Sep 26, 2025  
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog 
    
2025-2026 Undergraduate Catalog

Bachelor of Criminal Justice

Location(s): Montgomery Campus, Birmingham Campus, Huntsville Campus, Mobile Campus, Online Campus


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The Bachelor of Criminal Justice is a broad-based program primarily designed to offer a multi-faceted education in criminal justice within a stipulated timeframe of one year, on a modular system. This advanced program of study is offered to adults who have completed 66 hours of core courses. Candidates seeking admission to the program are generally expected to be age 23 or above. This program is geared to establish and enhance the learning horizons of current and future criminal justice professionals by offering a blend of the various courses considered vital for a career in law enforcement, private security, corrections, and courts.

An objective of the BCJ program is for it to distinguish itself in many ways: from the quality of its students, the teaching of its faculty, and the leadership/ accomplishments of its prospective alumni. It is our firm determination to maintain a leading role in the education of criminal justice professionals by offering them foundational education opportunities throughout the various stages of their careers.

We strive to maintain high Christian standards that will enable us to earn leadership status in criminal justice education because of our professional faculty, innovative courses, and focus on Christian perspectives.

In order to show the expansive requirements and opportunities of the criminal justice system, we will address the historical and current forces affecting administrative and judicial decisions. Often, our program participants currently working in the criminal justice field become a source of vital information for the faculty and fellow students.

Classes are structured to combine theory with historical and future application, thus allowing students the opportunity to develop the skills needed to operate within the criminal justice system. In general, small class sizes are maintained to ensure that each participant receives individual attention.

One of our longtime goals has been the development of an efficient and effective program for our students. The BCJ program is designed to provide a challenging and rewarding academic program to students within a limited timeframe.

Delivery Method for BCJ

The Bachelor of Criminal Justice is offered in a one-year format that consists of 54 upper-level credit hours. Our online program provides the opportunity for program participants to complete all eighteen courses in a fully online format. These courses are offered in three classes per 8-week module. While fully online courses may be more challenging, this presents a great opportunity for program participants with family and career responsibilities to complete work anywhere, anytime, as long as they have a good Internet connection and a computer.

This program is offered on Faulkner’s LMS platform for online education; therefore, a mandatory online orientation and training session is completed prior to the beginning of the first module. The training session covers detailed program information and a demonstration of online access and navigation of the LMS platform that is paramount to successful completion of the program.

Our online program focuses on content delivery and experiential learning in the form of case studies, research projects, and critical thinking exercises unique to each topic.

BCJ Program Highlights

In addition to facilitating professional foundations and development in a multitude of ways, the BCJ program, being totally structured in modules within the semester, has the following advantages:

  1. You will receive credit for prior undergraduate work at accredited institutions. (Core Courses)
  2. You have the opportunity to complete your degree within one year (52 weeks/3 semesters/6 modules).
  3. Each semester is comprised of two eight-week modules.
  4. Each module has three courses, which are three semester credit hours each.
  5. You have the ability to enter the program several times during the year.

BCJ Program Objectives

The BCJ curriculum is designed to provide the working adult, who has completed at least 66 semester hours of core curriculum, the opportunity to complete their Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice degree in twelve months. By taking classes online, the adult student may complete two years of coursework in just twelve months. Students can begin the program at the beginning of any of the modules.

  1. Improve the students’ capacity for effective critical thinking and decision making in their chosen career.
  2. Facilitate professional ethical behavior through exposure to social, cultural, and legal issues that affect criminal justice operations.
  3. Emphasize directed research, strategic planning, operational policies, and time management concepts.
  4. Review multiple facets that operate within the public and private sectors, including law enforcement, private and corporate security, corrections, probation and parole, and courts.
  5. Promote development of interpersonal relationships and an understanding of legal/social/cultural factors, along with effective oral and written communications.
  6. Encourage integration of the biblical doctrines of Christian perspectives within the value systems of criminal justice to provide fair and equal service to all citizens.
  7. Research and analyze historical events and legal decisions to aid in ethical and effective decision making, as well as valid operational policies and procedures.

Admission to BCJ

Admission to the BCJ Program is accomplished through Executive and Professional Enrollment. Transcripts and applications will be reviewed and approved by the Executive and Professional Enrollment staff. Registration for all courses in the program will be accomplished through the Executive and Professional Enrollment Offices.

Applicants must meet the following requirements to qualify for admission:

  1. Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on all previous college work or a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 on at least 12 semester hours at Faulkner.
  2. Completion of all entrance competencies.
  3. Preferred minimum age of 23.

For more information on our BCJ Program, please contact:

Andre’ Mitchell, Director
BCJ Program

atmitchell@faulkner.edu
334-386-7725

Core Curriculum 66 hours


Cultural Heritage Literacy 3 hours


Political Science, Economics, Psychology, Criminal Justice, Sociology, Anthropology, Geography, Western Tradition I, Western Tradition II, American Heritage, or another Social Science course.

Information and Communication Literacy 9 hours


Mathematical and Scientific Literacy 12 hours


Personal and Social Literacy 12 hours


  • No fewer than 4 3-hour personal and social literacy courses 12 hours

Professional Literacy 54 hours


Total Hours 120


Students who transfer in core curriculum requirements for the BCJ program can substitute 12 hours in general education courses for this requirement. Students with APOST hours can transfer in up to 28 hours upon approval by the BCJ director. Students who take courses at Faulkner University to satisfy the core curriculum requirements for the BCJ program must take a Bible course within every 15 hours to satisfy the University’s Christian Literacy requirement.

48 semester hours of upper-level courses are required for graduation. The BCJ curriculum as listed above is subject to change Transfer credit may be accepted for substitution of BCJ Courses at the discretion of the Director of the BCJ Program.

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