Ole Miss to offer Criminal Justice Degree in Grenada
GRENADA, Miss. – Area residents interested in completing a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice can now enroll in classes with the University of Mississippi on its Grenada site located on the Holmes Community College-Grenada Center campus. Beginning next fall, junior and senior-level Ole Miss criminal justice coursework to train students in the latest strategies and methods of legal studies will be offered in Grenada. Students can choose an emphasis in one of three distinct areas including corrections, homeland security, and law enforcement.
“Criminal justice is an ever-expanding field,” UM Legal Studies Interim Chair Dr. Stephen Mallory said. “By offering the Ole Miss criminal justice courses on our Grenada campus we are helping to educate those in the area about the best practices for serving their community and our nation efficiently and professionally. The location of course offerings in Grenada and online will be beneficial for adults who have work and family commitments in the area and who may not have the opportunity to travel to the main campus in Oxford.”
The bachelor’s of criminal justice program consists of 124 credit hours with a maximum of 62 hours of coursework transferring in from a community college. Along with coursework, students are placed into an internship position that enables them to link classroom learning with practical experience in such key areas as corrections, court and law, law enforcement, private security, probation and parole, research, and victim advocacy. Along with the internship experience, students choose an emphasis in one of the three distinct areas and complete a minor from another program or school within the University.
In the corrections emphasis area, students are taught the skills they will need to manage prisoners, interact with adult parolees and probationers, and supervise juveniles who are in the community or in secured juvenile facilities. Students learn how courts and prisons operate as well as discuss different strategies for dealing with inmates, probationers, and parolees, including rehabilitation efforts and counseling.
Another popular emphasis area for students enrolled in the program is homeland security. The United States Department of Homeland Security (US DHS) practices an “all-hazards approach” to homeland security that includes responding to natural and man-made disasters and preventing terrorist attacks. The US DHS is comprised of twenty-two federal agencies and employs approximately 180,000 employees. The department’s duties include a wide-scope of responsibilities ranging from emergency management, intelligence analysis, to border and transportation security.
“Homeland security is constantly evolving,” Mallory said. “There are offices in every state. This diversified field will continue to grow, and we want to give professionals the skills and knowledge they need to complete their job effectively and efficiently.”
The law enforcement emphasis of the UM criminal justice program offers courses designed to meet educational requirements for entry into local, state, and federal agencies and departments as well as private security. Many departments and agencies require a baccalaureate degree for supervisory and executive level positions.
This program addresses a number of duties including effective patrol methods, criminal investigation, organized and trans-national organized crime, intelligence-led policing, problem-oriented policing, and community policing. Courses in ethics, police policy and procedure, research, statistics, and communication help to educate students in the methods of 21st century policing.
“We are pleased to bring the Ole Miss criminal justice degree to the Grenada area,” UM-Grenada Interim Director Don Howie said. “We expect to see a diversified class of young adults as well as professionals who are working or may be interested in working in one of the criminal justice areas. Those area residents who are currently employed in law enforcement, corrections, security, and military may need to secure a bachelor’s degree in order to advance in their careers. This degree program should help them accomplish that goal without the inconvenience of traveling long distances to take classes.”
Junior-level courses begin on the Ole Miss-Grenada campus in August of 2012. Students who have completed required freshman and sophomore-level coursework may be eligible to start courses in Grenada at that time.
For more information on this program or the UM-Grenada campus please visit www.olemiss.edu/grenada or call toll-free 1-866-230-8239.
