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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 such as Homeland Security, Emergency Management, Loss Prevention and Security Management. 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 or the private industry sector.

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 six areas of emphasis in the program are

  • Police Process
  • Corrections Process
  • Judicial Process
  • Criminology
  • Homeland Security
  • Loss Prevention/Security Management

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.
Requirement Class Name Hours
University Core   46
Administration of Justice Core   9
AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
     
HIS/PLS 407 and American Constitutional Development I 3
HIS/PLS 408 American Constitutional Development II  3
     
AJU 301 and Criminal Investigation  3
AJU 311 Arrest, Search and Seizure 3
     
Additional AJU Courses Select three courses from the following: 9 
AJU 300 Police Process 3
AJU 310 Judicial Process 3
AJU 320 Corrections Process 3
     
SOC 332 Criminology 3
or    
AJU 332 Criminology 3
     
Administration of Justice Electives

Students must take 12 hours of AJU electives. The Oral Communication requirement for the major may be satisfied by taking AJU 425 - Human Relations and Police Work or AJU 432 - Special Issues Report Writing/Interpersonal Communication OR any three hour oral communication course chosen in consultation with an advisor.

12
Electives in Related Fields 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 312 - Social Science Research Methods as their related field electives. 6
PLS 201 American National Government 3
PLS 202 State & Local Government 3
PSY 302 Adolescent Psychology 3
PSY 423 Abnormal Psychology 3
PSY 443 Psychology of Personality 3
COM 301 Nonverbal Communication 3
COM 304 Public Speaking 3
MGT 371 Principles of Management & Organizational Behavior 3
MGT 474 Human Resource Management 3
GBU 321 Business Communications 3
CSC 114 Introduction to Computer Science 3
CSC 116 Intro to Programming & Problem Solving 3
ACC 201 Elementary Accounting 3
SOC 205 Sociology: An Introduction in Global Context 3
SOC 209 Contemporary Social Problems 3
SOC 309 The Family 3
SOC 312 Social Science Research Methods 3
SOC 420 Social Stratification: National & International Perspectives 3
Minor Requirements A typical minor consists of 18 semester hours; however, some department minors may vary in terms of required semester hours.  The minor should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. 18
General Electives Sufficient elective hours must be taken to meet the minimum hour requirement for graduation in this program.  Electives should be chosen in consultation with advisor. --
Total Hours   130
Requirement Class Name Hours
University Core   46
Required AJU Courses   9
AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
AJU 441 Introduction to Homeland Security 3
AJU 442 Introduction to Emergency Management 3
     
Related Courses   6
PLS 407 American Constitutional Development I 3
     
PLS 408 American Constitutional Development II 3
or    
HIS 407 American Constitutional Development I 3
     
HIS 408 American Constitutional Development II 3
or    
AJU 311 Arrest, Search and Seizure 3
     
AJU 301 Criminal Investigation 3
Administration of Justice Electives Choose 5 of the following: 15
AJU 432 Special Issues 3
AJU 443 Introduction to Physical Security 3
AJU 444 Legal Aspects of Homeland Security 3
AJU 445 Domestic Terrorism 3
AJU 446 International Terrorism 3
AJU 447 Cyber Terrorism 3
AJU 448 Grant Writing for Homeland Security 3
Related Electives The following courses are recommended but others may be chosen in consultation with the program director: 6
COM 203 Professional Communication Skills 3
PSY 423 Abnormal Psychology 3
COM 301 Nonverbal Communication 3
COM 443 Public Relations 3
Minor Requirements A typical minor consists of 18 semester hours; however, some department minors may vary in terms of required semester hours.  The minor should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. 18
General Electives Sufficient elective hours must be taken to meet the minimum hour requirement for graduation in this program.  Electives should be chosen in consultation with advisor. --
Total Hours   130
Requirement Class Name Hours
University Core   46
Required AJU Courses   12
AJU 405 Introduction to Loss Prevention 3
AJU 406 Executive Management in Loss Prevention 3
AJU 407 Private Security Law 3
AJU 443 Introduction to Physical Security 3
Required AJU Core Courses   12
AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
Choose three courses from the following:    
AJU 300 Police Process 3
AJU 310 Judicial Process 3
AJU 320 Corrections Process 3
AJU 332 Criminology 3
AJU Electives Choose four courses from the following: 12
AJU 200 Analysis of Drug Abuse 3
AJU 301 Criminal Investigation 3
AJU 311 Arrest, Search and Seizure  3
AJU 331 Forensic Science 3
AJU 400 Police Rights and Responsibilities 3
AJU 425 Human Relations and Police Work 3
AJU 432 Special Issues 3
  Options include White Collar Crime, Kinesic Interview and Interrogation Techniques, Criminal Profiling, Organized Crime, and Report Writing and Interpersonal Communication.  AJU 432 may be repeated with a different topic each time.  
AJU 434 Deviant Behavior 3
Minor Requirements A typical minor consists of 18 semester hours; however, some department minors may vary in terms of required semester hours.  The minor should be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor. 18
General Electives Sufficient elective hours must be taken to meet the minimum hour requirement for graduation in this program.  Electives should be chosen in consultation with advisor.  
Total Hours   130

The Three-Three program offers qualified incoming freshmen the opportunity to complete their undergraduate and law degrees in six years rather than seven. Students choosing this option may earn an undergraduate degree in any of the academic programs noted immediately above. To be admitted to and remain in this program, students must score 26 or higher on their ACT and maintain a minimum 3.25 GPA. Acceptance into the 3/3 Program does not guarantee acceptance to Mississippi College School of Law.

Requirement Class Name Hours
University Core *   46
Major Requirements    
AJU 100 Introduction to Criminal Justice 3
HIS 407 American Constitutional Development I 3
HIS 408 American Constitutional Development II 3
AJU 300 Police Process 3
AJU 310 Judicial Process 3
     
AJU 320 Corrections Process 3
or    
AJU 332 Law, Crime & Social Control 3
     
  Advanced AJU Credits 12
AJU 325 Legal Research & Bibliography 3
PHI 211 Introduction to Logic 3
PLE 201 Introduction to Law 3
PLE 300 Civil Litigation I 3
PLE 301 Civil Litigation II 3
PLE 335 Legal Writing 3
PLE 350 Critical Thinking & the Law 3
PLE 400 Law Office Management 3
PLS 201 American National Government 3
Law School Coursework   30
Total Hours   130

* Choose PLS 201 - American National Government and PHI 211 - Introduction to Logic in University Core Curriculum