Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice

Program Description

You can make a difference with a career in criminal justice. Our hands-on Criminal Justice program focuses on teaching you practitioner-oriented instruction designed to provide the necessary skills for becoming an entry-level professional or to continue academic pursuits. Your educational experience includes theory and working together to process mock crime scenes to collect and preserve evidence.

In many instances, you can transfer your credits earned toward a criminal justice bachelor’s degree program. We offer criminal justice courses as electives in the Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree in the Academic Transfer program if you want to earn a bachelor’s degree. It is your responsibility to check with your transfer institution to find out what credits will transfer. Please work closely with your SCC advisor.

Awards Offered: A.A. Degree / A.A.S. Degree
Locations: Beatrice, Lincoln, Online
Formats: In-Person / Online
Start: Fall / Spring
Schedule: Full-Time
Estimated Total Cost
$9,454 Associate of Arts
$9,057 Associate of Applied Science
  1. Want to learn more about SCC? Come see how SCC will help you achieve Your Path to Possible! Schedule a campus visit!
  2. Need help exploring career opportunities or navigating the admissions process? Schedule an appointment with an Admissions Counselor.
  3. Ready to apply? Complete an Application for Admission.
  4. Submit ACT, SAT, Next Generation Accuplacer, or Accuplacer test scores (reading and math) or official college transcripts showing completion of post-secondary coursework in English and math to the Admissions Office at any SCC location.

You’re a Good Fit

You will be a good fit for our Criminal Justice program if you:

  • have strong oral and written communication skills as well as excellent listening skills
  • are able to read social cues and body language as well as speak with people from diverse backgrounds
  • can write accurate and grammatically sound reports
  • are able to solve problems using critical thinking and deductive reasoning
  • have the ability to think quickly
  • possess strong ethics and are culturally sensitive
  • are emotionally balanced/even tempered
  • are observant and aware of your surroundings
  • are in excellent physical shape
  • are detail oriented and have the ability to multi-task


Careers

If you’re interested in the fascinating world of law enforcement, our Criminal Justice program will equip you with the skills necessary to start your career. Recent graduates reported an average salary of $37,128. Career options in Criminal Justice include:

  • Community Service Officer
  • Corporal
  • Corrections Officer
  • Criminal Justice Advocate
  • Officer
  • Patrol Officer
  • Police Officer Recruit
  • Public Safety Dispatcher
  • Relief Specialist
  • Social Worker
  • Security Officer
  • Security Specialist


State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Institution

Southeast Community College is a State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement Institution (NC-SARA) institution. As such, SCC is unable to offer online or distance courses to students in the following areas at this time: American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

For more information about the post-graduation achievements of SCC Graduates as well as average starting salaries, refer to the annual Graduate Report (PDF).

For information about the methodologies used to gather the post-graduation student achievement data contained in the annual Graduate Report, refer to the Institutional Research page or contact ir@southeast.edu.