Criminal Justice (BS)
Law Enforcement Leadership Emphasis, Competency-Based
Advance your career while continuing to serve and protect with this FULLY ONLINE competency-based program.
Protect Your Community, Lead with Confidence
Law enforcement needs strong leaders. Are you ready to respond to the call? Earn your Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice while continuing to prevent crime, protect others and promote peace. Designed for working professionals, our competency-based program lets you study at your own pace. Our fully-online curriculum is divided into 7-week terms so you can focus on what matters. The courses are self-paced, enabling you to set your own schedule and study when you are able. Whether you’re a police officer or a member of the military, we're putting you first. Discover how you can lead others toward success through our criminal justice program.
See Yourself Succeed With a Degree in Criminal Justice
Learn the Foundation
Develop strategies to promote police trust within your community. You’ll study the historical, philosophical and ethical development of policing and how that affects law enforcement today.
Flexible, personalized pace
Take credit for what you already know. Our competency-based program lets you receive credit for skills developed through work and military experience. You deserve credit. We’re ready to give it to you.
Policing the Future
Study cutting-edge developments in law enforcement, like cryptocurrency and the problems it poses for policing. You’ll learn innovative strategies for monitoring an increasingly digitized world.
Excel in your career
Managing a policing organization takes work. We want to make this easier for you. Learn how to improve your team’s effectiveness, resolve conflict and promote wellness within the workplace.
Faculty Spotlight
I am a retired police chief with more than 27 years of experience. I am invested in the policing profession, as well as the professionalization of its members.
I have always been passionate about law enforcement and criminal justice. I was a very active police officer who loved my profession. I had to retire from working patrol after being seriously injured in the line of duty. I decided to use my experience, skills and knowledge to help future criminal justice professionals reach their dreams and goals.
student support
You’re closer to a degree than you think.
Earn credit for what you already know through our competency-based program. Designed specifically for first responders with professional experience, this program allows you to receive course credit based on your work experience and military training. Our fully online curriculum is divided into seven-week terms so you can focus on what matters.
TCOLE or Law Enforcement Training
Earn up to 30 hours of course credit based on your TCOLE or other law enforcement training.
Military Training
Find out how you can receive a Joint Service Transcript for your military experience.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
A degree in Criminal Justice–Law Enforcement Leadership emphasis offers you the opportunity to:
- Advance to management positions within law enforcement
- Study the federal, state and local judicial system to promote law within your community
- Identify the needs within the workplace to ensure the overall wellness of your team
- Learn how to design, establish and fund a crime analysis unit
Careers
Advance your career with a degree in criminal justice. Our program prepares you for a wide range of professions at the city, county, state or federal government levels.
Career Possibilities and Current Median Salaries
US DOL Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2018
Alumni Profiles
What You Will Learn
You’ll take a closer look at the legal aspects of law enforcement, criminal analysis and police practices. Investigate the ethical dilemmas surrounding first responders today and how that affects law enforcement decisions. You’ll also learn practical organizational and leadership skills to promote a healthy and productive work environment.
Courses to Prepare You for Your Career
- Core courses include Criminal Investigation, Police and Law Enforcement, and Correctional Systems.
- Support courses include Evidence-Based Policing, Homeland Security and Critical Thinking.
Featured Courses
Course Delivery and Resources
All competency-based courses are self-paced and offered online. Our program includes a “subscription system” with a minimum of two courses required per 7-week term (There are six terms throughout the year). You may add additional courses at any point and complete the courses by the end of the term.
Institute for Competency-Based Education
The College of Innovation and Design at A&M-Commerce is associated with the Institute for Competency-Based Education. Come learn how they can help you!
Terms
All competency-based programs in the College of Innovation and Design are offered in two seven-week terms per traditional semester with a break between each term.
