Criminal Justice

Prepare for a Career in Criminal Justice

Lakeland Community College's Criminal Justice program is designed to prepare students for meaningful careers serving and protecting their communities in a wide range of criminal justice settings. Grounded in both theory and practice, the program emphasizes active learning, critical thinking, and professional development to build the skills, knowledge, and values essential for today's criminal justice professionals.

A key strength of Lakeland's program is its faculty—courses are taught by current and former criminal justice practitioners who bring real-world experience directly into the classroom. This ensures students gain practical insight into the day-to-day realities of law enforcement, corrections, and the courts, bridging the gap between academic learning and professional application.

Students also benefit from extensive hands-on training using Lakeland's specialized facilities, including a mock crime scene room, forensic laboratory, and interrogation room. These immersive learning environments allow students to apply investigative techniques, process evidence, and practice interviewing and interrogation skills in realistic scenarios, reinforcing classroom instruction through experiential learning.

Graduates of the program are well prepared for entry-level positions in law enforcement, corrections, the courts, and related fields, or to continue their education toward a bachelor's or graduate degree. Through expert instruction and hands-on experience, Lakeland's Criminal Justice program equips students with the tools they need to succeed in a dynamic and evolving profession.

A criminal justice associate degree offers a cost-effective, rapid gateway into the field. It expedites career advancement by qualifying you for early leadership positions and adding automatic points to civil service exams. The degree prepares you for many different roles, including:

For those who transfer to a four-year institution and obtain a bachelor's degree, the opportunities can include:

Lakeland's hands-on traning facilities feature a mock crime scene room, forensic laboratory, and interrogation room, all designed to provide immersive, real world learning experiences. In the mock crime scene room, students engage in simulated scenarios where they practice evidence recognition, documentation, and scene processing. The forensic lab allows students to build technical expertise through activities such as deleoping latent fingerprints, analyzing bloodstain patterns, and determing bullet trajectories. The interrogation room, equipped with audio and visual recording capabilities, offers a conrtolled enviroment for developing interview and interrogation techniques. Together, these spaces provide a comprehensive, applied learning experience that prepares students for careers in criminal justice.

Lakeland Community College's Basic Police Academy provides a valuable advantage for criminal justice students by offering a seamless, on-campus pathway from an associate degree to a career in law enforcement. As a state-approved program offered in partnership with the Lake County Sheriff's Office, the academy delivers the full OPOTC-required curriculum along with the practical, hands-on training needed to become a police officer in Ohio.  Graduates who successfully complete the academy and pass the state certification exam—but have not yet earned an associate degree—can apply their training toward up to 24 credit hours in Lakeland's criminal justice program, helping them accelerate their degree completion.  For more information, visit: www.lakelandcc.edu/web/about/basic-police-academy

Lakeland's Holden University Center Partnership Programs make it seamless for Lakeland students to continue their education toward a bachelor's or graduate degree in criminal justice. Explore your options from state colleges and universities right here in Lake County.

• Bowling Green State University - Master of Science in Criminal Justice | Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
• Cleveland State University - Bachelor of Arts in Public Safety Management
• Franklin University - Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice
• Youngstown State University - Bachelor of Science in Applied Science in Criminal Justice

Apply to Lakeland in just a few easy steps!

Contact our program director any time to talk through your options and find out of Lakeland's Criminal Justice program is a good fit for you.