Pikeville College - Academic Affairs

 
 

Criminal Justice

Of all the problems that the social sciences might address, the upgrading of our criminal justice system would seem to be among the most important. Yet, the complexity and enormity of this problem–as well as the traditional boundaries of the liberal arts–have imposed limits on efforts to study the criminal justice system, except within narrow technical and operational contexts. In recent years, however, concern with the quality of the personnel of the criminal justice system has become intensified by abrasive social upheaval in our society, rising street crime and disorders related to the role of social and political protest in a democratic society. All of these combine as a catalyst encouraging renewed efforts to improve the educational backgrounds of our criminal justice professionals.

What can I do with a criminal justice degree from Pikeville College?

The criminal justice programs at Pikeville College are designed to educate students for leadership positions in the field of criminal justice. This field prepares students for a variety of professional settings, including law enforcement, correctional case management, correctional education, chemical dependency and substance abuse counseling, victim-offender mediation and alternative dispute resolution, or pre-law.

Employment is often found in government, the private sector, universities and nonprofit organizations. Government is the largest employer in the criminal justice field, with approximately 50% employed at the local level. The field of criminal justice is constantly changing to meet the new demands of a changing society. Employment opportunities are expected to increase faster than average for all other occupations. The most stringent competition is in intelligence and computer technology. Demands for both police and corrections professionals will continue to increase both in numbers of those employed and in the complexity of the job as this field assumes more sophisticated methods of handling duties.

Graduates with a criminal justice degree from Pikeville College can choose to pursue a variety of careers including:

  • Computer Security Expert
  • Court Officer
  • Domestic Violence Counselor
  • Federal Law Enforcement Officer
  • Evidence Technician
  • Forensic Scientist
  • Judge
  • Lawyer
  • Legal Assistant/Paralegal
  • Police Officer
  • Probations and Parole Officer
  • Private Investigator
  • Statistical Research Analyst
  • Warden
  • Youth Counselor

Some of these careers require additional education or experience.

Criminal Justice at Pikeville College

Multidisciplinary by design, the Criminal Justice Major consists of a core of required courses in Criminal Justice (beyond the General Studies Core), combined with a foundation and a theory-method sequence of courses in the social sciences. The multidisciplinary thrust of the major is also evident in the option of a self-designed emphasis of 21 hours drawn from other disciplines. Two other concentrated emphases supplementing the Criminal Justice core requirements are in Law Enforcement and Corrections. This major also includes a “portfolio” option, with a potential 15 hours of academic credit derived from work or other educational experience for qualified students, and an off-campus practicum or internship, usually within one of the Social Science disciplines. Following the foundation courses in Sociology and Psychology, students select a theory-methods sequence from either of those two Social Sciences. This foundation, together with the Criminal Justice core, a concentrated emphasis and related electives, provides a unique, comprehensive bachelor’s degree program.

Additional options in the Criminal Justice Program include an Associate Degree and a Criminal Justice minor. The associate degree includes 40 hours of study in criminal justice. The criminal justice minor is composed of 21 hours of required and elective courses.

Degree Options

  • B.S. or B.A.
  • Major
  • Minor
  • A.S.

Key Point

The criminal justice field is moving toward specialization in areas of technology, computer security and intelligence.