thinking about 2nd BA in Criminal Justice (1st is Psych) updated degree plan?

[CM1999]

I'm *thinking* I might want to do a 2nd degree in Criminal Justice - should be done with classes for Psych degree in June.

Is there an updated list of tests that meet the CJ degree requirements? I found the list from the old catalog - but I'm assuming I'll be in the 2016 catalog and I cant quite figure out what will 'work' ---and more specifically, whether I can do some psych electives that will count toward the CJ requirements.


Thanks!

[sanantone]

Why would you spend time and money on a second degree that is so closely related? Also, have you asked TESU if they will allow you to do this? Is TESU the school you're looking at? I don't know if anything has changed, but TESU didn't allow students to earn a second degree in a similar field.

[CM1999]

wow. I had no idea they might not allow it. that stinks.

The reason - which is simple but complicated - is because I dont know for sure that I can do grad school. IF I can do grad school then I would be better off majoring in psych (long complicated reason that I dont want to get into here). If I cant do grad school then a bachelors in CJ will help me do something else that I want to do. So it's really about keeping two possible options open - the two paths are very different even though the degrees might seem to be closely related.

[sanantone]

Are you sure that you need a bachelor's in CJ? There are very few jobs that require a degree in CJ, but won't accept a degree in psychology.

[CM1999]

the specific thing that I would want to do will 'accept' a degree in psych but they 'prefer' CJ. I talked to someone who is involved in hiring and they said they always look at the CJ people first --a person can do an entire Psych degree and not do a single class that has anything to do with law enforcement, criminology or corrections. so, while a degree in psych wouldn't exclude me, I would be in a better position with the CJ degree....and if I'm not going to do grad school then I'll have some money to pay for the CJ (if I decide to do it).

[rebel100]

You've piqued my curiosity on what sort of employer this is. CJ is acceptable for lots of things but I've never heard of it being preferred. Even the FBI and larger police departments generally prefer accounting or computer science.

I typically think a masters of preferable to a second bachelors. Even a budget MBA like WGU or Patten would be more useful than a second social science bachelors. Might be cheaper to, depending of course.

[bluebooger]

yeah, I HIGHLY doubt that ANYBODY prefers a CJ degree over a Psych degree

security guard, prison guard, police officer, law school -- none require a CJ degree
even being a parole officer doesn't require a CJ degree

[jawbreakingrr]

I've seen job postings that specifically requires a CJ Degree or prefer it over other degrees. Maybe you can do a two areas of study in Psychology and Criminal Justice in one degree. Contact TESU and see if you can add it to your degree and what courses would you need. I don't see that there would be many more to take. This would be your best bet to kill two birds with one stone.

[bricabrac]

I second the dual degree. Note you can share up to nine (9) credits between both areas of study. For you that could mean: the Capstone, maybe the Reseach in Exp Psy and Substance Abuse. Those three alone would get you Upper Level credit in both areas of study.

If looking for CJ courses, why not consider Penn Foster? I checked briefly and they still have many ACE approved courses (see below). Penn Foster courses seem to transfer seamlessly into TESU with prior approval. Check with an Advisor first of course but the courses are fast and affordable.

Good luck to you!


examples of courses available:
Admin of Justice
Courts
Crime Scene Investigation & Basics
Criminal Law
Criminal Procedures
Criminology
Ethics in CJ
Evidence
Intro to Private Security
Organized Crime
Police Management
Police Studies
Terrorism
Victimology


ACE Guide, [URL="http://www2.acenet.edu/credit/?fuseaction=browse.getOrganizationDetail&FICE=191627"]Penn Foster Courses
[/URL]



Edit to Add: Sorry I forgot TESU no longer allows you to plan in PF courses. If you choose to go this route, what I would do is schedule a phone advising appointment and go down the list of courses of interest. Look up the ACE ICS numbers before the call. Explain to the Advisor what you are contemplating and ask if s/he could help you figure out which CJ courses would/may be accepted. Give the ICS number for each course, they can tell you if it has an equivalent set up in the system and if they would okay it for the degree. If you need something in writing you could always humbly ask for an exception due to the complexity of a dual degree. State you would feel more secure if they could plan in the courses. If not plan on the academic evaluation, maybe just approve the courses in an email. Maybe ask the Advisor if a special request can be made to the Dean/Asst Dean of the School. You would be surprised the things that can happen when you simply ask nicely. Anyway, hope this all works out for you.

[sanantone]

the specific thing that I would want to do will 'accept' a degree in psych but they 'prefer' CJ. I talked to someone who is involved in hiring and they said they always look at the CJ people first --a person can do an entire Psych degree and not do a single class that has anything to do with law enforcement, criminology or corrections. so, while a degree in psych wouldn't exclude me, I would be in a better position with the CJ degree....and if I'm not going to do grad school then I'll have some money to pay for the CJ (if I decide to do it).

I've seen jobs that prefer a CJ degree, but they are few and far between and for good reason. You seem to have chosen one of the very few jobs that has a preference. In social service-oriented positions, you'll often see a list of preferred or required degrees that include psychology, sociology, criminology, criminal justice, social work, counseling, etc. These jobs are just looking for a basic understanding of human behavior and human services. For more administrative types of jobs, you might see a list that includes criminal justice, law, public administration, government, political science, etc. These jobs are just looking for a basic understanding of how the system works. For other jobs in the CJ field that require a degree, they rarely require or prefer a specific degree. They just want someone who is more educated than the average high school graduate. Most jobs in the CJ field don't require a degree at all. Once you get on the job, you'll find out that there are a million rules, regulations, procedures, and laws specific to your agency and jurisdiction that were not taught to you in your CJ courses and that you have no real advantage over others with degrees in other fields. Undergraduate CJ courses are very broad and shallow.

After working in corrections and editing dozens of reports because officers got tired of them being rejected by the supervisors, I think the most important skill someone in the CJ field should develop is writing. Your grammar and spelling doesn't need to be 100% perfect, but it needs to be something that can be presented in court. Not only did many of the corrections officers struggle with grammar and spelling errors that Microsoft Word couldn't correct, but they also had trouble with putting what happened into words. I would recommend English courses before I would recommend corrections and other CJ courses. Everything else they needed to know was thoroughly covered during on-the-job and academy training and wouldn't have been covered in CJ courses.

I've seen job postings that specifically requires a CJ Degree or prefer it over other degrees. Maybe you can do a two areas of study in Psychology and Criminal Justice in one degree. Contact TESU and see if you can add it to your degree and what courses would you need. I don't see that there would be many more to take. This would be your best bet to kill two birds with one stone.

I didn't think about the double major option, but I don't know if they'll make the OP move to the 2015-2016 catalog. The CJ degree has a lot of specific requirements now that make the degree less test/ACE credit-friendly. Since TESU won't pre-approve Penn Foster and Propero courses, in most cases, you have to gamble on which ones will meet the requirements. TESU will pre-approve CSU Global CBEs, however, and they have several CJ exams.