Criminal Justice, A.S.
Crime fighting isn’t as glamorous as it seems on TV or in the movies. It requires hard work by well-trained individuals—from the police officers on the street to the highest ranks of law enforcement and everyone in between. That’s where the Center for Criminal Justice comes in.
A growing number of law enforcement agencies require some college education for new officers, and Indiana Tech’s associate degree will fulfill that entry-level requirement. The associate degree program includes eight core courses, which examine the criminal justice system as a whole. Subsequent courses take a closer look at individual components of the criminal justice system, such as the police force, the courts, and the corrections system.
Active Learning
We have small classes and no lecture halls. Because of this, our instructors are able to get to students on a one-on-one basis. We are able to employ a variety of teaching styles to enable all students to take full advantage of our program’s opportunities.
We promote an “active” learning environment which means students will be active participates in their classroom endeavors. Students complete crime scene investigations, forensic analysis, and practice interviewing/interrogation strategies as part of their coursework. Our forensics lab, which will be housed in the university’s new academic center beginning in August 2014, provides students with real world experience in the area of criminal investigation.
Career Opportunities
Our graduates have gone on to these lucrative jobs:
- State and federal police officer
- Parole officer
- Immigration inspector
- Legal assistant
- Crisis counselor
- Private investigator
- Park ranger
- Youth counselor
- Claims adjuster
Career Outlook
An A.S. in Criminal Justice from Indiana Tech prepares you for a wide variety of in-demand careers. Below, you can explore career fields, salary information and employer demand from our partners at Lightcast, the leading labor market and career data provider in the U.S.
Dominic Lombardo
Faculty Lead
Professor Lombardo had a 14-year career with the Los Angeles Police Department. While with LAPD, he became an expert on gang culture within the city. His responsibilities included gathering intelligence on gang activities, investigation and clearing of gang-related homicides and overall suppression of gang-related criminal activity within the Los Angeles area. While developing into a specialist in this area of law enforcement, Dominic was called upon to provide training to several other agencies within Los Angeles County and other agencies that were less experienced in dealing with the growing gang-related activity that was infiltrating their jurisdictions. He was also an officer with the robbery/homicide and the vice and narcotic divisions, and he was a training officer for new LAPD recruits.
Professor Lombardo approaches teaching criminal justice with pride and passion. He has been with Indiana Tech’s Center for Criminal Justice since June 2013, sharing his experiences from the force while stressing the societal necessity for an effective, fair and trustworthy criminal justice system. He is currently pursing a Ph.D. in Global Leadership from Indiana Tech.
- MBA, Indiana Wesleyan
- B.S., Ball State University
