Criminal Justice Undergraduate Advisement Tips and Frequently Asked Questions
This information is provided to help you understand the advisement process at UTC. Final responsibility rests with the student to become familiar with degree requirements and university policies. Highlights of some of the general guidelines are summarized below.
You will be assigned a departmental advisor once you declare a major. It is important that you consult with your advisor on a regular basis regarding career goals, degree requirements, work schedule, and course selections to ensure that you receive accurate information and make good progress toward graduation. If you have questions please ask your advisor and/or other faculty members and seek clarification. For especially "tricky" problems, including transfer issues, petitions, and graduation queries, make sure that you consult the Chief Departmental Advisor: Dr. Roger Thompson.
Frequently asked questions: (click on the question for the answer)
- What can I expect from my advisor?
- What Catalog do I use in determining degree requirements?
- What do differences in course numbers mean?
- What courses should I take first?
- How do I know what courses to take?
- How do I register and/or drop and add a class?
- Does the Criminal Justice Major require a Minor?
- Can work experience within the field be used to meet degree requirements?
- What performance level (grade) must be achieved for the course to count toward my degree program?
- What can I do if I do poorly in a course?
- Do I have to take an Internship?
- What other courses across campus relate to my major?
- Can I take courses in the evening?
- Do all courses taken from other colleges and universities transfer to UTC?
- What happens if I think I have already taken the same course at another institution but that UTC has not given me credit for an equivalent course?
- What do I need to do during my senior year for graduation?
What can I expect from my advisor?
The academic advisor serves as the coordinator of your educational experience. In that role, the advisor can help you clarify
your goals, explore career options, plan an educational program, and schedule classes needed to meet the requirements of your
program. Also, the advisor monitors and evaluates your progress and attempts to match your needs with UTC's available resources.
In order for your advisor to be of assistance to you, you must clearly and consistently convey your intentions and academic-related
actions to your advisor. You should also be familiar with course descriptions and titles as well as the prerequisites for various
classes. Your advisor is just that - an advisor. You are responsible for making informed choices and for completing registration forms.
A few days before registration is NOT the best time for this activity because so many students, especially new ones, are seeking time
and assistance. To maximize the effectiveness of your advisor, plan ahead (which includes remembering to check -- and use -- the
specific office hours that are established by your professor each semester).
What Catalog do I use in determining degree requirements?
Most Criminal Justice majors should be in the 2011 or later catalog. There were some major changes in the curriculum that make it advantageous for you to change. Also one required course was deleted and is no longer offered. If you need to change your catalog year go to the Records online site: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Records/forms.php#PA
If you are in an older catalog and have taken CRMJ 4100, talk to your advisor about whether you should stay in that catalog or change catalog years.
What do differences in course numbers mean?
Courses are numbered from 1000 to the 4000 level. Course number on the 1000 level generally are geared towards freshmen students
and are intended to provide an overview of the course material and to introduce the related vocabulary. Course levels numbered
2000 and 3000 are more specific in content, while 4000-level courses integrate the vocabulary and concepts and introduce the
applications of information learned at the earlier levels. As course numbers ascend, professors assume that your knowledge and
experience will allow you to handle increasingly self-directed courses of study therefore more autonomous study is usually required
at the higher levels.
What courses should I take first?
Students must take the two introductory courses to begin the major: CRMJ 1100: Introduction to the Criminal
Justice System and CRMJ 1000: Introduction to Criminology.
Students also may wish to take their law component course relatively early in the major; although, this decision will be affected by the level of the course they take to fulfill this requirement. For example, students may take LAS 1700: Introduction to Criminal Law as a freshman. Students who are more interested in LAS 4010: Constitutional Law may wish to delay taking this course until later in their academic program.
How do I know what courses I need to take?
Sign in to your MyMocs net on the UTC home page. Once you are logged on, click on the Academics tab. Then click on the link to MyMocsDegree link. You will enter your student ID and click view. Requirements that are met show with a green check mark. Courses and requirements that are in progress will display a curvy blue box. The overall number of hours listed at the top does NOT include the hours that you are currently taking.
At the top of the MyMocs Degree you will see a FAQ and Help button. The help button will take you to a Power Point that gives you a comprehensive overview of how your MyMocsDegree works.
