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Peace Officer/Public Safety

Want a career helping and protecting people in Minnesota communities? Studying public safety at Normandale and at the Law Enforcement Education Center (LEEC) at Hennepin Technical College is a great place to start.  

You can earn an associate’s degree in law enforcement within two years and have the skills and preparation required to be a peace officer. Our Peace Officer/Public Safety degree program prepares you to seamlessly transfer to a four-year Minnesota State university in just two years.  

You may prefer to earn a peace officer certificate instead; read more about that below. 

WHAT MAKES OUR PEACE OFFICER/PUBLIC SAFETY PROGRAM UNIQUE?

Your courses in the Peace Officer/Public Safety Transfer Pathway will directly transfer to a four-year Minnesota State university and you’ll enter as a junior. You’ll be set to pursue your bachelor’s in law enforcement and be eligible to take the Minnesota Peace Officer Licensing Exam. 

You’ll gain valuable skills in written and interpersonal communication, critical-thinking and problem-solving. Most importantly, you will have the skills you need — and the preparation it takes — to pursue peace officer jobs. 

WHAT CLASSES WILL I TAKE FOR THIS PUBLIC SAFETY DEGREE?

The courses we offer to prepare you for peace officer jobs include: 

  • Interpersonal communications
  • College writing
  • Ethics
  • American minority relations
  • Families in crisis
  • Introduction to criminal and juvenile justice
  • Community policing

Our associate’s degree in peace officer/public safety is designed to prepare students to be eligible to take the Minnesota Peace officer Licensing Exam and eventually enter police work.  

WHAT PEACE OFFICER JOBS WILL I BE PREPARED FOR?

While pursuing your associate’s degree in law enforcement, you will gain valuable skills in written and interpersonal communication, critical-thinking and problem-solving. Most importantly, you will have the skills you need — and the preparation it takes — to pursue policework.  

You will be qualified to apply for jobs like police officer, community service and school resource officer, campus security, correctional security, border patrol officer and more.  

WHAT IS THE PEACE OFFICER CERTIFICATE?

The Peace Officer Certificate is designed for students who already have completed either an associate or bachelor’s degree at an accredited college or university.  

After earning this certificate, completing the Peace Officer Advanced Technical Core, and completing a First Responder, Emergency Medical Response or EMT course at the Law Enforcement Education Center (LEEC) at Hennepin Technical College, students are qualified to take the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board licensing examination. 

Learn More

Peace Officer/Public Safety Program Basics

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