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Degree Selection Information

Criminal Justice

Associate in Applied Science (A.A.S.)

Career degree program in criminal justice

  • Designed for students who plan on seeking employment as police officers, correctional technicians and security officers immediately after graduation from CLC.
  • Requires fewer general education classes than the transfer degree and allows students to take significantly more courses in the criminal justice field (39 credit hours).
  • Provide you with knowledge and skills required in the workplace.

Associate in Arts (A.A.)

Academic degree program designed to prepare students for transfer to a four-year college or university for completion of the bachelor's degree

  • Students interested in employment in federal law enforcement, probation or parole services, juvenile or adult casework with offender populations or victim's advocacy should pursue the transfer degree. Criminal justice occupations are increasingly emphasizing more college education.
  • Students in this program take fewer criminal justice courses (about 15 to 18 credit hours) with the balance of their course work in general education courses that are required for a bachelor's degree.
  • Transfer students should begin researching which college or university they would like to attend soon after starting their coursework at CLC. Some of the course requirements for the career and transfer degrees overlap, particularly in your first year of coursework. Upon completion of your second semester at CLC, if you have not already done so, you should decide which path you intend to follow (the transfer A.A. OR the career A.A.S. degree).
 
 
 
College of Lake County, 19351 West Washington Street, Grayslake, IL 60030-1198    (847) 543-2000