Criminal Justice, Associate of Arts

Prepare Today. Protect Tomorrow

The Criminal Justice program provides a fully transferable degree for students aiming to complete a bachelor's in criminal justice or related fields. It fulfills the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Criminal Justice Field of Study and the core curriculum, ensuring smooth course transfer to public four-year universities in Texas. Graduates will be well-prepared for further study, with a strong foundational understanding of the legal system, institutions, and practices.

Career Opportunities and Income

Visit sanjac.edu for information regarding career opportunities and potential earnings in the Greater Houston region.

Learning & Career Pathway

The Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice is primarily intended to support student transfer to a four-year bachelor’s degree program at a university.

This degree was created through a statewide effort to make a more universal plan of study for students. You can learn more about Texas Direct on the Plan of Study tab. If you follow the plan, including the Directed Electives for the university you plan to transfer to, all your courses will transfer together and count directly toward your chosen major.

Learning Outcomes and Career Skills

A student completing this transfer associate degree will be able to:

• Professionally communicate [written and oral] through interviewing, interacting, de-escalation, and using command presence properly.
• Examine how Constitutional guidelines mandate, influence, and restrict the application of law.
• Analyze data to determine crime rates and reduction strategies.
• Work collaboratively with others.
• Analyze criminal justice in a professional and ethical manner.
• Analyze behavior of individuals, groups, or institutions and provide critical analysis of its impacts on society.
• Apply the elements of law that must be proven in a criminal case.

Locations

• Central
• North
• Online

College Admission

San Jacinto College is an open admission institution. All students are welcome to apply and will be admitted to the College. You may begin the process on the College’s “How to Apply” webpage.

Program Admission

There are no additional admission requirements for the Criminal Justice program; you only need to complete your application to the College, as noted in “College Admission” above, and follow the enrollment steps.

Plan of Study

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Texas Direct – by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board – “provides seamless transfer degree pathways between two- and four-year institutions. Students who complete the Texas Core Curriculum and Field of Study at any public two-year institution automatically qualify to receive an associate degree – the Texas Direct Transfer Degree. They are also qualified to transfer their courses as a block applied directly to their selected major.”

The Texas Direct Criminal Justice Field of Study is embedded in the Criminal Justice AA. A student completing the degree will also have completed the field of study, the state required core curriculum, and all lower division course requirements. State regulations ensure transfer to your chosen public university with junior status.

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See the “Texas Direct” section below for information regarding Directed Electives.

Texas Direct, Criminal Justice Field of Study

Directed Electives

In addition to the courses specified in the transfer path and the core curriculum for the Criminal Justice AA, students complete an additional six hours. Any of the academic courses in the list below satisfy the requirement for the Criminal Justice AA. To facilitate transfer, students are advised to complete the academic courses listed below for the university to which they plan to transfer. If the preferred university is not listed, please contact a San Jacinto College advisor and an advisor at the preferred university.