The Criminal Justice Academy gives you the chance to explore a career in the criminal justice or police science field while earning college credit before you graduate from high school! You will gain basic knowledge of the criminal justice system, its operations, and purpose.
The criminal justice field will continue to grow from 2008 through 2018 as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Jobs as police officers and detectives are growing about 10% and jobs for probation officers and correctional specialist are growing by 19%.
Career Opportunities
Your career opportunities may include, but are not limited to:
- Attorney (with advanced education)
- Corporate security specialist
- Corrections officer
- Deputy sheriff
- Investigator
- Police officer
Program Costs
- Your school district pays for your courses and provides the textbooks.
- You are responsible for transportation costs to the course locations.
- You are responsible for any supplies, field trips, and activities out of the classroom.
Who can participate?
- Any 9–12 grade student who meets the requirements.
- Students who are able to travel to the course locations.
What can you do after you graduate from high school?
If you complete the Criminal Justice Academy, you will receive up to 24 credits (approximately a $3,400 value) toward your college degree!
You can continue your education at Hawkeye in programs such as:
Where are the courses located?
Courses for the Criminal Justice Academy are held on Hawkeye’s Main Campus and at the Independence Center.
Criminal Justice Academy Courses
Courses marked with an asterisk (*) have minimum score requirements; contact your guidance counselor for details.
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General education course. |
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Course has a prerequisite and/or corequisite. |
Course Descriptions: Show All | Hide All
| Criminal Justice Academy Courses |
| CRJ-100 |
Introduction to Criminal Justice
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3 |
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This course examines the day-to-day operation of criminal justice in our society. Emphasis is on the inter-relationships of the components of law enforcement, the courts, corrections, and the juvenile justice system.
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| CRJ-120 |
Introduction to Corrections
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3 |
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This course will provide an introductory examination of corrections in the United States. The central theme of the course will be to critically analyze corrections as an integral part of the overall criminal justice system in America.
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| CRJ-200 |
Criminology
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3 |
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This course explores theories of factors that influence criminal behavior, and analyzes criminal behavior in relationship to other social problems.
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| CRJ-201 |
Juvenile Delinquency
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3 |
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This course is an investigation of the social and legal definitions of juvenile delinquency and its causes. It also focuses on the administration of juvenile court, probation and parole, and assessment of present and potential prevention programs.
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| ENG-105 |
Composition I
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3 |
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Composition I emphasizes fluency, thesis-driven organization, the use of supporting details, and research techniques. Writing is approached as a recursive process that includes prewriting strategies, drafting, revising, and editing. The course helps students shape writing to serve readers' needs and define a sense of purpose in their writing. It also gives students strategies for reading college-level material.
Prerequisite(s): Appropriate placement scores or equivalent.
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| MAT-110 |
Math for Liberal Arts
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3 |
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This is a one semester, liberal arts mathematics course that satisfies the minimum general education requirement for math. The course is designed to impart math skills which are helpful in everyday life as well as to expose students to areas of mathematics they may not have seen before. Topics include problem-solving skills, set theory, algebra, consumer mathematics, probability, and statistics. Other topics may be included.
Prerequisite(s): A minimum grade of D- in MAT-063 or appropriate placement score.
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| MAT-156 |
Statistics
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3 |
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This course is a study of descriptive statistics including graphical representation, central tendency, correlation and regression, intuitive treatment of probability and inferential statistics including hypothesis testing.
Lecture Hours: 48
Prerequisite(s): MAT-063.
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| PSY-111 |
Introduction to Psychology
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3 |
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This course provides an introduction to the study of behavior and mental processes with emphasis in such areas as learning, cognition, motivation, personality, behavioral disorder, therapy, and social influence. An understanding of the impact of both theoretical perspectives and experimental evidence on the formulation of the science of human behavior is also stressed. Psychological theories and principles are utilized to explain and predict behavior.
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| SOC-110 |
Introduction to Sociology
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3 |
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This course surveys the basic principles, concepts, and research findings of social life from small groups to societies. The course examines a range of sociological explanations for the various forms of social behaviors and establishes a basis for reflection and further study in the field.
Lecture Hours: 48
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| SPC-101 |
Fundamentals of Oral Communication
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3 |
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This course introduces students to the oral communication process and how it affects human interaction There will be an emphasis on developing interpersonal, small group, and public speaking skills. Students will be involved in activities that provide opportunity for the understanding and improvement of their oral communication skills.
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