1. College Success

• COLLG 110 College Success (3 credits)

• Course purpose: A foundational course to explore and affirm a career choice and build upon the skills, knowledge, and resources that will support you at Pierce College and beyond.

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• Note: The College Success course you select will depend on the Career Pathway Map you are following. Your advisor will assist you in selecting either the 3- or 5- credit version of the course. Should you choose to repeat a College Success course you must enroll in a College Success course with the same credit amount as the original course; a COLLG 110 course grade can only be replaced with a grade from another COLLG 110 course and a COLLG 115 course grade can only be replaced with a grade from another COLLG 115 course.

2. Criminal Justice: Success Seminar

• CJ 103 Criminal Justice: Success Seminar (1 credit)

• Course purpose: This course is an introduction to success in the CJ program. It will cover education plans, navigating through Pierce College, and how to be successful in the culminating project. You will learn about professional standards and employment requirements. It should be taken within the first two quarters.

3. Policing in America

• CJ 150 Introduction to Policing (5 credits)

• Course purpose: Policing is a huge part of the justice system and a great career opportunity. This course will help you with the history of policing and its impact on the citizens the system serves as well as what is currently occurring in our policing systems and where it might change in the future. Often our understanding of Law Enforcement is different from what it is. This class will help to bridge those two truths.

Action Item: Meet with Advisor

Use your Success Network! In your first quarter, meet with your advisor to revisit your career and transfer path, make adjustments to your goals as needed, and plan for your next steps.

4. English Composition I

• ENGL& 101 English Composition I (5 credits)

• Course purpose: Writing is an important aspect of criminal justice. You will be writing infractions, court documents, depositions, etc. Your ability to write will influence the systems view of your skills and ability, as well as the public’s perception of you as a professional. In addition it will strengthen your work in your academic career.

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• Note: Your advisor will assist you in reviewing your Guided Self Placement and selecting either the 5-credit or the 7-credit co-requisite ENGL& 101 + ENGLC 101 course. 

5. Introduction to Criminal Justice

• CJ& 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice (5 credits)

• Course purpose: This course gives an overview of theories and the major elements of the criminal justice system. You will be able to speak across the justice system and understand how the different elements (law enforcement, courts, corrections and support agencies) work together, or don’t at times.

6. Crime and Justice

• CJ 200 Crime and Justice in America: The Issues (5 credits)

• Course purpose: This class deals with how to respond to culture conflict and is steeped heavily in social justice and multiculturalism. You will learn hands-on skills to communicate with others who may not believe as you do. It is important as a criminal justice professional to address your biases prior to getting into the field. Your job is to serve all citizens, no matter your personal beliefs. This class will help you do just that.

Action Item: Apply for Graduation

Way to go! It is time to apply for graduation. Visit the Pierce College Graduation website for details. https://www.pierce.ctc.edu/graduation

7. Public Speaking

• CMST& 220 Fundamentals of Public Speaking (5 credits)

• Course purpose: This is the course where you get to put your theory and content from your classes to practice in the field. It includes 180 hours of volunteer work in a criminal justice agency that is pre-approved by instructor. You must search for the site up to 6 months in advanced.

8. Work Based Learning

• CJ 252 Criminal Justice Work Based Learning (5 credits)

• Course purpose: This is the course where you get to put your theory and content from your classes to practice in the field. It includes 180 hours of volunteer work in a criminal justice agency that is pre-approved by instructor. You must search for the site up to 6 months in advanced.  For the Cadet/Explorer Certificate you may use the hours you are actually volunteering in the community. This is the time outside of your training. For example in Olympia the Olympia Police Explorers help with traffic on the Toys for Tots toy run. Pierce County Cadets often help with parking at the local fairs.

9. Operational Skills

• CJ 260 Law Enforcement Operational Skills: Explore/Cadet (5 credits)

• Course purpose: You will take this course if you are interested in Cadet/Explorer, where you will be volunteering as a Police explorer or cadet and will include all the time that you put into your weekly trainings as well as your academy. You must successfully complete one academy to complete this course.

10. Culminating Project

• CJ 280 Criminal Justice Culminating Project (1 credit)

• Course purpose: In this course you will prove that you have met all the outcomes of this certificate. You will have an opportunity to show us what you have done in a 20 minute PowerPoint presentation to the criminal justice and Pierce College community. It is an exciting experience to see the great growth you have had at Pierce College.

11. Problem Based Research

• INFO 102 Problem Based Research in Professional/Technical Programs (2 credits)

• Course purpose: This class will assist you with your academic research and citation. This is not only imperative for your success in academic writing, but it also will help you research best practices and validate your evidence in order to best serve the community by making changes in the system. Information that is not credible can create more hurt in our system and to our citizens.

Total Credits: 42

Program Code: 832E