Criminal Justice
The Degrees
Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)
Certificate Program
The Outlook
Employment opportunities in the criminal justice field are expected to increase at a rate faster than average through the year 2010. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that a more security-conscious society coupled with concerns about terrorism and drug-related crimes will influence this demand. Through the Criminal Justice Degree at Finger Lakes Community College, you can gain the academic knowledge and field experience needed for positions such as police officers, security guards, detectives, corrections officers, and special agents.
The Program
The Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice at FLCC is designed to provide you with the knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for statutory, procedural, and constitutional law. You will learn to communicate effectively with professionals in criminal justice and related agencies.
If you are interested in pursuing a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice at a four-year institution, you will find that the A.A.S. program is designed to focus on specific subject areas such as corrections, police science, probation, and youth and/or community service.
Course work
Courses in this degree program include criminal law, laws of evidence, family court, issues in constitutional law, juvenile justice, current practices in corrections, and criminology, to name a few.
Certificate Program
A certificate in Criminal Justice provides you with the opportunity to pursue studies in the law enforcement field and is fully transferable to the two-year degree program.
Required courses for the Criminal Justice Certificate are:
- CJC 115 Law of Evidence (3 credits)
- CJC 105 Criminal Law I (3 credits)
- CJC 110 Criminal Law II (3 credits)
- ENG 101 Freshman English(3 credits)
- PSY 100 Intro to Psychology(3 credits)
- SOC 100 Intro to Sociology (3 credits)
Honors Courses
In addition, the College offers honors courses that provide enhanced educational experiences for students who have demonstrated outstanding academic ability. Enrollment in honors courses is open to qualified students enrolled in this degree program, as well as all other qualified FLCC students. Successful completion of honors courses or an Honors Certificate may increase student transfer options to four-year institutions.
The Experience
The Cooperative Education Internship curriculum in the Criminal Justice
program is designed to supplement and expand the theoretical and doctrinal
concepts delivered in the classroom. Internships can be arranged at locations such as the Rochester
Police Department, New York State Police Department, District Attorney's
Offices in Ontario and Wayne Counties, and local County Sheriff's Departments.
The Graduates
Graduates of the program have become members of police departments in New York City, Rochester, and Washington, D.C., as well as County Sheriff's Departments, the New York State Police, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Marshall's Office, and the United States Secret Service. They also obtain employment in the areas of security, courts, and probation.
Those transferring to four-year institutions in criminal justice have found success at SUNY College at Brockport, Rochester Institute of Technology, Roberts Wesleyan College, and John Jay College, to name a few.*
Salary: In the criminal justice field, salary levels vary greatly depending on experience, education, rank, specialty, and geographic region. The Occupational Outlook Handbook reports average annual salaries for police and sheriff’s patrol officers as approximately $39,000 and for correctional officers as approximately $31,000.
* This is a sampling of some of the four-year colleges and universities to which our students have transferred. Please consult your advisor or the Center for Advisement and Personal Development for a complete listing of transfer agreements between Finger Lakes Community College and four-year institutions.
The Scholarships
Students
in the Criminal Justice degree program meeting specific criteria
may qualify for a number of scholarships including the Becker-Strong
Memorial, New York State Sheriff's Association, and the Anthony
L. Cecere Memorial Scholarships. For details, contact a member of
the Criminal Justice faculty or the Financial Aid Office.
The Faculty
The current academic faculty were practitioners in the field with over sixty years of empirical experience. All of the active adjunct faculty are working in the field of criminal justice on various levels. Our law classes are administered by an attorney with an advance law degree specializing in constitutional issues and the Supreme Court of the United States. The law enforcement classes are enhanced by two retired patrol supervisors: a retired sergeant from the Rochester, New York police department and a former sheriff’s sergeant from Monroe County. They bring urban experience to the classroom and a unique contemporary exposure to our classes.