Associate Degree in Criminal Justice
Pierce College offers the Associate in Criminal Justice at the Ft. Steilacoom campus and at the military sites. The degree is designed to provide students with the basic skills essential to success in both academic work and criminal justice occupations. A mandatory work–based learning component (internship) connects criminal justice theory and practices.
Bachelor's degrees in criminal justice are widely available. Central Washington University offers a four–year program on the Pierce College Ft. Steilacoom campus, and the AT degree fully articulates into the CWU program. Students who intend to transfer to a four–year program should work closely with their advisor and make contact with the desired university early in their educational career. It is highly recommends that transferring students complete the requirements for the AAS degree.
Special funding may be available for unemployed workers and low–wage working parents. See your advisor or call (253) 964–6265.
The Associate in Criminal Justice is designed for entry–level positions.
- Corrections Case Manager
- Corrections Officer
- Customs Inspector
- Government Executive
- Juvenile Detention Worker
- Parole/Probation Officer
- Police Detective
- Police Officer
- Victim's Advocate
- Work Release Facilitator
For more information contact:
- Bobi Foster-Grahler
- (253) 964–6437
- bfoster@pierce.ctc.edu
- Deborah St. John, Military Programs
- (253) 964–6606
- Office of Professional/Technical Education
- (253) 964–6645
Associate in Criminal Justice Curriculum
| GENERAL REQUIREMENTS | College–level reading skills, as determined by placement test, are required (or READ 101) | |
|---|---|---|
| COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS | (13 credits) | |
| CIS 110 | Intro to Microcomputers Business Applications | 3 |
| + ENGL 101 | Composition – Exposition | 5 |
| ENGL 103 | Composition – Argumentation and Research (or ENGL 102) | 5 |
| QUANTATIVES/SYMBOLIC REASONING SKILLS | (5 credits) | |
| + MATH 107 | Intro to Contemporary Math (or MATH 281 †) | 5 |
| HUMANITIES | (15 credits) | |
| PHIL 150 | Introduction to Ethics | 5 |
| Elective | (JOURN 102, Foreign Language (+++) or a course requiring a paper ++) | 5 |
| SPCH 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 5 |
| NATURAL SCIENCE | (15 credits) | |
| BIOL 118 | Human anatomy & Physiology for Non–Science Major (or another biology course++) | 5 |
| HSCI 210 | Wellness | 5 |
| Elective | (Course other than biology or health science that meet the AAS distribution requirement++) | 5 |
| SOCIAL SCIENCE | (15 credits) | |
| + PSYCH 110 | General Psychology | 5 |
| SOC 110 | Survey of Sociology | 5 |
| POLS 202 | United States Government and Politics (or POLS 230) | 5 |
| CRIMINAL JUSTICE REQUIREMENTS | (30 credits) | |
| CJ 110 | Criminal Justice in America | 5 |
| CJ 140 | Corrections in America | 5 |
| CJ 150 | Police in America | 5 |
| CJ 200 | Crime and Justice: The Issues | 5 |
| CJ 202 | Concepts of Criminal Law | 5 |
| ++CJ 252 | Criminal Justice Work Based Learning | 5 |
| ELECTIVES | (10 credits) | |
| Criminal Justice Electives | 10 | |
| TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED | 103 | |
+ Meets related instruction requirements for professional/technical programs.
++ Requires Criminal Justice Advisor approval.
+++ Students planning to transfer to a four–year institution who lack two years of high school study of a single foreign language should take one quarter of foreign language as a Humanities elective. Four–year institutions may require 3 quarters.
† MATH 281 is recommended for students transferring to a four–year institution. SOCAD students may substitute 5 additional criminal justice elective credits upon advisor permission for CJ 252.
* Students must earn a minimum of a 2.0 in each criminal justice course to obtain an Associate in Criminal Justice. Students wanting to obtain an AAS while completing their Associate in Criminal Justice must earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 and earn a minimum of a 1.5 GPA in all core requirements and core electives.
** Students should be aware that certain criminal behavior may prohibit their employment opportunities in many criminal justice occupations. Students are encouraged to research these situations and consult with a criminal justice advisor.
