Criminal Justice - Police
The UCO School of Criminal Justice is one of the oldest criminal justice programs in Oklahoma. We are committed to turning academic excellence into professional competence and helping our students become the leaders of tomorrow’s criminal justice system. The School is highly respected and has a diverse faculty with exceptional academic credentials and professional experience in law, research, working with serial offenders, cybercrime, white-collar crime, community policing, and corrections.
The undergraduate Criminal Justice-Police major at the University of Central Oklahoma is for students who want to obtain employment in law enforcement as a sworn officer or civilian employee. View a list of scholarships in this department.
Student Learning Objectives
Criminal Justice - Police Majors will be able to:
- Communicate clearly and effectively to an audience of their peers
- Demonstrate depth of knowledge and skills related to the issues impacting police in today’s society
- Communicate clearly and effectively in their writing
- Engage in research opportunities and increase abilities to solve problems creatively
- Ethically synthesize and properly document source material according to the American Psychological Association (APA) citation standards
Student Organizations
The School of Criminal Justice has two student organizations and a living learning community (LLC).
UCO CRIMINAL JUSTICE CLUB
The Criminal Justice Club meets every other week during the academic semester for networking and learning. Practitioners from the field come to campus and visit with the club members at the meetings.
HONOR SOCIETY
Eta Tau is UCO’s Chapter of Alpha Phi Sigma. Alpha Phi Sigma is the National Criminal Justice Honor Society. Once you’ve completed four (4) criminal justice courses and have reached a certain GPA, you can apply for membership in the honor society. Membership applications are accepted each fall and spring semesters. Announcements are shared on the School of Criminal Justice’s social media pages. You may also contact the School of Criminal Justice for more information.
CJ Living Learning Community
Students majoring in criminal justice (corrections, general and police) can choose to live with and near other criminal justice majors on campus as part of an LLC. Members of the LLC take a course together and have the opportunity to participate in special tours, field trips and other educational experiences outside of the classroom.
Career Opportunities
There are various career opportunities available for Criminal Justice - Police majors, including:
- Local/State Law Enforcement Officer
- Municipal Police Officer, County Sheriff, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation
- Federal Law Enforcement Officer
- ATF, CBP, DEA, FBI, Marshals, Secret Service
- Crime Scene Technician (sworn officer/civilian position)
- Fish & Game Warden/US Wildlife Officer
- Agricultural Investigator
- US Postal Inspector
- Medical Examiner Investigator
- Alcoholic Beverage Laws Enforcement (ABLE) Commission Agent
Internship/Volunteer Opportunities
Looking for an internship or a volunteer opportunity? Check here:
