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The Criminal Justice program prepares students for careers with city, state, federal, private, and other criminal justice agencies. While the NCTC program is designed primarily for entry-level law enforcement, many students choose courses that lead to careers in other areas of the Criminal Justice system, such as public safety communications, corrections, and probation work.
While the program provides pre-employment education for students who want to enter the field of criminal justice at the end of two years with an Associate of Science degree, Northland also provides an Associate of Arts degree that transfers to a four-year institution.
The Criminal Justice program is certified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). After completing the skills training (also offered on the Northland campus) and completing a degree, students are eligible to take the state POST exam.
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Are you ready to begin the Criminal Justice-Law Enforcement A.S. at Northland? Take your first step toward becoming a student at Northland.
The Criminal Justice program is certified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
Northland Community & Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Students achieving assessment scores below the established minimums must register and successfully complete (with a grade of "C" or better) the required developmental courses in order to meet graduation requirements.
The college minimum scores for the Accuplacer Assessment test are as follows:
Reading Comprehension: 78
Arithmetic: 50
Note: Students completing the Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice have an option to choose between a Natural Science (Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goal Area III) or Math (Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goal Area IV). Students who choose to take a Natural Science course instead of Math must either earn a score of 50 on their Accuplacer Arithmetic test or complete MATH 0080, Math Foundations with a grade of "C" or better to satisfy their college minimum requirement.
The following links provide selection criteria information to prospective students who are interested in becoming a peace officer in the state of Minnesota.
Licensure Standards Diagram in color
Minnesota Peace Officer Licensing
Questions and Answers for Advising
Required Courses |
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| Course # | Course Name | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CRJU 1104 | Juvenile Justice & Delinq | 3 credits |
| CRJU 1109 | Behavioral Sciences | 3 credits |
| CRJU 2201 | Criminal Law | 3 credits |
| CRJU 2202 | Criminal Procedures | 3 credits |
| CRJU 2208 | Criminal Investigations | 3 credits |
| CRJU 2215 | Traffic Law | 2 credits |
| CRJU 2221 | Law Enforcement Skills I | 6 credits |
| CRJU 2223 | Law Enforcement Skills II | 6 credits |
| HPER 2244 | First Responder | 3 credits |
| SOCI 1106 | Intro Criminal Justice | 3 credits |
| ENGL 1111 | Composition I | 3 credits |
| G1: Communications Elec | 3 credits | |
| G6: Human/Fine Arts Elec | 3 credits | |
| MNTC Goal 7, 8, 9, 10 | 3 credits | |
| G3:Natural Sci or G4:Math | 3 credits | |
| G2: Critical Think Elec ( *See Elective Options Listed Below ) | 3 credits | |
| MN Transfer Curriculum Electives | 9 credits | |
| Program Specific Electives ( *See Elective Course Options Listed Below ) | 6 credits | |
| TOTAL CREDITS: | 68 credits | |
Program Specific Elective Course Options |
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 Electives for this program may be selected from the following list of courses below. Need help? Schedule an appointment with a Northland Academic Advisor for assistance in selecting courses. |
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| Course # | Course Name | Credits |
| CRJU 1106 | Corrections/Probation | 3 credits |
| CRJU 1117 | Special Topics | 3 credits |
| CRJU 2235 | Internship (4-8 cr) | 4 credits |
| HPER 1125 | Fitness & Conditioning | 1 credits |
| Critical Thinking Electives | ||
| ENGL 1112 | Composition II | 3 credits |
| ENGL 2207 | Technical Writing | 3 credits |
1. Student will describe the various municipal, county, state and federal law enforcement agencies, and the modern principles of police organization and administration that govern them.
2. Student will demonstrate an understanding of theory, law, policy, and practice as it relates to juvenile delinquency and deviant behavior.
3. Student will conduct criminal investigations from the preliminary stage through disposition utilizing proper interview and interrogation techniques according to industry standards.
4. Student will demonstrate technical skills in communication, observation, investigation, evaluation, and basic safety assistance in various law enforcement situations.
5. Student will demonstrate tactical skills, weapon safety, defensive and arrest tactics, vehicle operation, crisis management and force options in various law enforcement scenarios.
6. Student will write accurate and complete police reports using appropriate grammar, punctuation, and spelling according to industry standards.
7. Student will demonstrate an understanding of the principles, authority and Constitutional limitations and laws of the federal and state governments which apply to arrest, search and seizure.
Counselors are available in the Career Center to assist with career advising, job search resources, employer connections, occupational descriptions, employment outlook, earnings, education/training requirements and sources.
Graduates are finding employment with Federal Law Enforcement agencies, State Patrol, State Conservation, County Sheriffs' departments, City Police departments, Dispatchers, Correctional Officers, and Security Guards.
The employment outlook for corrections and police officers in the state of Minnesota from 2009 to 2019 is 4.6%, a below average growth percentage.
