Police Science AS Degree
The Police Science program provides training for careers in law enforcement as well as related fields in corrections, probation, security and community service. The program offers three levels of job-entry training, as well as an Associate’s Degree designed to enhance professional skills and qualifications. The job-entry training levels include the Reserve Police Officer Certificate of Achievement, Basic Peace Officer Certificate of Achievement and the Basic Correctional Officer Training Certificate of Achievement. These levels consist of the Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified Module III, Module II, and Module I Basic Peace Officer Training courses and the Correctional Peace Officer Standards and Training (CPOST) certified Basic Correctional Officer course. Satisfactory completion of the POST Training requirements for hire as a Level-III or Level-II or Level-I Reserve Peace Officer or the CPOST requirements for hire as a Correctional Deputy establishes eligibility for hire in the State of California.
With the BPOT 001-Module III (7 units) and BPOT 002-Module II (12 units) or BPOT 003-Module I (19 units), a Police Science Associate’s Degree is attainable with an additional 18 units of required courses, 18 units of General Education, 3 units of electives, and 2 units of Kinesiology activity courses.
With the BCOT 010 - Basic Correctional Officer Training Course (16 units), a Police Science Associate’s Degree is attainable with an additional 18 units of required courses, 18 units of General Education, 6 units of electives, and 2 units of Kinesiology activity courses.
Basic Peace Officer Training and Basic Correctional Officer Training courses are non-traditional courses subject to state regulations prescribed by the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) and California Commission of Correctional Peace Officer Training (CPOST). Students desiring to enroll in any POST or CPOST certified training courses must be 18 years of age, possess a valid driver’s license, be fingerprinted and present a Department of Justice signed clearance letter to possess a firearm on the first day of class. There are also certain physical and moral character requirements. Students wanting to register for these courses at COD who are unsure if they meet the POST or CPOST requirements are urged to contact the Academy Director or Police Academy Manager prior to enrollment. Please refer to the COD website www.collegeofthedesert.edu for more detailed program information or call 760.346.8041 Ext. 3765 or 3083.
Learning Outcomes
Upon satisfactory completion of this program students will be able to:
- Prepare current and future law enforcement professionals for the dynamic challenges of succeeding in the field of law enforcement and the Criminal Justice System.
- Develop a sense of the basic requirements for success in the future.
Program Requirements
| Course Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| BPOT 001 | Basic Peace Officer Training-Module III | 7 |
| AND | ||
| BPOT 002 | Basic Peace Officer Training-Module II | 12 |
| OR | ||
| BPOT 003 | Basic Peace Officer Training-Module I | 19 |
| OR | ||
| BCOT 010 | Basic Correctional Officer Training | 16 |
| CJ 001 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJ 002 | Concepts of Criminal Law | 3 |
| CJ 004 | Criminal Court Process | 3 |
| CJ 006 | Criminal Investigation | 3 |
| CJ 024 | Investigative Report Writing | 3 |
| CJ 030 | Introduction to Corrections | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| Select 3-6 units chosen from the following: | ||
| CJ 003 | Legal Aspects of Evidence | 3 |
| CJ 005 | Racial Issues and the Police | 3 |
| CJ 010 | Juvenile Procedures | 3 |
| CJ 025 | Introduction to Homeland Security & Terrorism | 3 |
| CJ 026 | Homeland Security and Intelligence Gathering | 3 |
| CJ 095A | Criminal Justice Work Experience ( (Maximum of 3 units may be used for work experience) | 1-3 |
| COMM 009 | Intro to Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM 013 | Small Group Communication | 3 |
| COMM 017 | Intercultural Communication | 3 |
| COMM 025 | Argumentation and Debate | 3 |
| PSY 001 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 003 | Developmental Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 029 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| SOC 001 | Introductory Sociology | 3 |
| SOC 002 | Social Problems | 3 |
| SOC 003 | Fundamentals of Statistics | 3 |
| SOC 014 | Introduction to Race & Ethnicity | 3 |
| ASL 001 | Elementary American Sign Language I | 5 |
| SPAN 001 | Elementary Spanish I | 5 |
| SPAN 021 | Spanish for Heritage Speakers I | 5 |
| Kinesiology Activity Requirement | ||
| KINE 037 | Physical Training for the Public Safety Academy | 1 |
| KINE 038 | Advanced Physical Training for Public Safety Academy | 1 |
| Required Subtotal | 34-37 | |
| Elective Subtotal | 3-6 | |
| Kinesiology Activities | 2 | |
| COD General Education Pattern | 18 | |
| DEGREE TOTAL | 60 | |
Note: With advisor approval, up to 19 units of any Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) certified Basic Peace Officer Training Module I course may be substituted for some or all of the 19 units of required CJ courses.
