CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is pushing forward on two shorter bachelor’s tracks for law enforcement and corrections workers after state higher-education officials said the plans meet Tennessee’s focused-degree standards.
Police Science and Corrections Science would live in UTC’s criminal justice department and aim for an August 2027 launch once THEC and university trustees finish the formal approval steps. A focused baccalaureate needs only 90 hours, against the usual 120, to cut time and cost while staying tied to the job.
The policing track would serve graduates of a POST-certified academy, covering investigative work, community ties, legal questions, ethics and command skills. The corrections track would serve people who finished a state corrections academy, covering offender management, rehabilitation, correctional law and research.
Eligible students can apply academy training toward nine hours through the campus prior-learning portfolio class. Classes would run fully online or on campus so working officers and corrections staff across the state can enroll without leaving their posts.
UT System President Randy Boyd cast the shorter degrees as a way to credit experience students already bring and open more doors to a UT credential. Chancellor Lori Bruce said the designs keep academic standards while answering demand for credentialed public-safety leaders.
The same THEC green light also covers a UT Southern plan in corrections and institutional leadership under the system’s Be One UT strategy for 2025 through 2030. UTC graduates could later stack more coursework toward the traditional 120-hour Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice, and Transfer Pathways credits would count.
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