Nicholls aims to have new criminal justice degree beginning in 2018

With the introduction of its new criminal justice degree, Nicholls hopes to attract fresh
faces looking to major in criminal justice.

The university announced this new degree two weeks ago, and classes are set to be
available during the 2018 school year. The 120 hour degree is open to any student looking to
receive a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.

Dr. Lynn Gillette, provost/vice president for academic affairs, said that it took a lot of
work to make this degree available to students at Nicholls.

“We used to have an associate’s degree in criminal justice, but when there was a change
we couldn’t offer it anymore,” said Gillette. “It had to go all through the University of Louisiana
System and the Board of Regents twice. That’s two whole processes. So, we just got it approved
about two weeks ago.”

Gillette said that, rather than being a broader degree, this degree will be uniquely
formatted to students here at Nicholls due to its specific regional focuses.

“We then came back with a proposal of… focus, if you will, on coastal enforcement and
security. Given where we are, nobody else in the University of Louisiana System can do that as
well as we can, given our region,” said Gillette.

The degree is 120 hours. One class would be taken in freshman and sophomore year
each, and then the bulk of the credit hours would be covered throughout junior and senior year.

Gillette expressed his enthusiasm about the degree and said that he hopes to attract many
students to the university with this degree.

“This degree will do two things conceptually. Number one is it will make it so students
that go to Fletcher and get an associate’s degree can easily transition right here and get a
bachelor’s degree. They’ll also make it so that anybody, any student, can decide that they want to
major in criminal justice and pursue a degree here,” said Gillette.

The degree is aimed towards students interested in careers in law enforcement, security
firms, forensic studies or other fields involving criminal justice.