HIGHER EDUCATION COURSES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE TEND TO FOCUS ON LARGER SOCIAL TRENDS IN AMERICAN SOCIETY AND AIM TO UPGRADE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. THEY ADHERE TO SLOW, CONTEMPLATIVE METHODS OF PROBLEMSOLVING BASED ON BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH. LAW ENFORCEMENT PRACTITIONERS ASSERT THAT THIS THEORETICAL APPROACH TO CRIMINAL JUSTICE DOES NOT PREPARE STUDENTS FOR PROBLEMS THAT THEY WILL ENCOUNTER ON THE JOB AND, THEREFORE, MOST AGENCIES WILL NOT HIRE PERSONS WITH A COLLEGE EDUCATION IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE AT A LEVEL HIGHER THAN THAT OF A HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATE. PRACTITIONERS GENERALLY ADVOCATE A TRAINING CURRICULUM THAT WOULD IMPROVE PERFORMANCE MEASURABLE BY INDICATORS OF SUCCESS SUCH AS ARREST RATES, PROPERTY RECOVERY, AND CLEARANCE RATES. SOME COMBINATION OF THESE TWO EDUCATIONAL APPROACHES WOULD PRODUCE AN APPROPRIATE CRIMINAL JUSTICE CURRICULUM, BUT SINCE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES ARE IN THE FORMATIVE STAGE AND MUST RELY ON EMPIRICAL VALIDATION OF THEORETICAL STRUCTURES AND AN ENORMOUS DIVERSITY EXISTS WITHIN BOTH THE HIGHER EDUCATION PROGRAMS AND POLICE TRAINING PROGRAMS, THIS IDEAL CURRICULUM IS DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP. A PROFESSIONAL CURRICULUM SHOULD BE DEVELOPED, HOWEVER, WHICH ACCEPTS THE IDEA THAT KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE IN HUMAN BEHAVIOR AND INTERACTION IS NECESSARY AND EMPHASIZES THE PRACTICE OF THEORETICAL CONCEPTS BY INTEGRATING COGNITIVE LEARNING INTO PRACTICAL USAGE. THIS WOULD IMPROVE THE MARKETABILITY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE STUDENTS. A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. (DAG)