Criminal Justice Program

The criminal justice (CJ) program provides students with the knowledge and skills required for entry level employment within each of the three components of the criminal justice field – law enforcement, the courts, and corrections – as well as the private security sector. The program also offers opportunities for current criminal justice employees to enhance their knowledge and skills. The program offers an associate in science (AS) degree with two options for focused study as well as a certificate option.

Prerequisite courses

All 200-level CJ courses require successful completion of CJ& 101 and placement into ENGL& 101.

Additional requirements during/after course of study

While not a requirement for CJ courses, students should be aware that there are special employment conditions in this career field that may include criminal background checks, polygraph tests, physical fitness standards and/or psychological testing.

Transfer option

Students may plan their criminal justice course selection to maximize transferability of their credits and earn both the AS in criminal justice and the Associate in Arts & Sciences (direct transfer) degrees. Advising assistance is strongly recommended.

Visit whatcom.edu/criminaljustice for more information.