Criminal Justice

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Earn your Associate of Science degree with our criminal justice program. Learn the ins and outs of the justice system, the correctional system, and the police system in our hands-on learning environment. Join us to become a future leader who is committed to upholding justice and creating safer communities.

Program Details

Learn more about our criminal justice program and find course descriptions in the WCJC Catalog.

Academic Map

Criminal Justice is a four-semester, 60-credit hour program. You can begin a career in criminal justice upon completing your Associate of Science degree, or you can transfer to a four-year college or university for a Bachelor’s degree, with the possibility to pursue a Master’s degree or doctorate.

Career Opportunities

Studying Criminal Justice for your Associate's degree opens you up to many job possibilities, including

  • Security Guards
  • Police and Sheriff’s Patrol Officers
  • Bailiff
  • Detectives and Criminal Investigators

 Careers as probation officers and federal law enforcement officers require a four-year degree. If you’d like to teach at the college level, you’ll need a graduate degree with 18 hours of study in the relevant area. Find more information, including salary and education requirements, on Career Coach!

We enhance the student’s understanding of Criminal Justice, its institutions and structures, its problems and promises – and the ways in which the student may contribute to solving those problems and meeting those promises.
Dr. Linda Clark
Department Head, Criminal Justice
At WCJC, classes don’t just teach you the theories behind criminal justice, but how to practically apply those theories to real-world situations.
Handcuffs

Meet the Faculty

Linda Clark, J.D., Ph.D.

Department Head, Criminal Justice; Instructor of Criminal Justice & Government
Dr. Linda Clark received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Oklahoma in Journalism and English Education, her Juris Doctorate from Oklahoma City University, and her Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. After graduating from law school, Dr. Clark served as a captain in the U.S. Army in the Judge Advocate General's Corps. Prior to joining the faculty at WCJC in 1998, she was an attorney in private practice in Oklahoma and Texas. Dr. Clark has also taught on an adjunct basis at colleges in Oklahoma and Texas. She teaches all CRIJ courses.

Office: Sugar Land Campus, Brazos Hall 238
Phone: 281-243-8575
Email: lindac@wcjc.edu

Brady Hutchison, B.A., M.A., M.S.

Instructor of Criminal Justice
Mr. Hutchison has a Bachelor of Arts from Sam Houston State University, a Master of Arts from the University of Houston Clear Lake, and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University.  In addition to teaching, he has prior work experience as a firefighter, police officer, and arson investigator. He is the author of two books and has a particular interest in intervention programs for juvenile offenders, especially as it relates to arson.

Email: hutchisonb@wcjc.edu

Additional Program Information

Archived Administrative Master Syllabi

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