Career Pathways for Criminal Justice

CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Criminal Justice is a growing profession in Oregon and is expected to grow faster than the labor market on average into the foreseeable future. Job openings may call for a high school diploma, an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree. COCC's Associate of Applied Science in criminal justice program prepares students to begin a criminal justice career upon graduation.

COCC offers students four options within the criminal justice program:

Proficiency Areas: The criminal justice program offers five proficiency areas that include Law Enforcement, Corrections, Juvenile Justice, Parole and Probation, Criminal Investigation.

Certificate of Completion: The statewide one-year certificate program with concentration in juvenile corrections is specifically designed for individuals who want to work directly with juvenile offenders in various settings.

Associate of Applied Science degree: This degree is designed for those students who wish to pursue a career in law enforcement or corrections.

The Associate of Arts Oregon Transfer degree: This degree meets the State of Oregon Transfer degree requirements allowing students to transfer to an Oregon public university and some out-of-state universities.

Students are encouraged to work closely with their advisors to decide which option is most appropriate based on long-term career goals

WHAT IS A CAREER PATHWAY?
A career pathway is a series of connected educational programs, with integrated work experience, on-the-job training, and support services, that enables students to combine school and work and advance over time to better jobs and higher levels of education and training. Career pathways target jobs of importance to local economies. They are designed to create educational "stepping stones" for advancement of workers and jobs seekers, particularly those stuck in low-wage jobs, and a supply of qualified workers for employers. As such, career pathways help to ensure that investment in education and training pays off in enhanced economic development. - From Davis Jenkins, University of Illinois at Chicago

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Regional Employment Projections from OLMIS (Oregon Labor Market Information System) indicate that Criminal Justice is a growing profession in Oregon and is expected to grow faster than the labor market on average into the foreseeable future. Reasonable employment opportunities exist largely due to the significant number of job openings projected for this occupation. Click to view OLMIS information for these criminal justice related occupations.

• Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
• Detectives & Crime Investigators
• Correctional Officers
• Security Guards
• Private Detectives and Investigators
• Courtroom Bailiff

Also see: CriminalJusticeSchoolInfo.com for information about Criminal Justice related careers.

GET STARTED
Click to view the Criminal Justice Program Career Pathways Roadmap.

CERTIFICATE BRIEFS
Click to view certificate and degree information.