The Criminal Justice Program is designed to develop law enforcement professionals, other criminal justice personnel and others who, after completion of the two-year program, will be prepared to continue their studies in fields such as police administration, public administration, legal studies, and management.
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates will be able to:
- Discuss the field of criminal justice including police organization, administration and management systems.
- Demonstrate basic forensic procedures.
- State their ethical responsibilities for the field of criminal justice and for their role as an officer of the law.
- Communicate effectively in writing, verbal and electronic formats with particular emphasis on police reports.
- Apply problem solving skills to specific criminal justice situations.
- Discuss the social and psychological characteristics of offenders.
As defined by the American Bar Association, “A paralegal is a person qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”
The paralegal studies program at Union County College is designed to prepare graduates for a variety of paralegal job opportunities. The utilization of paralegals improves the efficiency, economy and availability of legal services. A paralegal performs substantive legal work under the direct supervision of an attorney.
Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.
The Associate in Applied Science Degree Option will prepare students to enter the paralegal work force with the requisite skills or to transfer to a four-year institution to complete their baccalaureate degree.
The specific objectives of this program are that the student will be able to:
- Examine the roles played by paralegals in the American legal system, particularly the ethical regulations concerning the practice of law;
- Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills;
- Effectively communicate with others in a diverse society, maintaining a professional manner and client confidence;
- Conduct legal research and other fact-gathering activities including client interviews and investigations using current and emerging technologies;
- Demonstrate the ability to write clearly and accurately according to the standards of the legal profession;
- Recognize the similarities and differences among the general areas of law;
- Discuss the basic tenets of the diverse subjects of law, define the legal terms related to these areas, and prepare the documents related to these specialties;
- Analyze and evaluate the relevant legal issues presented in various fact patterns;
- Prepare various documents in preparation for litigation and post-trial practice;
- Incorporate computer technology in law office management and data compilation systems.
Transfer Policy: Prospective students may transfer no more than 30 credits, and no more than 12 credits of legal specialty courses, into Associates in Applied Science degree program, and only with the approval of the Program Director.
The American Sign Language and Deaf Studies Degree Program is designed for individuals who do not have a college degree and are interested in the field of Deaf Studies, linguistics, communications, psychology, social work, rehabilitation, education of the Deaf and other related areas. The program provides a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach in American Sign Language and Deaf Studies. Areas of scholarly pursuit include cultural and historical studies, linguistic examination, and literary analysis, as well as the study of the language in its conversational form. Graduates will be prepared for entry-level positions working with Deaf persons or transfer to four-year degree programs. This program can be completed either as a part-time or full-time student in a day or evening program.
Students are admitted to the ASL and Deaf Studies Program when they have demonstrated English competency and have satisfactorily completed the two semesters of the Pre-entry-level. Students are required to have satisfactorily completed ENG 101 and ENG 102 before taking ASL 201 (ASL 3) and ASL 205 (Linguistics of ASL).
Deaf and Hard of Hearing students are encouraged to participate in this program.
The American Sign Language-English Interpreting Program is designed for individuals who are interested in the field of American Sign Language-English Interpreting. The program provides a multi-disciplinary and interdisciplinary approach of instruction. The five-semester program (after the pre-entry-level is completed) is designed to equip students with knowledge and skills for entry-level sign language interpreting. Areas of scholarly pursuit include cultural and historical studies, linguistic examination, and literary analysis, as well as the study of the language in its conversational form. The courses within the program are geared to preparing students for evaluation for certification through the National Association of the Deaf – Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf National Interpreters Certificate. Graduates will be prepared for entry-level interpreting positions working with Deaf persons or transfer to four-year degree programs. This program can be completed either as a part-time or full-time student in a day or evening program.
Students are admitted to the American Sign Language-English Interpreting Program when they have demonstrated English competency and have satisfactorily completed the Pre-entry-level courses of American Sign Language.
The specific objectives of this program are that the graduate must be able to:
- Demonstrate proficiency in the use of American Sign Language and English with members of the Deaf community.
- Demonstrate knowledge of the studies of American Sign Language as a distinct modern language, including scholarly pursuit of cultural and historical studies, linguistics, and literary analysis.
- Explain the social and cultural characteristics of American Deaf Culture, general and diverse American culture.
- Identify and analyze the psychological and social factors affecting diverse populations within the Deaf community.
- State the ethical and professional standards of interpreters working in the field with Deaf and Hard of Hearing persons.
- Examine the types of interpretation and translation and the processes of interpretation, using theoretical models.
- Demonstrate the skills and process tasks of American Sign Language-English interpretation.
- Explain and analyze the field of interpretation from an historical perspective.
- Analyze contemporary issues in the field of interpreting and the Deaf community.
- Demonstrate effective written, spoken, and signed communication skills.
