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.
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.
According to CAREERwise, the median hourly pay as a Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers in the state of Minnesota is $29.78 per hour. The employment outlook through 2024 is expected to grow approximately 2.5%, a high-growth career.
Get started today by talking to an NCTC admissions representative about connecting your educational goals to a Criminal Justice-Law Enforcement career path.
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View semester order by campus: Thief River Falls
Required Courses |
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Course # | Course Name | Credit(s) |
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CRJU 1102 | Law Enf & Human Behavior | 3 |
CRJU 1103 | Juvenile Justice | 3 |
CRJU 1106 | Corrections/Probation | 3 |
CRJU 1107 | Law Enf & Community | 3 |
CRJU 1126 | L.E. Fitness I | 1 |
CRJU 2126 | L.E. Fitness II | 1 |
CRJU 2200 | Minnesota Statutes | 3 |
CRJU 2206 | Criminal Investigations | 3 |
CRJU 2209 | Law Enforcement Skills I | 6 |
CRJU 2210 | Criminal Procedures | 3 |
CRJU 2219 | Law Enforcement Skills II | 6 |
HPER 2244 | First Responder | 3 |
ENGL 1111 | Composition I | 3 |
PHIL 1102 | Intro to Ethics | 3 |
PSYC 1105 | Intro to Psychology | 3 |
SOCI 1107 | Intro Criminal Justice | 3 |
G1: Communications Elec | 3 | |
G3:Natural Sci or G4:Math | 3 | |
G2: Critical Think Elec ( *See Elective Options Listed Below ) | 3 | |
MN Transfer Curriculum Electives | 9 | |
TOTAL CREDITS: | 68 | |
Area of Interest Elective Course Options |
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![]() For this particular pathway, NCTC recommends a student explore further coursework in the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum areas listed 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 2295 | Internship | 3 |
G2: Critical Thinking Electives | ||
ENGL 1112 | Composition II | 3 |
ENGL 2207 | Technical Writing | 3 |
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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.
All required CRJU courses and SOCI 1107 must be completed with a grade of C or better.
Requirements for CRJU 2209 Skills I (fall semester) and CRJU 2219 Skills II (spring semester)
Northland Community & Technical College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
The Criminal Justice program is certified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
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