Help correctional facilities stay under control with a specialization in corrections

Criminal Justice Associate's degree - Corrections specialization

As overcrowding continues to plague our nation’s prison systems, the need for experienced and educated corrections officers continues to increase. As a graduate of our Criminal Justice program with a specialization in Corrections, you can help position yourself to enter into this rewarding career and ensure the security and safety of inmates and your community.

Our curriculum is focused on developing your highest level of clear and deliberate communication, ethical analysis, and critical-thinking skills. These traits are essential to a successful career in the stressful work environment of corrections and will provide you with a competitive advantage when entering the workforce. Plus, our focus on in-field learning will help increase your comfort level in a variety of corrections environments as you gain first-hand experience with real-world scenarios in corrections facilities.

As a graduate of our Criminal Justice Associate’s degree with a Corrections specialization, you can choose to enter the workforce or continue your education and seamlessly transfer your credits into our Criminal Justice Bachelor’s degree with a Client Services/Corrections specialization.

Why Corrections?

Corrections is a field that is experiencing expansion throughout the United States. People who are educated in the field will be in demand for careers within the justice system. The flexibility of taking your courses online will help you manage your time effectively.

Are you ready to learn more? We've spent more than a century at Rasmussen College preparing people for success. If you would like to know more about our school, what we offer our students or anything else, please fill out a contact request or call us at (888) 549-6755. One of our program managers can answer any questions you may have.

Corrections Courses

The world of corrections can be a complicated place. You will work with some criminals who are cooperative and others who are not. What you learn in your courses will help you apply your critical thinking, ethical understanding and reasoning skills while working with multicultural and diverse individuals. Your communication skills will truly be tested.

Some key courses include:

Case Management
You will learn how to manage caseloads of clients, document casework, and use strategies for clients’ rehabilitation. You will learn how to write effective court reports, case entries, recommendations and violation summaries.

Counseling Clients
You will examine the process and effects of counseling. You will consider a variety of counseling settings, including prisons, jails, group homes, in-patient and outpatient treatment centers, and halfway houses, as places of rehabilitation and counseling.

Legal Principles in Corrections
You will examine constitutional amendments regarding correctional management in various settings. You will explore concepts of offenders’ rights, officer professionalism, best practices, and proper operational procedures in a correctional setting.

View courses – Criminal Justice Associate’s degree Corrections specialization

Corrections Career Outlook

A Criminal Justice Associate's degree with a specialization in Corrections focuses on aspects of the criminal justice system working with people who need to correct criminal behavior. Once you enter the corrections field, you will know different techniques to handle unique situations that arise within a jail or prison.

Here is a snapshot of the career outlook:


Salary & growth statistics provided by the BLS ‡		 25th Percentile 50th Percentile 75th Percentile Projected Growth
Bailiffs $26,740 $37,950 $53,730 8%
Correctional Officers and Jailers $31,210 $39,050 $52,240 9%

 

The Rasmussen College career placement services staff starts helping you even before you graduate – with your resume, cover letter, interviewing techniques and how to search for a great career. And it doesn’t end there – these services are available throughout your career.

‡"Occupational Employment Statistics Home Page." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, 27 July 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.

"Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Department of Labor, Dec. 2009. Web. 29 Nov. 2010.

BLS salary data may not reflect expected entry level earnings.

Seamless Credit Transfer Policies

Transferring your credits doesn't need to be difficult.  At Rasmussen College, our transfer policies are designed to maximize your credit transfer and minimize your time to graduation.

Check out some of our highlighted transfer policies below or visit our Transfer Policy for a full description of each policy.

  • Transfer your entire Associate’s degree credits and enter at Junior status if you have an Associate's degree and are seeking a Bachelor’s degree in a similar field—this also means you will not have to complete any pre-requisites for most degrees ¹
  •  Transfer all general education courses from your previously-earned Associate's or Bachelor's degree regardless of course of study ²
  • Course-by-course evaluation of all courses with a grade of C or higher
  • Credit by examination, which gives you an opportunity to test out of courses where you can demonstrate specific knowledge.  These tests are offered free of charge to Rasmussen College students. 
  • Earn college credit through prior work, learning, and military experiences

Contact a program manager today at 888-549-6755 or complete the form on the right and one of our program managers will contact you to discuss transferring your college credit to Rasmussen College.

¹ Rasmussen College reserves the right to accept or deny transfer of credits based on guidelines defined in the course catalog.  Rasmussen College transfer policies vary by state and degree; contact your local campus to discuss your credit transfer options.
² Refer to the General Education Block Transfer For Baccalaureate Candidates for complete details and restrictions.