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Police StudiesRequirements

Law Enforcement Associate Degree Requirements

Explore the classes that will prepare you for the rigors of police work. The Aims police academy program is designed to prepare you for the Colorado Police Officer Standards and Training (POST) certification exam, which is required to become a police officer. Choose from a part-time or full-time degree path to learn and train on your schedule.

Gain knowledge and skills in:

  • Colorado statutes and federal laws relevant to police work
  • Arrest and control techniques
  • Law enforcement driving
  • Firearms
  • Report writing
  • Patrol procedures
  • Criminal investigations
  • Traffic investigations
  • Street survival techniques
  • Field sobriety tests
  • Emergency first aid
  • Physical fitness

Choose among required elective courses in various subjects, including:

  • Forensic science
  • Delinquent behavior
  • Victimology
  • Criminal profiling
  • Forensic anthropology
  • General and abnormal psychology
  • Sociology

General education requirements round out your learning experience and give you the practical soft skills employers want. Study subjects including math, statistics, public speaking, interpersonal communications, American state and local government, English composition and the sociology of diversity.

How to Apply to the Aims Police Studies Associate Degree Program

Visit the Aims Peace Officer Academy application page for application information and to download an application packet and other required documents

Row Groupings Major Requirements: Credits
required

Conforms to POST standards and Colorado state certification requirements as well as the basic skills and knowledge necessary to perform the entry level duties of a peace officer. Emphasis will be on simulating actual situations utilizing both a lecture and laboratory mode of learning. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

6
required

Enhances the standards established by the Colorado P.O.S.T. Board and state certification requirements as well as the basic skills and knowledge necessary to perform the entry level duties of a Police Officer. Emphasis will be on expanding the Colorado P.O.S.T. curriculum to create a unique learning experience. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

2
required

Enhances the standards established by the Colorado P.O.S.T. Board and state certification requirements as well as the basic skills and knowledge necessary to perform entry level duties of a Police Officer. Emphasis will be on expanding the Colorado P.O.S.T. curriculum to create a unique learning experience. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

1
required

Exploration of the skills, knowledge and abilities necessary to effectively maintain control of a suspect when making an arrest. Explains the continuum of force and de-escalation of force. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Exploration of the skills, knowledge and abilities required for operation of a law enforcement vehicle. Emphasizes defensive driving. Enables students to demonstrate skills by driving a vehicle under simulated conditions. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Discusses the skills, knowledge and abilities necessary to safely use police firearms. Students will demonstrate skills by firing weapons on a firing range. The student will demonstrate basic safety techniques and will be able to explain the firearms role within the continuum of force. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Identifies the areas of concern in regards to proper documentation of police related activities. Exploration of report writing skills, proper structuring of interviews and chronological documentation of events. Incorporates proper sentence structuring, the use of correct terminology and accuracy in written reports. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Exploration of an in-depth study of the basic knowledge and skills required of a peace officer to safely and effectively accomplish patrol procedures. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Introduces investigation methods and procedures from preliminary investigation through the follow-up stages. Course is not repeatable for credit.  

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Exploration of the skills and concepts necessary to complete an accurate investigation of a traffic collision. Emphasizes traffic management concepts, selective traffic enforcement, and safety issues. . Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

3
required

Exploration of an in-depth study of the basic knowledge and skills required of a peace officer to safely and effectively accomplish the patrol function. Course is not repeatable for credit. 

Course Prerequisites

Permission of Academy Director is required

2
required

Focuses on providing information and guidelines for moving toward a more healthy lifestyle. Includes classroom instruction, an individual fitness evaluation, computerized analysis of results, and a prescribed exercise program utilizing the equipment and exercise options available in the Fitness Center. Course is repeatable for credit with no limitations.

1
required

Offers an independent self-paced format of conditioning exercises to meet individual needs. Emphasizes the value of lifetime fitness and its contribution to achieving personal health and wellness. Students utilize cardiorespiratory, muscular strength and endurance exercises to promote positive changes in health-related fitness components. Course is repeatable for credit with no limitations.

