Criminal Justice A.A.S.

The A.A.S. in Criminal Justice at SUNY Schenectady opens your horizon for a career or further study in law enforcement. Our Criminal Justice programs offers a strong selection of core courses including criminal law, criminology, introduction to security, criminal evidence/procedure, police organization and supervision, and juvenile delinquency.

Specialty courses include Airport Security and Management, Terrorism and Public Security, and Issues in Criminal Justice. These courses are structured so that each student obtains knowledge and understanding of the field of criminal justice.

Our Criminal Justice Faculty bring a vast amount of academic credentials and professional experience to each student. Our professors have over a century of combined teaching at the college level and in law enforcement field work. This offers an immense combination of academic theory and hands-on knowledge that benefits students in the classroom and in making career decisions.  

We prepare you for a multitude of growth opportunities in a field that continues to see a high level of professional and academic opportunities. Qualified students can participate in the Internship program.

This curriculum requires the student to examine the full range of criminal justice activity with a broad spectrum of required and elective criminal justice courses. In addition, the program focuses on understanding human behavior with a strong emphasis on the social sciences and on both written and oral communication skills. An elective internship course further enhances the practical knowledge of students who qualify. 

Graduates of this program are qualified for positions primarily with state and local police and corrections agencies, and in private security operations. Typical positions would include police officer, state trooper, security officer, insurance investigator, conservation officer, border patrol agent, customs patrol officer or corrections officer.

The Criminal Justice A.A.S. program provides graduates with the academic, ethical and legal foundation for career opportunities in law enforcement and private security. The program prepares graduates to:

Goal I: Demonstrate Criminal Justice professional skills and abilities.

• Communicate effectively within criminal justice and academic environments, both orally and in writing using Formal Standard English
• Identify key concepts, definitions and principles of law enforcement, corrections, the courts and police organization and supervision
• Apply legal research skills to locate and analyze discipline specific topics
• Identify different theoretical and historical perspectives as they apply to criminal justice

Goal II: Demonstrate a commitment to ethical practice.

• Identify the principles of ethical criminal justice conduct
• Apply criminal justice ethics to the resolution of practical problems
• Demonstrate an understanding of the ethical practices in retail and industrial security

Goal III: Recognize diversity and the role of cultural competence in understanding the criminal justice system.

• Identify diverse identities in the lives of people in their community and beyond
• Exam the role cultural diversity plays in the criminal justice system
• Apply appropriate strategies in working with diverse populations