Administration of Justice - Associate of Arts (Major Code - AJS)
The Administration of Justice Associate of Arts degree is designed to prepare students for a wide variety of criminal justice career fields or for transfer into university degree programs. The degree also provides additional training for certified law enforcement and corrections professionals. To ensure seamless transfer, students must develop their specific program of study in close coordination with a Cochise College advisor.
Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this program will be able to do the following:
- Explain the historical development of American criminal law from its English common law roots to the present and explain the impact of history upon the modern-day criminal justice system in the United States.
- Define and effectively use all forms of American legal terminology.
- Describe the organization, characteristics, and career fields of the United States' system of criminal justice, including law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and juvenile justice.
- Identify the key provisions of the Bill of Rights and the United States' Constitution that pertain to civil liberties and civil rights and differentiate among competing theories of constitutional interpretation and judicial review.
- Examine the fundamental ethical characteristics required in the criminal justice profession and demonstrate critical reasoning in the application of ethics to common criminal justice dilemmas.
- Analyze current issues and trends in crime rates, criminal behavior, and social trends as they impact the criminal justice process.
- Appraise the relationship of socio-economic status, gender, and race and ethnicity to the definition of crime and to adjudication and sentencing.
Degree Map
GENERAL EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS (AGEC-A) 35-37 CREDITS
Composition 6 credits
Mathematics 3-5 credits
| MAT 142 | College Mathematics*** | 3 |
| OR | |
| MAT 142L | College Mathematics with Support Lab* | 3 |
| or higher (3-5 credits) | |
Laboratory Sciences 8 credits
Arts 3 credits
Humanities 3 credits
Social and Behavioral Sciences 6 credits
| SOC 215 | Race and Ethnicity*** | 3 |
| OR | |
| PSY 210 | Social Psychology** | 3 |
| OR | |
| SOC 202 | Social Problems*** | 3 |
| Social and behavioral sciences | 3 |
General Education Electives 4-6 credits
General education electives must be chosen from the general education list. See
www.cochise.edu/AGEC.
| COM 102 | Essentials of Communication** | 3 |
| General education electives | 1-3 |
Six credits of arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, or general education electives must be chosen from the current listing of intensive writing courses. See www.cochise.edu/AGEC.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT 0-16 CREDITS
Non-English language second- or fourth-semester proficiency.
University non-English language requirements vary. Check with an advisor.
CORE CURRICULUM 21 CREDITS
ELECTIVES (AS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THE DEGREE)
Elective courses must be transferable to the university or universities to which the student plans to transfer. See www.aztransfer.com.
TOTAL DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 60-62 CREDITS