1
Total Major Requirement Credits 34
Row Groupings General Education Requirements: Credits
required

Combines the basic theories of communication with public speech performance skills. Emphasis is on speech preparation, organization, support, audience analysis, and delivery. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Examines the communication involved in interpersonal relationships occurring in family, social, and career situations. Relevant concepts include self-concept, perception, listening, nonverbal communication, and conflict. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
Blank space
required

Covers material designed for career and technical students who need to study particular mathematical topics. Topics include measurement, algebra, geometry, statistics, and graphs. These are presented at an introductory level and the emphasis is on applications. Course readiness is determined by review of high school transcripts, assessment, and/or meeting with an Aims Academic Advisor. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Introduces descriptive and inferential statistics, with an emphasis on critical thinking and statistical literacy. Topics include methods of data collection, presentation and summarization, introduction to probability concepts and distributions, and statistical inference of one and two populations. This course uses real world data to illustrate applications of a practical nature. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-MA1 category. Course readiness is determined by review of high school transcripts, assessment, and/or meeting with an Aims Academic Advisor. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
Blank space
required

Emphasizes the planning, writing, and revising of compositions, including the development of critical and logical thinking skills. This course includes a wide variety of compositions that stress analytical, evaluative, and persuasive/argumentative writing. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-CO1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Develops skills one can apply to a variety of technical documents. Focuses on principles for organizing, writing, and revising clear, readable documents for industry, business, and government. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-CO1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
Blank Space
required

Emphasizes the structure and function of state, county, and municipal governments including their relations with each other and with national government. Includes a study of Colorado government and politics. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Explores differences based on race, ethnicity, social class, gender, age, ability status, and sexual identity. Critically examines the dynamics of intergroup relations and how social construction of these differences can lead to patterns of prejudice, discrimination, and inequality nationally and globally. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
Total General Education Requirement Credits 15
Row Groupings Electives: Credits
Electives:

Choose 4 courses from the list below for a total of 12-13 credits.

required

Covers the regulations pertaining to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) operations including airspace, weather, and flight parameter limitations. This course covers UAS components and systems, maintenance, autonomy, ground stations, and telemetry in preparation for the UAS Operator written test. Differential tuition rates apply. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Introduces the regulations pertaining to Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), operations including airspace, weather, and flight parameter limitations. This course also covers UAS components and systems, maintenance, autonomy, ground stations, and telemetry. The topics covered are included in the UAS Operator written test. Differential tuition rates apply. Course is not repeatable for credit.

2
required

Focuses on the wide variety of commercial applications of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and operating procedures to ensure a safe outcome for executing such applications including Geographic Information Systems (GIS), aerial imaging and survey techniques, multispectral and Laser Imaging Detection and Ranging systems (LIDAR) agriculture, and other UAS mission types. Differential tuition rates apply. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

UAS 1055 and UAS 2055 with grades of "C" or better

3
required

Exploration of the fundamentals of forensic science that are essential for gathering evidence at the crime scene and analyzing it in the crime laboratory. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Focuses on the adolescent who violates social and legal norms and the consequences for the individual and society. Emphasizes the social and psychological factors influencing individual delinquent patterns. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Demonstrates to the student the role the crime victim plays in the criminal justice system. The traditional response that a crime victim receives from the system will be studied and the psychological, emotional and financial impact these responses have on victimization will be analyzed. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Examines the theories of crime causation in relationship to criminal profiling. Studies include the investigation of serial killers, their motivations, behaviors, and identification of psychological and sociological explanations related to criminal acts. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Covers the basic principles of forensic anthropology, an applied field within the discipline of biological anthropology. The course includes the study of the human skeleton, practical application of biological anthropology and archaeology, and judicial procedure, as they relate to the identification of human remains within a medico-legal context. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SC1 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

4
required

Focuses on the scientific study of behavior including motivation, emotion, physiological psychology, stress and coping, research methods, consciousness, sensation, perception, learning, and memory. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
required

Examines abnormal behavior and its classification, causes, treatment, and prevention. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

Course Prerequisites

PSY 1001 or PSY 1002 with a grade of "C" or better

3
required

This course examines the basic concepts, theories, and principles of sociology, including topics of culture, race, class, gender, sexuality, social groups, and deviance through a local and global lens. Analyzes and interprets socio-historic as well as contemporary issues by using critical thinking skills and linking individual experiences to social structures. This is a statewide Guaranteed Transfer course in the GT-SS3 category. Course is not repeatable for credit.

3
Total Elective Credits 12-13
Total Credits for Degree 61-62