Criminal Justice

• Newly hired officers must meet certain requirements before becoming certified by the State. Officers must attend one of six police training academies and complete a 400-hour basic training program and a 40-hour firearms training course. Officers must also pass a written test and physical fitness test. Many police departments now require new officers to have a college education. Research has indicated that college educated officers perform their tasks better, are better writers and speakers and are better able to deal with different cultures, races and lifestyles.
• Those with education and training in criminal justice work as agents, officers, investigators, inspectors, and rangers for a variety of employers including courts, correction departments, law firms, the military, parks, private organizations and insurance companies.
• The National Career Clusters Framework created a tool to help you find a career that suits your interests and skills. Our criminal justice program is part of the Law, Public Safety, Corrections & Security career cluster.

Kishwaukee College provides Criminal Justice students the opportunity to gain real world experience through on-campus employment with the Kish Cadet Corps.

• Students who plan to transfer to a 4-year university generally enroll in the A.S. degree and should refer to the advisement code #147 in the catalog for course selection. This curriculum suggests several criminal justice courses to complement the larger number of general education courses. This transfer curriculum does plan for a smooth transfer to Roosevelt University, Aurora University and Western Illinois University. 
• For students who are interested in completing the A.A.S degree prior to transfer, Franklin University in Columbus, Ohio has an online, bachelor's degree program that is another option for students. This curriculum requires a higher proportion of criminal justice courses for graduation. 
• Students who do not plan to transfer after graduation from Kish generally choose to complete the A.A.S degree or one of our many certificate options.

Students interested in pursuing a degree or certificate in criminal justice are encouraged to speak with their academic advisor.

Kishwaukee College will award credit toward the criminal justice degrees for successful completion of the 240-hour (six week) training completed at any of the sites in Illinois AND the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board certified training course completed. College credit can be awarded for the following Kishwaukee College courses upon  receipt of an official transcript from the Training and Standards Board.

1. CRJ 101: Introduction to Criminal Justice, 3 credits
2. CRJ 211: Introduction to Corrections, 3 credits
3. CRJ 170: Crisis Conflict Mediation, 3 credits
4. PE 160: First Aid, 2 credits

Transcripts should be sent to:
Registrar's Office
Kishwaukee College
21193 Malta Road
Malta, IL 60150

We encourage students to take advantage of the training credits and get the head start on completing a Kishwaukee College Criminal Justice Associate Degree. For additional convenience, we schedule in-person, hybrid, and online criminal justice courses to fit employment needs.