You should be aware that occasionally, errors present themselves on your MyMocs. If you think there is a problem, talk to your advisor who can check things out for you.
How do I register and/or drop or add a class?
You must meet with your advisor and get your PIN number to register. Registration is done completely online. There is a lot of information about the registration process online: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Records/RegistrationInstructions.php There is also an excellent Power Point presentation at the bottom of this page that will walk you through the process and has screen shots so you can see exactly what the screen will look like.
Dropping a class does not require the signature of your advisor, but you may overlooking a degree requirement so be sure that this will not affect your degree plan and/or consult with your advisor before changing your schedule.
Does the Criminal Justice Major require a Minor?
Criminal Justice majors do not have to have a minor. It may be advantageous, however, to do so. Popular minors that work well with a criminal justice major are: Legal Assistant Studies, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology, Women's Studies and Africana Studies.
Can work experience within the field be used to meet degree requirements?
Yes. Individuals who have not earned a baccalaureate degree may be eligible to receive credit for work experience, in-service
training and certified professional programs. There are restrictions on how these credits can be used toward your degree requirements so be sure to talk to your advisor about this process. You can also
e-mail Dr. Hugh Prevost who coordinates this process.
What performance level (grade) must be achieved for the course to count toward my degree program?
Students must earn a grade of "C" or better in all required Criminal Justice courses and
average a 2.0 or better in all coursework applied toward the major. If you get a D in a required course you must take the course over and get at least a C. If you get a D in a criminal justice elective, you do NOT have to take the course over as long as you have a 2.0 combined GPA in your criminal justice electives.
What can I do if I do poorly in a course?
You may repeat a course and replace the grade. UTC allows a student a total of three grade replacements for grades of "C" and lower. See this link for more information: http://www.utc.edu/Departments/recreg/UndergraduateCatalog0910/064_0910UGCatalog.php
Do I have to take an Internship?
Internships are a rewarding way for students to get experience in the field and they are highly recommended. The internship is an elective course(s). It is available for 3 or 6 credit hours. Before making a decision about this option you
must consult with the internship coordinator, Dr. Hensley. He determines appropriate placements and makes referrals. Ideally, you
should contact Dr. Hensley the semester before placement to ensure a smooth transition. Students need to be aware that they will need to
devote a substantial amount of time to an internship placement (about 100 agency hours per 3 hours of academic credit). The internship
is graded S/NC (pass/fail).
What other courses across campus relate to my major?
The framework of the curriculum allows flexibility for students to explore and develop their interests. Special courses in forensics
are available through Chemistry and Anthropology. Several other disciplines also are a good fit including courses in Legal Assistant Studies, Political Science, Social Work, Psychology, Communication, Sociology, Women's Studies, Africana Studies and Spanish.
Can I take courses in the evening?
Elective courses and some required courses are rotated between day and evening time slots. In general, it may be difficult to get core required courses completed if you cannot take some daytime coursework.
The menu of classes to choose from will necessarily be smaller during evening hours but you can complete the major if you are able to take some required courses during the daytime. If you have exceptional circumstances that will not allow you to take required courses during the day, contact Dr. Eigenberg. You may be eligible to take these online.
Do all courses taken from other colleges and universities transfer to UTC?
The answer to this question is usually yes -- if the educational institution is accredited and if a passing grade was received.
Some courses may count as elective credit though rather than direct equivalencies toward your major.
What happens if I think I have already taken the same course at another institution but UTC has not given me credit for an equivalent course?
Admissions does their best to determine
course equivalencies; however, what is available for review is often quite limited. If you think you have taken a course that is the same as a UTC course, consult with your advisor.
What do I need to do during my senior year for graduation?
The student is responsible for applying for a degree with the The Records Office. Graduation application dates are listed at: http://www.utc.edu/Administration/Records/gengrad1.php.
There also are mandatory testing dates that are part of your graduation requirements. Some students are required to take the Criminal Justice Senior Exam and all students are required to take the UTC Senior Exam. Evaluative information obtained through testing is used to improve the educational experience for future students and allows us to assess the quality of our program. You will receive information about testing once you have applied for graduation.
