Peace Officer / Public Safety Pathway AS

2025-2026

The Peace Officer / Public Safety Pathway AS offers students a powerful option: the opportunity to complete an AS degree with course credits that directly transfer to designated Peace Officer / Public Safety degree programs at Minnesota State universities. The curriculum has been specifically designed so that students completing this pathway degree and transferring to one of the seven Minnesota State universities enter the university with junior-year status. All courses in the Transfer Pathway associate degree will directly transfer and apply to the designated bachelor's degree programs in a related field.

The Minnesota State Universities: Bemidji State University; Metropolitan State University; Minnesota State University, Mankato; Minnesota State University Moorhead; Southwest Minnesota State University; St. Cloud State University; and Winona State University.
 

Develop a foundation of essential knowledge about the cultural, social, and natural worlds, including:

• analyzing the history, organization and functions of the criminal justice system including legal issues, the purpose and function of police, courts, and corrections. (ELO 1)
• interpreting political, cultural and social class forces which impact the police, suspects, victims, and other parties involved in law enforcement, with a focus on conscious and implicit bias. (ELO1)

Develop intellectual and practical skills, including:

• communicating effectively in work situations. (ELO 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e)
• obtaining and refining the necessary skills in interpersonal communication, mathematics, basic crime statistics, and report writing, as these skills relate to public contact and criminal activity. (ELO 2c, 2d, 2e)
• utilizing the intellectual and practical skills necessary to represent a public agency in a professional manner and with cultural competency during routine public contacts, high stress situations, and arrests. (ELO 2a, 2b, 2c, 2d, 2e)
   

Demonstrate personal and social responsibility, including:

• identifying career opportunities in public law enforcement and private security agencies and the attributes that employers are seeking and creating an understanding that employers often require continued higher education, citizenship, and service to others for initial placement and promotion.
• developing a basic understanding of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identification, and social class as related to criminal justice issues. This basic understanding should lead to tolerance, valuing differences, and leading to the acceptance of others.

Demonstrate personal and social responsibility, including:

• identifying career opportunities in public law enforcement and private security agencies and the attributes that employers are seeking and creating an understanding that employers often require continued higher education, citizenship, and service to others for initial placement and promotion. (ELOs 3a, 3b)
• examining race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identification, and social class as related to criminal justice issues. This examination will follow anti-racist education principles and should lead to acknowledgement of conscious or implicit bias, tolerance, valuing differences, and leading to the acceptance of others. (ELOs 3a, 3b, 3c, 4b)

Demonstrate integrative and applied learning, including:

• assessing the history and application of Criminal Justice with respect to Law Enforcement, as well as its relationship to the other social sciences. (ELOs 3d, 4c, 4d, 4e)
• applying concepts used in the Law Enforcement profession across classes and in their lives. (ELOs 3d, 4b, 4c, 4d, 4e)
• analyzing techniques and strategies used in crime investigation, patrol operations, and daily police work to then employ in their future work.
   

Upon completion of the program, be prepared to transfer to a baccalaureate program.
 

​Program roadmaps provide students with a guide to understand the recommended course sequence to complete their degree.
 

• Peace Officer Public Safety Pathway AS Full Time
   
• Peace Officer Public Safety Pathway AS Part Time

Information on careers, including career descriptions, salary data, and employment outlook is available on the Bureau of Labor Statistics website and O*Net Online website.
 

​If you are planning on transferring to another institution, follow the guidelines available on our transfer resources web page to help you plan the process: Transfer Information
 

The Associate of Science (A.S.) degree is intended for students whose primary goal is to complete the credentials for a specific career and/or prepare for transfer to complete a bachelor's degree at a college or university with whom North Hennepin Community College has an articulation agreement. The A.S. degree provides a balance of general education courses and the required scientific, professional or technical courses in the degree program.

A student shall:

• Earn a minimum of 60 semester credits as required in the program, with a grade point average of 2.00 (C) or above in courses taken at North Hennepin Community College. Specific programs may have additional requirements or a higher minimum grade point average.
• Earn a minimum of 15 semester credits at North Hennepin Community College. A student must complete at least 50% of career specific courses at North Hennepin Community College.
• Earn 30 credits in at least 6 Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) goal areas.
• Earn 30 professional/technical credits.
• Have four years to complete the graduation requirements as published in the catalog in effect at the time of their initial enrollment. Students taking more than four years to complete their graduation requirements may follow any catalog published during the four year period preceding their graduation.

Completion of an A.S. degree fulfills the Goal Area 2 requirement of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC).

Developmental Courses Some students may need preparatory course(s) in Math and/or English. Courses numbered below 1000 will not apply toward a degree.

Equal Opportunity Employer and Disability Access Information North Hennepin Community College is a member of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system and an equal opportunity employer and educator. This document is available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities by calling 7634930555 or through the Minnesota Relay Service at 18006273529.

North Hennepin Community College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
30 N. LaSalle Street, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60602-2504
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