The role of prerequisites in a criminal justice curriculum

This article examines the value of requiring prerequisites beyond the standard introduction to criminal justice course in a criminal justice program. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression of eight sections of a criminal procedure course over a period of four years, this study found a significant difference in final grades in an upper-level Criminal Procedure class between students who enrolled in a recommended prerequisite (Criminal Courts) and students who did not take the prerequisite. As administrators become increasingly concerned with student success, it is argued that additional prerequisites may be beneficial in improving student learning.