- Demonstrate the skills and motivation for continued self-education.
- Demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving skills, with emphasis on using community resources to solve specific problems.
- Analyze one’s rights and responsibilities as a professional and/or a citizen in a world community.
The Audio Production program is designed to provide students with a solid foundation for further study and employment in the growing field of Audio Production.
As a transfer program, the program provides a foundation in academic and general studies courses, which prepare students for further study at four-year programs in this discipline both locally and nationally.
Additionally, the program intends to create graduates with the requisite training and skills to begin working with industry standard equipment and software to compose and record their own compositions and compete for entry-level positions in the field.
Other Communications Degrees Include:
- Communications
- Film
- Game Design Creation
- Journalism
- Multimedia
- Public Relations
- Radio
- Television
Specifically, graduates must be able to demonstrate the ability to:
- recount the history of audio recording technology;
- in conducting research, understand the importance of qualifying source material, using time honored structures such as peer review and disciplinary standards;
- demonstrate an understanding of the recording industry as a business;
- a level of comfort and proficiency with standard productivity software such as Adobe Audition, Cubase SX and Pro Tools, as well as an understanding of the ways in which these tools are applied
- in the audio production field;
- the ability to understand and apply all phases of audio production in the contemporary music studio environment;
- identify the fundamental process and sequence involved in the production of audio composition;
- identify the different roles and responsibilities of the recording studio
- identify the historical development of musical performance;
- understand the essentials of audio engineering, the fundamentals of digital imaging and video editing for New Media applications.
The Communications curriculum is designed for transfer to a bachelor’s program in communications or related discipline. Options are available for students who have decided that they are particularly interested in a certain field. Faculty advisors are available in the Communications program and students are encouraged to consult with a faculty advisor regarding appropriate option and course selection for their needs and interests.
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates will be able to:
- Communicate orally and in writing in college level discourse
- Discuss and analyze current social and political issues and events
- Demonstrate proficiency with productivity software such as word processing, presentation manager, web browser and apply them in the field of communications
- Explain the importance of committing to a process of life-long learning
- Compare and contrast prevalent cultural narratives and texts and the various media used to convey them
Other Communications Degrees Include:
- Audio Production
- Film
- Game Design Creation
- Journalism
- Multimedia
- Public Relations
- Radio
- Television
Option offered through Liberal Arts
The International Studies option is designed for traditional transfer-oriented students seeking a baccalaureate or higher degree in international affairs leading to possible careers with multinational corporations, the federal government, or international organizations. Community leaders interested in foreign policy issues and business people seeking to expand their knowledge of the international economy within the global system may also find this program of interest.
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates will have:
- The ability to think critically about the global system
- A familiarity with the history and culture of those civilizations which have interacted with the west over the last several centuries
- Knowledge of the basic operation of the international system of sovereign states from the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648 to its current evolution
- An understanding of the causes of war and the efforts made to produce alternative methods of conflict resolution, including collective security through the United Nations
- An awareness of the roles played by intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), such as WTO, WHO, UNESCO, and non-government organizations (NGOs), such as Green Peace, in the global system
- Familiarity with the development and growth of the Global Economy
- An understanding of the role of multinational corporations(MNCs) within the international system
- Familiarity with statistics so that students can analyze population trends, economic projections, and political data
- Sensitivity to the different value systems, ideologies, national interests, and alternative business practices of various cultures
Option offered through Business
This program offers a strong foundation for students wishing to major in either public and/or business administration. The program includes courses in statistics, computer programming, and management. The courses are designed to develop analytical and quantitative skills, as well as familiarity with the basic characteristics of government and business organizations.
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates will be able to:
- Communicate effectively in written, verbal, and electronic formats
- Describe the principles and practices in the field of public administration management
- Utilize technology as it applies to business practices and research
- Describe the application of macroeconomic and microeconomic theories and concepts in a mixed economy based market
- Enumerate the principles governing ethical behavior in the public administration profession
Option offered through Communications
This program is designed for transfer to a bachelor’s degree-granting institution. Course work includes theory and practice of reporting and writing news and features for print publications. Students are required to consult with an advisor regarding appropriate option and course selection for their needs and interests.
Upon successful completion of all program requirements, graduates will be able to:
- Communicate orally and in writing in college level discourse
- Discuss and analyze current social and political issues and events
- Demonstrate proficiency with productivity software such as word processing, presentation manager, web browser and apply them in the field of communications
- Explain the importance of committing to a process of life-long learning
- Evaluate prevalent cultural narratives and texts and the various media used to convey them
- Compose articles and headlines appropriate to the style requirements of a variety of media publication and distribution channels
Other Communications Degrees Include:
- Audio Production
- Communications
- Film
- Game Design Creation
- Multimedia
- Public Relations
- Radio
- Television
