Administration of Justice
Associate in Science Administration of Justice · Evergreen Valley College · 2025-2026 Catalog
Overview
The Administration of Justice program offers an Associate in Science (AS) Degree that prepares students to work in the criminal justice field, with an emphasis on law enforcement. It is designed for the student who has some experience in law enforcement, holds a California Peace Officer Standards and Training “POST” Basic Certificate, and/or a learner who wants a more practically-oriented course of study. The AS Degree prepares students for a wide range of criminal justice careers including police officer, deputy sheriff, detective, or other entry-level criminal justice occupation.
The AJ program, and the AS Degree in particular, focuses on building essential learning goals of effective communication, critical inquiry, information literacy, social and cultural competence, and ethical intelligence. The degree combines academic and practitioner perspectives in the study of crime in a global society.
Students must complete each major course and each major elective course with a grade “C” or better to be awarded the degree. A “P” (Pass) grade is also an acceptable grade for courses in the major if the course is taken on a Pass/No Pass basis.
Learning Outcomes
Program Learning Outcomes
- Demonstrate effective written and oral communication necessary in the criminal justice field.
- Interpret and analyze information, concepts, and theories of the criminal justice system from multiple perspectives.
- Apply and integrate terminology, concepts, and practices of law enforcement, the courts, and corrections.
- Explain the value of a multicultural society and the importance of social justice within the community both personally and within the criminal justice field.
- Analyze and consider personal decisions and ideas related to the criminal justice system that are based on civility, civic responsibility, and public perception.
Required Courses
Major Requirements
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| AJ 010 | Introduction to Administration Of Justice | 3 |
| AJ 011 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| AJ 013 | Criminal Procedures | 3 |
| AJ 014 | Contemporary Police Issues | 3 |
| AJ 015 | Introduction to Criminal Investigation | 3 |
Major Electives
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| POST Certificate meets this requirement (California Peace Officer Standards and Training College-Accredited Regular Basic Police Academy or Regular Basic Police Academy Modular Course) or | ||
| A total of 20 units from the following courses: | 20 | |
| Minimum 12 units from the following AJ courses: | ||
| AJ 019 | Law Enforcement in Multicultural Communities | |
| AJ 110 | Drugs and Society | |
| AJ 111 | Juvenile Law and Procedures | |
| AJ 112 | Introduction to Evidence | |
| AJ 113 | Crime and Violence in America | |
| AJ 115 | Introduction to Forensic Science | |
| AJ 116 | Introduction to Corrections | |
| AJ 120 | Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Criminal Justice | |
| AJ 123 | Women and Criminal Justice | |
| AJ 139 | Introduction to Public Safety Community Service Officer | |
| Other Major Electives - Minimum 8 units from the following courses: | ||
| LA 072 | Advanced Legal Analysis & Writing | |
| PHIL 060 | Logic and Critical Thinking | |
| PHIL 065 | Introduction to Ethics | |
| POLS C1000 | American Government and Politics In America | |
| PSYCH 018 | Introduction to Research Methods | |
| PSYCH 020 | Psychology of Stress Reduction | |
| PSYCH 026 | Violence Against Women: Cross-Cultural Perspective | |
| PSYCH 027 | Introduction to LGBTQ Studies | |
| PSYCH 051 | Introduction to Cross-Cultural Psychology | |
| PSYCH 060 | Personal Growth and Adjustment | |
| SOC 011 | Social Problems | |
| SOC 018 | Sociology of Race & Ethnicity | |
| SOC 019 | Sociology of Sex and Gender | |
| BUS 060 | Fundamentals of Business Statistics | |
| orSTAT C1000 | Introduction to Statistics | |
| Foreign Language (including Sign Language and Conversational) | ||
Total Requirements
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | 15 | |
| Major Electives | 20 | |
| General Education Requirements | 27 | |
| Total Units | 62 | |
- Some GE courses may be double-counted within the major and will reduce the number of units. General electives may be needed to reach 60 units. Please consult with a counselor to determine which courses are applicable.