Degree Plans

The Associates of Arts in Criminal Justice
The need for college-level training in the field of law enforcement has grown dramatically in recent years.  Law enforcement  agencies, the judicial process, corrections, probation, and parole programs have recognized the value of college training for their employees. The Associate's Degree prepares students to either continue their education at a four-year university or to enter any public safety agency at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as the private sector of insurance and security technology.

The Associate of Arts in Social Sciences

The Social Sciences are concerned with the study of human behavior and development, both individual and collective.  STCC offers two concentrations for this Associate's Degree: Psychology and Sociology. Two Anthropology courses are offered every semester as electives.

Psychology Concentration Degree Plan
Do you want to study why people behave certain ways, how the brain affects these behaviors, how we acquire habits, what kinds of mental illnesses there are, what you can do to improve motivation, how people develop over time physically, emotionally, and cognitively, and many more aspects of human behavior?
The Psychology Concentration offers students an opportunity to become familiar with the different field of Psychology, which will enable them to make an informed choice on how to continue their career. This may be transfer to a four-year academic institution to continue their education in fields such as counseling, clinical psychology, and industrial psychology, or a job that requires interaction with people, such as retail, real state management and sales, personnel related functions, advertising, public relations, and human services.

Sociology Concentration Degree Plan
Are you interested in the basic structures of human society? Do you want to learn about deviance, crime, social control and how marriage, family, politics, education, and religion affect you? Do you want to study racial and ethnic inequality or gender? The Sociology concentration may answer all your questions.  Just like the Psychology Concentration, this is an excellent transfer program.  Graduates are able to transfer with full credit and complete their Bachelors Degree with only two years of additional study. Since the study of Sociology covers the basic structures of human society with its cultures and stratifications, it is a popular major among those who want to enter career fields that address social change and social support such as human resources, human services, public relations, government agencies, and any other institution that requires knowledge of social science research.

Social Work Concentration Degree Plan
Social work is a profession for people that have a strong desire to serve the needs of other people. Social workers work in virtually any organization that strives to meet human needs. The demand for social workers, according to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, is expected to grow faster than average.
In Texas, a bachelors degree in social work is required to become licensed. The Associate of Arts degree in Social Sciences with a Concentration in Social Work, therefore, is a two-year program of study for individuals who want to transfer to a four-year college or university. Students completing this degree can transfer to the University of Texas Pan American and complete the Bachelor of Social Work degree in two years.
This degree program is also ideal for human service workers who wish to make themselves more proficient in currently held employment. After completion of this degree program, the student will be prepared to work in a variety of public and private human service settings, including programs in schools and hospitals, juvenile detention and residential facilities, crisis centers, information and referral programs, hospices, housing programs, nursing homes, home health agencies, adult daycare centers, and other organizations and agencies which offer services to humans in need.
Instruction includes a mixture of courses to prepare the student to enter the field as a generalist practitioner. Some courses, therefore, concentrate on skills development (e.g., interviewing, counseling, assessment, case management, documentation, etc.). Other courses examine the historical evolution of social welfare services, the development of social welfare policies and programs, and the dynamics of agencies and organizations through which services are offered. Two introductory courses focusing on the elderly and people with chemical addictions are also included in the program. In the last semester of the program, students are required to take a practicum course designed to integrate what the student has learned with actual practice in a human service setting. This degree program also offers two introductory courses in social work and social welfare which are transferable to undergraduate social work programs four-year institutions.