grade of C or better.

3

credits

Fundamental concepts of social science research, including design, measurement, sampling, and interpretation of the study of crime, law, and justice.

Prerequisite
CRIMJ 012
3

credits

Experiential-based course covering the four main social research methods: available data, survey research, experiments, and field research.

Elective Courses (select 26 credits)

Elective courses will be chosen in consultation with an adviser.

General Education Requirements

Some General Education requirements may be satisfied by courses required for the major. Students should work with an adviser to select courses.

Arts (GA): 3 credits
Humanities (GH): 3 credits
Natural Sciences (GN): 3 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences (GS): 3 credits
Writing and Speaking (GWS): 3 credits
Quantification (GQ): 3 credits
Any General Education course, including Integrative Studies (Inter-domain or Linked courses): 3 credits
United States Cultures (US), or International Cultures (IL) or combined designation (US; IL): 3 credits
May be satisfied by designated courses that also meet other degree or General Education requirements.
Writing Across the Curriculum (W, M, X, Y): 3 credits
May be satisfied by designated courses that also meet other degree or General Education requirements.

Course Availability

If you're ready to see when your courses will be offered, visit our public LionPATH course search (opens in new window) to start planning ahead.

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