FSCJ CJC Cadet Program

The Criminal Justice Center Cadet Program is a two-year program that allows students to concurrently earn an Associate in Science (A.S.) degree in Criminal Justice Technology and complete FSCJ’s Basic Law Enforcement Academy.

The program consists of four semesters of general education and criminal justice courses and a final semester of training in the Basic Law Enforcement Academy. Upon successful completion of the Academy, students will be prepared to take the State of Florida Law Enforcement Officer Certification Examination. Completing the Academy and passing the exam earns, through an internal articulation process, the additional 18 credit hours needed to complete the A.S. degree.Dana Thomas, dean of arts and sciences who oversees the general education portion of the program, says “While the CJC Cadet Program is a tremendous opportunity for students, it has also provided a perfect avenue for our excellent faculty to work collaboratively in learning communities.” For example, Thomas states “Practical application of Criminal Justice concepts are infused into the general education coursework through writing assignments offered in Professor Shep Shepard’s English class, sociology lectures given by Dr. Reta Roberts, and problems solved in Professor Rosalie Abraham’s math course.”

There are 20 students in the first cohort who began their second semester in January. During this second semester, students are viewing a series of good cop-bad cop movies in Dr. Ranjan Chhibber’s humanities class and delivering speeches in Professor Karen Otto’s class with visits to the CJC’s mock courtroom.  A future biology course highlighting forensics science is being designed and developed by Dr. Julie Sutton and will be offered next fall. According to Thomas, “The Cadet Program has inspired and invigorated our teachers by giving them a chance to think more deeply about content and delivery modes which are creative, engaging, and compatible with careers in the criminal justice field.”  She goes on to say, “This is simply perfect, preferred pedagogy.”

Through rigorous academic and Academy coursework and ongoing mentoring, graduates of this program will be distinctly prepared for employment as law enforcement officers in the state of Florida.