Undergraduate Information
The Bachelor of Science degree in Administration of Justice (AJU) is offered by the Department of History and Political Science to prepare individuals for professional positions in law enforcement and related criminal justice areas. In addition to general curriculum requirements, courses are offered which develop the skills essential to criminal justice practitioners, who are currently engaged in law enforcement work.
Mississippi College will give special transfer credit consideration to all students who have completed an administration of justice/law enforcement curriculum at an accredited junior college. A maximum of 18 semester hours of junior or senior college equivalent courses with grades of C or better in each may count toward the major in Administration of Justice. Additional transfer courses may be counted as general electives.
The five areas of emphasis in the program are: Police Process, Corrections Process, Judicial Process, Criminology, and Homeland Security. Appropriate minors are: Political Science, Sociology, Business Administration, Psychology, History, Communication, and others chosen in consultation with the program director. It is possible for a student to complete requirements for another major in a related field.
PRogram Objectives
- To show that the criminal justice system and the problems of crime and delinquency are part of a larger sociocultural pattern rather than an isolated system.
- To show that the major components of the criminal justice system (police, prosecutors, courts and corrections) are all related elements of a democratic system in which decisions regarding crime and justice in any one area have consequences in the other three areas.
- To prepare men and women to become "change-capable" practitioners in any component of the criminal justice system by emphasizing the development of competence in relating the social, economic, and political ramifications of change to the administrative policies and practices of criminal justice agencies.
Degree Requirements
AJU Core (9 Semester Hours)
- AJU 100: Introduction to Criminal Justice
- PLS/HIS 407-08: American Constitutional Development
Required from these courses (9 of 12 Semester Hours)
- AJU 300: Police Process
- AJU 310: Judicial Process
- AJU 320: Corrections Process
- SOC/AJU 332: Crime, Law and Social Control
- Electives in Administration of Justice are to be chosen in consultation with the program director depending on the student's curriculum emphasis (12 Semester Hours).
- Electives in Related Fields (6 Semester Hours)
- The following courses are recommended, but others may be selected in consultation with the program director. It is strongly recommended that students who plan to attend graduate school select SOC 311 and SOC 312 as their related field electives.
- PLS 201: American National Government
- PLS 202: State and Local Government
- PSY 302: Adolescent Psychology
- PSY 423: Abnormal Psychology
- PSY 443: Psychology of Personality
- COM 301: Nonverbal Communication
- COM 304: Public Speaking
- MGT 371: Principles of Management & Organizational Behavior
- MGT 474: Human Resources Management
- GBU 321: Business Communications
- ACC 201: Elementary Accounting
- SOC 205: Sociology: An Introduction in Global Context
- SOC 209: Contemporary Social Problems
- SOC 309: The Family
- SOC 312: Social Science Research Methods
- SOC 419: Social Psychology
- SOC 420: Social Stratification: National and International Perspectives
- CSC 114: Intro to Computer Science
- CSC 116: Computer Programming
For a minor in Administration of Justice
Select 18 semester hours of course work from the Administration of Justice courses listed in the catalog. AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice and either AJU 300 Police Process, AJU 310 Judicial Process, AJU 320 Corrections Process or AJU 332 Crime, Law and Social Control (six hours total) are required course work in the minor. Only nine hours of criminal justice course work from other colleges will be allowed to count toward a minor in Administration of Justice.
Administration of Justice with Emphasis in Homeland Security/Certificate in Homeland Security
Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Administration of Justice with an emphasis in Homeland Security (130 hours)
Students completing this major must complete 36 hours from the following courses:
A. Required: (3 hours)
AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice
B. Choose 6 hours from the following:
PLS/HIS 407-408 American Constitutional Development I and II
OR
AJU 311 Arrest, Search, and Seizure and AJU 301 Criminal Investigation
C. Required: (6 hours)
AJU 441 Introduction to Homeland Security
AJU 442 Introduction to Emergency Management
Choose 15 hours from the following:
AJU 443 Introduction to Physical Security
AJU 444 Legal Aspects of Homeland Security
AJU 445 Domestic Terrorism
AJU 446 International Terrorism
AJU 447 Cyber Terrorism
AJU 448 Grant Writing For Homeland Security
AJU 432 Special Issues: In Homeland Security
Six hours of related field electives. The following courses are recommended but others may be chosen in consultation with the program director:
PSY 423 Abnormal Psychology
COM 301 Non-Verbal Communication
Total: 36 hours
Minor in Homeland Security
A student may minor in Homeland Security by completing 18 hours of Homeland Security courses; however, Administration of Justice students may not minor in Homeland Security. Those majors who wish to concentrate in Homeland Security should seek the B.S. in Administration of Justice with an Emphasis in Homeland Security.
For a minor in Homeland Security, the student must complete the following:
A. Required two courses: (6 hrs.)
AJU 441 Introduction to Homeland Security
AJU 442 Introduction to Emergency Management
B. Choose from four courses from the following: (12 hrs.)
AJU 443 Introduction to Physical Security
AJU 444 Legal Aspects of Homeland Security
AJU 445 Domestic Terrorism
AJU 446 International Terrorism
AJU 447 Cyber Terrorism
AJU 448 Grant Writing for Homeland Security
AJU 432 Special Issues in Homeland Security
Total: 18 hours
21 Hour Undergraduate Certificate in Homeland Security
A 21 hour certificate in Homeland Security is available to individuals who have graduated from high school or who have passed a GED equivalency exam. Students in the Certificate program who want their Mississippi College courses to count for undergraduate degree credit must be admitted as a regular undergraduate student at Mississippi College. All students who are receiving undergraduate credits for the Certificate in Homeland Security program must pass the ENG 099 Writing Proficiency Examination during their first semester in the Certificate Program at Mississippi College. Those who do not pass the Writing Proficiency Examination must take ENG 299 the following semester.
A minimum of 15 semester hours in the certificate program must be completed at Mississippi College. Acceptable transfer credit must be at or above a C. Students must make a C or better in all required classes taken at Mississippi College to graduate with a Certificate in Homeland Security.
For the Certificate in Homeland Security, the student must complete the following:
A. Required: (6 hrs.)
AJU 441 Introduction to Homeland Security
AJU 442 Introduction to Emergency Management
B. Choose from five of the following: (15hrs.)
AJU 443 Introduction to Physical Security
AJU 444 Legal Aspects of Homeland Security
AJU 445 Domestic Terrorism
AJU 446 International Terrorism
AJU 447 Cyber Terrorism
AJU 448 Grant Writing for Homeland Security
AJU 432 Special Issues in Homeland Security
COM 203 Professional Communication Skills
COM 443 Public Relations
Total: 21 hours