Criminal Justice Associate in Applied Science

Serve and protect

Do you love the thrill of a chase or the focus of solving a puzzle? If you’ve always loved helping and protecting people, criminal justice can be a great career. As a police officer or lawyer, you’re on the frontlines of keeping communities safe. On the flipside, working as a corrections or probation officer gives you the chance to help people turn their lives around.

Whether you’re looking to start your career or make a move in your current law enforcement job, a criminal justice degree opens up your opportunities. You’ll take classes in basic technique, psychology and procedure alongside new students and working professionals. There’s always a need for highly-qualified officers, and careers in law enforcement offer excellent benefits and growth.

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Upon completion of the 60-credit hour Criminal Justice program, you may apply for an Associate in Applied Science degree.

General Education Requirements	Credit Hours
ENGL 101, English Composition	3
COMM 101, Intro to Public Speaking or COMM 215, Professional Communications	3
Humanities/Fine Arts	3
MATH 122, Intermediate Algebra or MATH 123, Quantitative Reasoning	4
M.T.A. Natural Sciences	3
SOC 101, Principles of Sociology	3
TOTAL	19

Major Requirements	Credit Hours
BUSA 130 – Professionalism	1
PSYC 201 – Intro to Psychology	3
CRIM 140 – Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 150 – Juvenile Delinquency & Behavior	3
CRIM 201 – Criminology	3
CRIM 202 – Criminal Law	3
CRIM 245 – Report Writing for Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 251 – Seminar in CJ & Public Safety	3
CRIM 252 – Criminal Procedures	3
TOTAL	25

CRIM 251 (Seminar) requires pre-approval from the instructor. It is an internship course in which the students’ internship sites must be pre-arranged prior to the beginning of the semester.

If students intend to transfer to another institution, they should follow the Criminal Justice Transfer Requirements.

Students may choose one of three paths with the remaining 15 credits of their degrees: Corrections Track, Law Enforcement Track or Generalist Track.

Corrections Track Requirements	Credit Hours
CRIM 160 – Introduction to Corrections	3
CRIM 161 – Institutional Operations	3
CRIM 162 – Institutional Populations	3
CRIM 203 – Criminal Justice Skills	3
CRIM 263 – Legal Issues in Corrections	3
TOTAL	15

Law Enforcement Track Requirements	Credit Hours
CRIM 141 – Introduction to Policing	3
CRIM 203 – Criminal Justice Skills	3
CRIM 204 – Current Issues in Policing	3
CRIM 205 – Criminal Investigations	3
CRIM 242 – Police Org./Admin.	3
TOTAL	15

Generalist Track Requirements*	Credit Hours
CRIM 141 – Introduction to Policing	3
CRIM 160 – Introduction to Corrections	3
CRIM 161 – Institutional Operations	3
CRIM 162 – Institutional Populations	3
CRIM 203 – Criminal Justice Skills	3
CRIM 204 – Current Issues in Policing	3
CRIM 205 – Criminal Investigations	3
CRIM 242 – Police Org./Admin.	3
CRIM 263 – Legal Issues in Corrections	3
TOTAL	15

*For the Generalist Track, choose any 15 credits from the list.

If you wish to transfer Lake Michigan College credits to another institution, you should closely follow the Michigan Transfer Agreement. You should also maintain contact with the institution in which they intend to transfer to, as that institution has control over which credits they will accept.

General Education Requirements (for Transfer)	Credit Hours
ENGL 101, English Composition	3
COMM 101, Intro to Public Speaking or COMM 215 – Professional Communications	3
M.T.A. Humanities/Fine Arts	3
M.T.A. Humanities/Fine Arts	3
MATH 122, Intermediate Algebra or MATH 123, Quantitative Reasoning	4
M.T.A. Natural Sciences	3
M.T.A. Natural Sciences	3
SOC 101 – Principles of Sociology	3
PSYC 201 – Introduction to Psychology	3
TOTAL	28

Major Requirements	Credit Hours
BUSA 130 – Professionalism	1
CRIM 140 – Introduction to Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 150 – Juvenile Delinquency & Behavior	3
CRIM 160 – Introduction to Corrections	3
CRIM 201 – Criminology	3
CRIM 202 – Criminal Law	3
CRIM 204 – Report Writing for Criminal Justice	3
CRIM 251 – Seminar in CJ & Public Safety	3
CRIM 252 – Criminal Procedures	3
TOTAL	25

CRIM 251 (Seminar) requires pre-approval from the instructor. It is an internship course in which the students’ internship sites must be pre-arranged prior to the beginning of the semester.

Electives*	Credit Hours
CRIM 141 – Introduction to Policing	3
CRIM 161 – Institutional Operations	3
CRIM 162 – Institutional Populations	3
CRIM 203 – Criminal Justice Skills	3
CRIM 204 – Current Issues in Policing	3
CRIM 205 – Criminal Investigations	3
CRIM 242 – Police Org./Admin.	3
CRIM 263 – Legal Issues in Corrections	3
TOTAL	9

*Choose any 9 credits from the list of courses.

A law enforcement career can lead you to be a police officer in almost any geographic area of the country. As a police officer in a rural area, you may perform a wide variety of activities including directing traffic at the scene of a crime, investigating a burglary, or giving first aid to an accident victim. In a larger police department, your duties may be more specific.

Most police academies in Michigan are operated by community colleges. Some of the larger departments in the state, such as the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office or Detroit Police Department also operate their own academies.

The Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards maintains a list of police academies in Michigan.

Earn a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris State University by transferring up to three years of LMC courses to Ferris. Thanks to this partnership, you can save thousands of dollars by taking courses at LMC's inexpensive tuition rate and applying them directly to a Ferris degree. Review the Ferris articulation agreement and transfer guide for details.

Brad Byerle

Full-time Faculty Criminal Justice

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