Administration of Justice

The Associate of Science in Administration of Justice for Transfer degree prepares students for upper division coursework for a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. By design of curriculum, students will be able to describe the individual functions and components of the modern criminal justice system; use technology concepts of legal research to locate, and discuss the content of statutory and case law; analyze criminology factors that contribute to the cause of criminal behavior, reoccurrence of recidivism, and strategies and practices established for the control of crime. In addition, this program encompasses ethical practices, standards and expectations within the entire criminal justice system.

Proper selection of curriculum electives further allows students to study other academic disciplines, such as chemistry or biology, psychology, sociology, public administration and computer science. For example, if you have an interest in forensic anthropology, you may choose chemistry or biology as important electives to consider.

Students who complete an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T) will receive guaranteed admission with junior status to the California State University System and priority admission consideration to a major that is deemed similar to their community college transfer degree major. This priority does not guarantee admission to specific majors or campuses. Students transferring to a CSU campus that accepts the transfer degree will be required to complete no more than 60 units after transfer to earn a bachelor's degree in the same major. Students should consult a counselor for more information on specific university admission and transfer requirements.

The following are required for all AA-T or AS-T degrees:

• Completion of 60 CSU transferable semester units
• Obtainment of a minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework
• Completion, with a grade of “C” or better OR “P” (Pass), of each course used to satisfy major requirements AND the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) requirements.

Students who complete this program should be able to:

1. Effectively use language and non-verbal communication consistent with and appropriate for application in the Criminal Justice System through classroom discussion, exercises and written assignments.
2. Demonstrate respect and acceptance for differing opinions, feelings and values of others through the development of listening skills that promote ethical and equitable application of Criminal Law through classroom discussion, exercises and written assignments.
3. Evaluate and analyze information when addressing issues within the criminal justice system, draw reasonable conclusions that encompass criminal law, social expectation and ethical standards through classroom discussion exercises and written assignments.

Required courses

Students earning an AA-T/AS-T degree must complete 60 semester units of coursework eligible for transfer to the CSU including the Cal-GETC , all courses in the major with “C” or better or “P” (pass) grades, and achieve a minimum transferable cumulative GPA of 2.0.