The Associate in Science Criminal Justice (CJ) degree program offers a sequence of courses that provides coherent and rigorous content aligned with challenging academic standards and relevant technical knowledge and skills needed to prepare students to work as criminal justice practitioners/supervisors/managers in law enforcement agencies, correctional institutions, juvenile courts, crime laboratories, and mobile units dealing with physical evidence, etc. The program can also provide supplemental training for persons previously or currently employed in these occupations. The program may also be beneficial to professionals seeking salary incentive benefits or career enhancement in the field.
This program does not prepare students for certification as correctional officers, law enforcement officers, correctional probation officers, or auxiliary law enforcement officers, regardless of the amount of degree work completed. A student must successfully complete a Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission (CJSTC) Basic Recruit Program to become certified, pursuant to Chapter 943, Florida Statutes.
Articulation Program in Criminal Justice
Students entering this program who have completed the Basic Corrections Training or the Basic Police Recruit Training at any FDLE/ CJSTC approved training center and holds current state criminal justice certification may have credits applied toward program completion. Contact the CJ Program Director LSSC’s Workforce Programs office for more details.
This program includes the following certificate:
Academic Advising
Career Development Services
Program Contact Information
- Mr. Greg Bridgeman, Assistant Professor and Program Manager CriminalJustice@lssc.edu 352-323-3636
- Workforce Programs Main Office 352-435-5024
Program Requirements
Course List
| Code |
Title |
Hours |
| ENC 1101 | College Composition I | 3 |
| 1 | 3 |
| POS 2041 | American National Government | 3 |
| or AMH 2020 | U.S. History Since 1877 |
| 1 | 3 |
| 1 | 3 |
| CGS 1100 | Business Computer Applications | 3 |
| CJE 2006 | Police and Society | 3 |
| CCJ 1020 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJE 1002 | Introduction to Law Enforcement | 3 |
| CJC 1000 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| SPC 2608 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| CCJ 1001 | Introduction to Criminology | 3 |
| CJL 2100 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| CCJ 2358 | Criminal Justice Report Writing | 3 |
| CJE 2500 | Police Operations | 3 |
| CJL 2102 | Criminal Procedure & Evidence | 3 |
| CJE 2331 | Ethics in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJE 2600 | Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| 2 | 6 |
| Intermediate Algebra | |
| Introduction to Mathematical Thinking | |
| Introduction to Psychology | |
| World Religions | |
| Introduction to Sociology | |
| Social Problems | |
| Total Hours | 60 |
When beginning this program, students should make an appointment for advising with the Program Manager through the Program Contact email address below.
Only required courses for an LSSC degree or qualifying certificate program are eligible for federal financial aid. Verify course choices and avoid charges by making an appointment with an academic advisor.
As per the amended Florida Rule 6A-10.02413, prior to the award of an associate in arts, associate in science, or baccalaureate degree, LSSC students under the 2022-2023 Catalog and thereafter must demonstrate competency in civic literacy through one of the following options prior to graduation:
- successfully passing POS 2041 American National Government or AMH 2020 U.S. History Since 1877 or AMH 2010 U.S. History to 1877 beginning Fall 2024 forward and achieving a 60% or higher on the Florida Civic Literacy Exam , or
- successfully passing a prescribed assessment:
- AP Government & Politics Test: United States (passing score of 3), or
- AP U.S. History Test (passing score of 4), or
- CLEP: American Government (passing score of 50)
- CLEP: History of the United States I (passing score of 50)
To verify your Civic Literacy Requirement, please visit Degree Works
For information about career options, visit www.lssc.edu/careers.
Students must complete 25% of each program's total credit hours at LSSC and earn a grade of C or higher in all introductory, intermediate, advanced, and program elective courses.
Note: Regardless of any degree work completed, in order to be a sworn law enforcement or corrections officer in the state of Florida, students must successfully complete a state mandated training academy program.
