Why study Criminal Justice at MC?
Are you looking for a stimulating career that provides the opportunity to serve others? A degree in Criminal Justice is a degree that prepares students to become professionals, researchers, and educators in a wide variety of contexts. Environmental protection officers, park rangers, and counselors of juveniles are fields open to graduates with criminal justice degrees. Additionally, federal agencies, such as the Secret Service, Homeland Security, Border Patrol, and Federal Probation and Parole, are seeking college graduates with criminal justice backgrounds. Other related fields include: public health (health inspector/regulation administrator), social work (case worker, child protective services agent, adult services provider), and city and state policy researchers.
Maryville College Works is our comprehensive career preparation program that is integrated into the College’s four-year liberal arts curriculum. Key components include assessment, advising, networking and professional experiences.
Meet a current student
Gavin Egan ’20
Hometown: Knoxville, Tenn.
Gavin has had a passion for law enforcement since he was young. When he discovered the criminal justice major at Maryville College, he knew right away that he wanted to expand his knowledge regarding the American criminal
justice system. “I believed that the individualized learning at MC combined with a dense criminal justice program would best prepare me for a future career in law enforcement,” he said. He recently completed an internship at the Knoxville Police Department. Upon graduating, Gavin plans to begin a career in law enforcement with a local agency and ultimately work for a federal law enforcement agency.
Outcomes of Recent Grads
Featured Graduates
Jenna Roberts ’19
Currently: Deputy, Blount County Sheriff’s Office
Jenna was always interested in crime shows and investigations, so law enforcement was a career she set her sights on long ago. The Cookeville native first attended Roane State Community College then transferred to Maryville, declaring a major in criminal justice and playing for the Scots’ softball team. When she wasn’t on campus, she was working for the Blount County Sheriff’s Office. A letter from the BCSO inviting her to take the corrections entrance exam came right after graduation, and after passing, she was hired full-time. She currently works at the juvenile detention center. “I hope to attend Middle Tennessee State University for my master’s degree,” she said.
Kendyhl and Ruben Rodgers '15
Currently: Deputies, Blount County Sheriff’s Office
With several family members in law enforcement, the Rodgers brothers found joining the Blount County Sheriff’s Department to be an ideal step in their career paths. Both were members of the Fighting Scots football team and peer
mentors/student leaders for the College’s Cooper Success Center. Today, their career aspirations include the FBI and DEA; Kendyhl is also considering the ATF. They credit the College’s academics, athletics, community and leadership
opportunities with preparing them for success in their profession. “I always wanted to make a difference in others’ lives and find ways to help people,” Kendyhl said. “This career field helps me fulfill both.”
Jacob Gibbons ’12
Currently: Deputy, Blount County Sheriff’s Office
As a student at Maryville College, Jacob’s career plans were focused on law enforcement inside the national parks, but interning with the Blount County Sheriff’s Office one summer, he realized how much he liked the work of the department.
“I had several opportunities to do ride-alongs, assist with criminal investigations and get an inside view at the function of a law enforcement agency. I applied for a fulltime, patrol position shortly after graduation and was offered the job a few months after applying. Since then, I have been selected to participate in specialized units within the agency. My ultimate career goal is to be employed as a criminal investigator (special agent) with a federal agency like the A.T.F. or Secret Service.”
