Educational Programs

Summer Term
Begins May 29
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We have added a number of general education liberal arts and sciences classes to this year's summer schedule, along with several career and technical courses.

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MCTC Foundation Scholarships

The MCTC Foundation awards numerous scholarships each year to students in need as well as to students with high academic potential. During the 2010-2011 school year, the MCTC Foundation awarded over $387,000 to 291 students. Scholarship information for the 2012-2013 school year is now available. Please refer to the scholarship packet to see available scholarship opportunities.

The scholarship application deadline is May 25, 2012 at 4:00 p.m. in T.2500.

Download the MCTC Scholarship packet

Law Enforcement

Program description

Help make communities safer with an A.S. degree from MCTC’s Law Enforcement program, which is accredited by accredited by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). You will get professional preparation includes academics and skills training. Experienced faculty will give you hands-on training using realistic simulations as you prepare for peace officer licensing.

Program start and location

You may begin this program for fall and spring terms. You will begin the A.S. degree program on the main MCTC campus and finish the 21-credit skills program at Hennepin Technical College’s Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Education Center in Brooklyn Park, Minn.

Degree options and requirements

Law Enforcement A.S. degree—64 credits

Click here for program and course information.

What you will learn

  • MCTC's Law Enforcement Program will prepare you to become a professional law enforcement officer who thinks clearly, applies communication and human behavior principles to the job and effectively uses hands-on skills as the situation requires.
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  • This program provides both the academic and skills components of the mandated law enforcement curriculum. As a result, your coursework will be varied - from learning Minnesota statutes and the U.S. Constitution, to studying criminal and traffic law, to training for the many skills used in daily law enforcement, such as:
    • Handling and using firearms
    • Decision shooting
    • Armed and unarmed defensive tactics
    • High-speed and pursuit driver techniques
    • Low- and high-risk traffic stop tactics
    • In-progress crimes and domestic violence tactics
    • Criminal investigation and arrest procedures
    • Traffic law enforcement and accident investigation
  • You will experience the latest in tactics and technology, making your learning experiences highly valuable. For example, decision shooting exercises use DVD technology with interactive scenarios so you are immersed in realistic "life-threatening" situations. You will also find yourself confronting typical law enforcement problems in a realistic simulation lab, where your actions and techniques are videotaped for review and analysis.
  • Once you complete the program, you will be eligible to take the State's peace officer licensing examination required to be eligible for entry-level law enforcement positions with State, county or local government.
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Points of pride

  • MCTC’s Law Enforcement program prepares you for roles as law enforcement officers who apply communication and human behavior principles to the job and effectively use hands-on skills.
  • The curriculum provides you with the required academic background on topics such as the Minnesota statutes and the U.S. Constitution, criminal and traffic law, and training for the many skills used in daily law enforcement like handling and using firearms and criminal investigation and arrest procedures.
  • The Law Enforcement training program is accredited by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).
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  • After completing the program, you are eligible to take the state’s Peace Officer Licensing Examination, a requirement for entry-level law enforcement positions with state, county or local government agencies.
  • Faculty members include current and past law enforcement officers who use their broad experience, as well as some of the latest technologies, to provide the most practical training possible.
  • You will confront law enforcement problems in a realistic simulation lab where your actions and techniques are videotaped for analysis. Decision-shooting exercises use DVD technology with interactive scenarios to help you learn to react quickly in life-threatening situations.
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Where you could work

  • Police departments
  • Sheriff’s departments
  • Department of Natural Resources
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  • Minnesota State Patrol
  • Private security organizations
  • Some federal law enforcement agencies
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Potential job titles

  • Law enforcement officer

Occupational outlook

Employment of police and detectives is expected to grow 10 percent over the 2008–18, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job opportunities in most local police departments will be favorable for individuals who meet the psychological, personal and physical qualifications. In addition to openings from employment growth, many openings will be created by the need to replace workers who retire and those who leave local agencies for Federal jobs and private-sector security jobs.

Articulation Agreements and Common Course Outlines

Click here for articulation agreement information.

Click here for Common Course Outline information.