2024
| Semester | Term 1 | Break | Term 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | Jan. 16 – March 1 | March 4 – 15 | March 18 – May 3 |
| Summer | May 13 – June 28 | July 1 – 5 | July 8 – Aug. 23 |
| Fall | Sept. 3 – Oct. 18 | Oct. 21 – 25 | Oct. 28 – Dec. 13 |
Program Cost
Earning a degree is more affordable than ever. Our competency-based programs offer quality education at an affordable price. These rates include online versions of required course materials.
| Residency Status | Tuition Per Semester |
|---|---|
In-State (TX resident) | $1,000 |
Bordering County. This includes: Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico Arkansas | $1,000 |
Neighboring state (aka interior county: Oklahoma, Louisiana, New Mexico and Arkansas | in-state + $30/hour |
Out of state (e.g., Florida) | $2,000 |
Active Duty Law Enforcement + Scholarship | $300 |
Employee Scholarship | $300 |
- Active Duty Law Enforcement Scholarship is only available to certified Peace Officers in Texas.
- Tuition exemption limited to state residents
- Students can only receive ONE exemption (example: you cannot stack senior citizen and active-duty law enforcement exemptions.)
Program Admission
To demonstrate your knowledge, you will submit evidence of a level of competence in reading, writing and mathematics.
You are required to take or be exempt from the Texas Success Initiative assessment prior to enrolling in college; students without assessment scores because of exemptions that are not test or grade based must take a placement test to determine entry level in math and English courses.
TSI Exemptions
- ACT scores: Composite 23; English 19 or Math 19; no older than five years
- SAT scores: Composite 1070; Verbal 500 or Math 500; no older than five years
- TAKS scores: 2200 Math or 2200 English/Language Arts with a three writing subscore
- Received an associate degree or baccalaureate degree from a Texas public institution.
- Out-of-State/private institution transfer who has satisfactorily completed college level work with a “C” or better in areas of reading, math and writing.
- Has met readiness standards at another Texas public higher education institution; “C” or better in developmental course work.
- Military Service
- Serving in the active military.
- Serving as a member of a reserve component of the armed forces for at least three years preceding enrollment.
- Honorably discharged, retired or released from active duty in the military on or after August 1, 1990. Please provide us with your official DD214 with discharge status in order to apply this exemption.
- Additionally, you may submit scores from the THEA (Texas Higher Education Assessment), COMPASS or ASSET to satisfy the assessment requirement.
For more information about the assessment requirements, please contact the Testing Center.
Submit or request submission of official transcripts from high school, GED score report including percentile scores and/or each institution you attended.
- A transcript is considered official only if received directly from the sending institution or, if hand delivered, the transcript must be in a sealed registrar's envelope.
- Send Transcripts to:
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions
Texas A&M University-Commerce
P.O. Box 3011
Commerce, Texas 75429-3011 - For faster delivery, check to see if your previous/current academic institution(s) can submit an electronic version of your transcript to the Admissions Office. We accept SPEEDE and Escrip-Safe electronic transcripts.
- Office of Undergraduate Admissions
We can give you financial aid guidance to help you complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- Designate TAMUC as the college to receive your FAFSA information.
- A&M-Commerce's school code is 003565.
For more information, please contact financial aid advisor, Daniel Sanders at [email protected] or call 903.468.6059.
Program Requirements
To be accepted into this program, you must fulfill these requirements
- Complete your prior Criminal Justice coursework (30 hours)
- If you have not yet completed the required criminal justice courses, you can fulfill them through
- a community college (suggested)
- A&M-Commerce’s traditional 16-week format
- If you have not yet completed the required criminal justice courses, you can fulfill them through
- Complete CJCB 100: Orientation before you begin coursework.
To earn this degree, you must fulfill these requirements
- Complete the Criminal Justice Applied Major courses at A&M-Commerce (27 hours)
- You can only complete these courses at A&M-Commerce.
- Transfer credits will not be accepted.
- PLA Portfolio review is not available for these courses.
- Complete Support Courses (21 hours)
- You must complete 9 hours at the 300 or 400 level from A&M-Commerce.
What is Competency-Based Education?
What is Competency-Based Education
Competency-Based Education (CBE) posits that learning is best measured by students demonstrating what they know and can do rather than by the number of hours spent in a classroom. CBE is student-driven and self-paced, guided by individualized feedback from an instructor and advisor. CBE is also flexible, and offered fully online, so it works around the busy personal and professional lives of adult learners and working professionals.
Back to menuMeet Our Faculty and Staff
Contact Us
- College of Innovation and Design
- 903.886.5878
- [email protected]
- P.O. Box 3011
- Commerce, TX 75429-3011
