Criminal Justice
Change your future one class at a time.
Career Path
Entry-level service in local, state, or federal law enforcement
Students who aspire to become a police officer must meet entry requirements and graduate from the local police academy.
Promotion
In many jurisdictions, earning a college degree qualifies graduates for professional and career advancement in the criminal justice field or other related areas.
Public safety and security
Department of corrections
Probation officer
Crime scene technician
Law enforcement management
Legal assistant
Professors
DCC faculty care about what you know and what you become. A 1:10 professor/student ratio allows them to know you as a person.
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Professors seek to go beyond the classroom to help you understand your calling and to prepare you for it. Some faculty are full-time and others are part time, bringing their experience from the field into the DCC classroom.
Leadership Distinctive
DCC educates and mentors people to be leaders, including concentrations in leadership and mentors who lead in their field.
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We focus on leadership development. We want our students to graduate with a humble servant’s heart ready to assume leadership roles in their church, community, and career. All students are provided opportunities to engage with faculty and professionals who challenge them to explore their unique gifts so they can realize their full potential. Courses such as Cultural Competency, practicums, and internships give students real-world experience with feedback on how they can be effective leaders.
Mentorship & Networking
Students are mentored by peers and professionals as well as learning to be mentors.
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This unique program allows students to receive and provide mentorship – both internally and externally – every year at Dallas Christian. Community leaders pour into students’ lives, resulting in personal and professional development.
Why Criminal Justice at a Christian College?
The Holy Scriptures remind readers that justice is central to God’s intended social order and a moral duty for both individuals and governments (Romans 13:1-5, Micah 6:8).
Over the centuries, Christian views and attitudes have profoundly reshaped approaches to criminal justice as seen, for example, in the ban on “cruel and unusual punishments” that dehumanize offenders; the growth of incarceration as an alternative to capital punishment; mediation, arbitration, and other forms of dispute resolution in place of violence and vendettas; the move toward community-oriented policing; and the idea that offenders can and should be reformed, rehabilitated, and restored to society. Jesus told his followers that he would consider any kindness they showed to others as a kindness shown to him (“I was sick, and you looked after me. I was in prison, and you came to visit me”—Matthew 25:36). Believers working in the criminal justice system must abide by professional standards, but they can also extend empathy and compassion to offenders, point them toward a relationship with Christ, and set an example of what it means to lead a life guided by him.
The Criminal Justice program equips students to think holistically about the relationship between biblical Christianity and efforts to honor God through working toward a safer, more just world.
Choose from 5 Online Degrees
DCC’s 120-credit baccalaureate degrees in Criminal Justice, offer students a broad, foundational education in the field of law enforcement. They gain theoretical and practical knowledge of many facets of the field, including criminal behavior and motivation, goals and processes of the criminal justice system, criminal law, policing, criminal investigation, criminal procedures, the court system, sentencing, corrections, probation, juvenile justice, professional ethics, and primary research methodology in the field. They all include either a major or a minor in Bible, keeping everything grounded in a biblical worldview.
The 60-credit A.S. in Criminal Justice program develops foundational competencies for Christ-centered careers in law enforcement, preparing students for more advanced studies in the field.
Associate of Science in Criminal Justice
The degree requirements include 29 credits of General Education, 12 credits of Bible, 15 credits of Criminal Justice, and 4 credits of electives. For more details, click “Degree Plan” to see the required courses.
Degree Plan
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
This is a degree completion program with a 33-credit major in Criminal Justice and an 18-credit minor in Bible, is the fastest path to a bachelor degree for students transferring in at least 45 credits. The B.S. in Criminal Justice program develops foundational competencies for Christ-centered careers in the field of law enforcement. For more details, click “Degree Plan” to see the required courses in the program.
Degree Plan
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bible
The B.S. in Criminal Justice and Bible develops foundational competencies for Christ-centered careers in the field of law enforcement. It includes a 33-credit major in Criminal Justice and a 30-credit major in Bible. For more details, click “Degree Plan” to see the required courses in the program.
Degree Plan
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with Pre-Law Emphasis
The B.S. program in Criminal Justice with Pre-Law Emphasis develops foundational competencies for Christ-centered careers in the fields of law and law enforcement. It includes a 33-credit major in Criminal Justice, an 18-credit minor in Bible, and a 12-credit emphasis in Pre-Law. The Pre-Law Emphasis offers further preparation for students interested in pursuing careers in the legal professions, including oursework on government, legal and constitutional issues, and judicial processes. This is a degree completion program, so a student would need to transfer in with at least 45 credits. This would be the shortest time to graduation for students who want the Pre-Law emphasis. For more details, click “Degree Plan” to see the required courses in the program.
Degree Plan
Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Bible with Pre-Law emphasis
The B.S. program in Criminal Justice and Bible with Pre-Law Emphasis develops foundational competencies for Christ-centered careers in the fields of law and law enforcement. It includes a 33-credit major in Criminal Justice, a 30-credit major in Bible, and a 12-credit emphasis in Pre-Law. The Pre-Law Emphasis offers further preparation for students interested in pursuing careers in the legal professions, including oursework on government, legal and constitutional issues, and judicial processes. For more details, click “Degree Plan” to see the required courses in the program.
Degree Plan
Degree Completion
Degree completion is a special degree category that allows you to finish a bachelor’s degree with a Bible minor rather than a Bible major. In terms of credit-hours, that means 18 hours vs. 30 hours—saving you about a semester as well as the cost of those 12 extra hours. Faster and less expensive. If you qualify and need to get done as quickly as possible, degree completion is your best plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is a Bible Major or Minor Required?
A Bible major or minor is one of the best possible ways to prepare a person for the workplace and the current world. Surveys indicate that one of the key skills employers look for in employees is critical thinking. Studying the Bible builds critical thinking skills and encourages clear articulation of thought through writing—another skill for which employers are looking. Studying Scripture is also foundational to answering questions about who you are and what you were created to do. Answering questions like that help students establish their worldview. To be able to lead within today’s world, current and future leaders must know important truths such as “God created us in His image” and how to apply those truths as the world continues to change. DCC graduates are prepared to lead.