Education, Human Services and Criminal Justice Department | A.A.S. Associate of Applied Science Degree | 2 years

You will develop some exciting new skills in this program. Among these new skills, you should be able to:

• Identify the major steps of the criminal justice process
• Explain the functions of law enforcement in the United States
• Describe the role of the criminal court system

Careers

Career opportunities include:

• correctional officer
• correctional counselor
• probation and parole officer

Job Market

Search related careers and regional data on wages and job outlook on Career Coach.

PROGRAM CODE: AAS.CORRECTIONS

The Corrections program utilizes an interdisciplinary approach, including sociological, psychological and biological behavioral perspectives to provide students with a well-rounded basis for interacting with corrections clients in a variety of correctional settings.

Course work includes cooperative work experience, hands-on experience in a correctional agency to supplement and apply knowledge gained in academic courses.

RELATED INSTRUCTION OUTCOMES

Computation (1 course- MTH-098 College Math Foundations)

• Use appropriate mathematics to solve problems.

Communication (1 course- WR-121Z Composition I)

• Read actively, think critically, and write purposefully and capably for professional audiences.

Human Relations (1 course- CJA-250 Reporting, Recording & Testifying)

• Engage in ethical communication processes that accomplish goals.

Physical Education/Health/Safety/First Aid (1 course- HPE-296 Health and Fitness for Criminal Justice)

• Use effective life skills to improve and maintain mental and physical wellbeing. 

PROGRAM OUTCOMES

Upon successful completion of this program, students should be able to:

• identify and define each step in the criminal justice process, and critically analyze how a case proceeds through the system, including landmark U.S. Supreme Court decisions;
• explain the functions of law enforcement and corrections in the United States in terms of historical roots, structure and contemporary issues;
• identify conditions and personal characteristics that are specific to working with offenders in an institutional or community setting, and develop strategies for coping with those conditions;
• demonstrate knowledge of ethical practices in educational and professional settings;
• recognize how criminal justice professionals work effectively within a diverse society;
• identify causes and indicators of crime and their effect on the criminal justice system’s response;
• analyze contemporary issues in the adult and juvenile corrections systems in the United States and outline possible responses to those issues;
• demonstrate effective verbal communication skills in a criminal justice setting;
• demonstrate effective written communication skills in a criminal justice setting.