Criminal Justice FAQs

Some coursework taken at the SCCJA will transfer in toward the Criminal Justice associate degree. Contact your advisor about specific courses. You will need to have your official SCCJA transcript sent to TTC for evaluation.

Some training in the military has been evaluated for college credit. Contact your advisor for more information. You will need to have your DD 214 evaluated.

At the present time in South Carolina, the minimum state standard for being certified as a police officer is a high school diploma or GED, U.S. citizenship and no felony convictions. Most departments, however, are considering only applicants who have an associate or bachelor's degree. Also the entry-level salary is determined by the applicant's education. The salary of an associate degree candidate may be more than the high school/GED candidate. Promotion eligibility is also usually based on the degree.

The criminal justice field includes other positions such as private security, corrections, court services and other support positions that employ criminal justice graduates.

Courses taken at TTC, including criminal justice courses, will transfer to other accredited institutions. This may depend on the specific college or university and the program of study or major field chosen. Contact your academic advisor for more information.

The associate degree is designed to prepare students for entry-level positions in the criminal justice field. Some supervisory and management positions also require an associate degree and some number of years of qualifying experience.

The associate degree requires completion of Criminal Justice courses in addition to general education courses such as English, history, political science, math, psychology, public speaking, computer and general electives.