Corrections Program

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The Columbia College Partners in Corrections Program is designed to give students interested in becoming correctional officers up to 24 sem. hours in course equivalencies for successful completion of the corrections basic training academy.

To qualify, students must successfully complete a departmentally mandated corrections academy in any of the 50 states or U.S. territories. The academy must be a departmentally-mandated basic training academy with a minimum 275 hours in length. Academies completed over five years prior to applying for equivalency credit will not be considered unless the applicant can demonstrate adequate work experience in the field since completion of his or her academy. The specific course equivalencies are listed below.¹

Core Equivalencies (6 sem. hrs)

Criminal Justice Lower-Level Electives (9 sem. hrs)

General Electives (9 sem. hrs)

The equivalency policy is based on the following provisions:

The academy must be one of basic corrections and required for employment by the respective state in question and must have been completed within five years prior to applying for equivalencies.
Students who complete a basic corrections academy consisting of less than 275 hours will be eligible to earn up to 12 sem. hours of criminal justice elective credit in which one semester hour will be awarded for each 20 hours of basic training.
Students must successfully complete 15 hours of coursework at Columbia College before equivalencies may be applied.