Criminal Justice Program
Program Overview
The Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice program at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T)—America's largest public HBCU—equips students with marketable skills and general knowledge of Criminal Justice. The program fosters and trains the next generation of criminal justice professions for diverse and interdisciplinary workforce. Students gain knowledge of the nature and causes of crime, criminal justice processes, cybercrime and cybersecurity, law enforcement, social justice, and digital (computer) forensics. Students will provide students with knowledge of the nature and causes of crime, criminal justice processes, security, and law enforcement. Students will be introduced to social scientific methods and technologies and theoretical models needed for analysis and critique of the criminal justice system.
Students can specialize in criminal justice or earn a certificate in Forensic Science — Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) which concentrates on crime scene investigation as distinguished from forensic science laboratory analysis. Students specializing in criminal justice focus on police, courts, and corrections. Students specializing in CSI focus on how to process a crime scene, the role of the crime scene investigator, field operations, and the collection of evidence for laboratory evaluation. This requires an understanding of professional ethics, competency in safety protocols and laboratory procedures, knowledge of criminal law and the legal process, effective written and verbal communication skills, and competency in the collection and preservation of evidence.
Graduates will be trained to meet emerging and enduring challenges confronting criminal justice, particularly in the areas of Forensic Science — Crime Scene Investigation, criminal investigation, data analytics, cybercrime, cybersecurity, and social justice advocacy through our collaborative programs.
The Certificate in Forensic Science — Crime Scene Investigation specialization adheres to the directives and recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Institute of Justice. The certificate can be earned as a specialization with the Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice or it can be earned separately without the completion of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree.
Program Requirements
The Criminal Justice Major requires completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours including credits in criminal justice core courses (34 hours including successful completion of an internship), criminal justice electives (15 hours), free electives (15 hours), general education courses (32 hours), and departmental course requirements (24 hours).
The Criminal Justice Minor requires completion of 18 credit hours in criminal justice. A student must have completed a minimum of 24 hours of academic credits before declaring a minor, have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.0, and may not have more than two minors.
The Bachelor of Science with the Certificate in Forensic Science – Crime Scene Investigation (CSI), requires completion of a minimum of 120 credit hours, including CSI courses (24 hours), criminal justice core courses (34 hours including successful completion of an internship), criminal justice electives (9 hours), free electives (3 hours), general education courses (33 hours), and departmental course requirements (17 hours).
Students must maintain a minimum 2.0 GPA in the major and required courses.
Dr. Carla D. Coates
Department Chair / Associate Professor
Email: cdcoates@ncat.edu
Mx. Esteban M. Couture
Administrative Support
Email: emcouture@ncat.edu
Phone: (336) 285-2046
