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Book of Criminal Codes

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   Criminal Justice    
      ASSOCIATE              5 MONTHS      

Criminal Justice

Associate    5 months

Criminal Justice Associate Degree

If you're looking for a career that allows you to make a difference while protecting public safety and upholding laws, our online Criminal Justice Associate Degree can help you prepare for the job you want today. You'll learn the foundations of justice, criminology and law through flexible online classes you can complete from home, on your schedule.

  • Can prepare students for entry-level criminal justice jobs like police officer, corrections officer, court clerk, and more. 

  • College-level classes cover foundational knowledge in criminal law, criminology, police studies, community corrections, crime scene investigation, crisis intervention, police management, and more to help you succeed in the criminal justice field.

  • Earn 71 college credits that can be transferred to ECA's Criminal Justice Bachelor's Degree if you choose to further your education. Credits may also be transferrable to other higher education institutions.

  • Our online programs are flexible enough for you to finish them at a pace that works for you, based on how much time you can dedicate to your coursework each week

Judge's Table
Judge and Gavel

What You Will Learn

  1. How the history of the legal system and law impact criminal justice today, including learning about the legal system in the United States, the origins and history of the law, the development of common law, statutory law, constitutional law and more.

  2. How to understand the substantive and procedural operations of the criminal justice system with focus on the prosecutorial, judicial, and defense functions.

  3. How to understand and apply the principles of criminal responsibility and the requirement of culpable mental states, the various defenses used to negate or to mitigate criminal liability, victims' interaction with the criminal justice system, and the prevailing theories and philosophies for criminal punishment including restitution, retribution, rehabilitation.

  4. How modern policing works including the management and organizational components in the modern police organization and the various methods and theories of policing, including reactive, proactive, problem-solving, community policing.

Criminal Justice Degree Curriculum​

  • 4 Semesters

  • 71 Credits



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  • Estimated completion time per semester:

  • Fast track = 5 months

  • Average time = 10 months

  • With ECA, you can learn at whatever pace works best for you. Some learners will be more comfortable moving faster, and dedicating more time, and the fast track estimate will apply to them. The average track will apply to most learners who can dedicate a few hours per week to completing their coursework.

  • In our Criminal Justice Associate Degree courses, you'll learn the foundational criminal justice concepts that are used everyday in law enforcement. Your online courses include:


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  • Criminal Law

  • Police Studies

  • Crime Scene Investigation Basics

  • Criminology

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