Law Enforcement
Undergraduate Programs
Description
The law enforcement program is designed for individuals seeking a professional career as a peace officer. Students are prepared to serve multicultural and diverse populations at the individual, local, state, federal, and global levels. The program is also open to in-service professionals who wish to complete their bachelor’s degree. This program aligns with the MinnState Criminal Justice - Law Enforcement Transfer Pathway.
Majors |
Program | Locations | Major / Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Enforcement BS | BS - Bachelor of Science |
|
53 / 120 |
Certificates |
Program | Locations | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Enforcement POST CERT |
|
28 |
Minors |
Program | Locations | Total Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Law Enforcement Minor |
|
20 |
Policies & Faculty
Policies
Admission Requirements
- Admission to the law enforcement degree is granted by the department.
- Admission requires satisfaction of departmental GPA and course prerequisites as well as POST board documentation. Since these requirements are subject to change, students should contact the Government Department Office for current admission requirements.
- Both academic and physical agility standards are course requirements for which passing grades are necessary to graduate with the law enforcement degree.
- Admission to the law enforcement degree requires a student must have completed 6 of the 8 lower-division common core and required general education courses with a “C” or higher in each course, and a cumulative GPA of 2.6 or higher in the completed lower-division LAWE and CJ courses.
- Must have a cumulative GPA in the major of 2.6 or higher.
GPA Policy. Students seeking to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement must have an earned 2.6 GPA in the major.
Minimum Grade Policy: All courses in the Law Enforcement Program must attain a grade of “C” or higher to be considered successfully completed. This includes POL111, CJ, CORR, and LAWE courses.
P/N Grading Policy. All law enforcement classes except LAWE498: Internship must be taken for a grade.
Repeated Course Policy. Students majoring in Law Enforcement may not repeat a course more than once, and no more than three different CJ, CORR, or LAWE classes (including those accepted as transfer credits) may be repeated within a five year period.
Residency Requirement. All students, including transfer students, majoring in Law Enforcement must take a minimum of five (5) different CJ, CORR, or LAWE classes at Minnesota State Mankato for a total of not less than fifteen (15) credit hours. All students, including transfer students, seeking a minor in Law Enforcement must take a minimum of three (3) different CJ, CORR, or LAWE classes at Minnesota State Mankato for a total of not less than nine (9) credit hours.
Minnesota Licensure. The student must successfully complete the law enforcement major and an integrated skills program, as well as meet other P.O.S.T. Board and Minnesota State Mankato requirements before being approved to take the P.O.S.T. Board licensure examination. This includes being certified in first aid and CPR (First Responder or EMT currently qualify). Only graduates of certified two and four year academic programs that also meet the requirements of the skills program providers may enter an integrated skills program. The license examination is administered by P.O.S.T. and covers those items included in the P.O.S.T. Board learning objectives.
Note: Since P.O.S.T. Board rules change from year to year, we advise students to contact the program director, the program academic advisor, or their assigned academic advisor for current rules regarding licensure.
Contact Information
109 Morris Hall
Main Office (507) 389-2721https://sbs.mnsu.edu/academics/law-enforcement/
Faculty
Program Director
- Pat Nelson
Program Academic Advisor
- Trudy Kunkel
Faculty
100 Level
Credits: 3
Examines the making of criminal law, the evolution of policing, the adjudication of persons accused of criminal law violations, and the punishment of adult offenders.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-5, GE-9
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
This course explores the history of community policing and explains what community policing is and is not. It also examines what research has discovered about the relationship of the police with the community. The student will be introduced to the value of positive interactions between peace officers and the populations they serve, as well as ways to incorporate problem-solving strategies on both small and large scales.Prerequisites: none
200 Level
Credits: 3
This course will introduce students to the numerous agencies and organizations that make up the criminal justice system and its components. A primary goal for this course is to help students prepare for, as well as succeed in, a criminal justice system career.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
The history, development, and application of criminal laws and criminal procedures in the criminal justice system.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The history, legal aspects of investigation, the evolution of investigations and forensics, procedures of crime investigations, procurement and preservation of evidence and interviewing.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
An extensive study of the rules, statutes, criminal laws, and traffic laws that directly relate to the role of a peace officer in the State of Minnesota.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course will introduce students to theoretical concepts in sociology, social psychology, psychology, and criminology pertaining to human behavior. Students will gain an understanding of how individual and societal factors influence the behaviors of the people they serve, as well as how those same factors influence the police officer personality. Students will also be introduced to many of the mental disorders they will encounter in the field so that they may more easily identify those in crisis when in the field and determine the most appropriate course of action to assist them.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A critical consideration of definitions of juvenile delinquency, emphasis on micro and macro level of struggle in which delinquent behavior takes place, critique of current theories on delinquency, and the juvenile justice response to delinquency.Prerequisites: none
Goal Areas: GE-5, GE-9
Diverse Cultures: Purple
300 Level
Credits: 3
This course is designed to provide law enforcement students with the basic information, tools, and skills needed to improve interpersonal communications with coworkers and citizens from all ethnic and cultural groups. It is also intended to provide some historical information so students can contextualize and better understand why particular groups may distrust and resist law enforcement and the criminal justice system as a whole.Prerequisites: none
Diverse Cultures: Purple
Credits: 3
The purpose of this course is to develop in the student an insight into the dynamics of interpersonal violence, particularly sexual violence. The focus will be on developing effective law enforcement responses to the victims/survivors and the perpetrators.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course will cover the sources of intrapersonal and interpersonal stress in the law enforcement profession. Students will be required to assess their vulnerability to these stressors and develop their own strategies and tactics for coping.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
A more in-depth survey of methods and techniques for the investigation of crimes. This course builds off the foundation of LAWE233: Criminal Investigation.Prerequisites: LAWE 233
Credits: 3
This course focuses on the intellectual aspects of law enforcement from the perspectives of communication, interpersonal relations, and critical thinking. The course will provide the student with a solid foundation in effective law enforcement communications and prepare the student intellectually for a career as a law enforcement officer. This course also has a writing intensive requirement that involves drafting, editing, and reviewing a variety of written assignments.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
An examination of issues facing criminal justice today in constantly changing legal, social and cultural environments. Topics will vary and may be repeated for credit.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
An examination of issues facing law enforcement today in constantly changing legal, social and cultural environments. Topics will vary and may be repeated for credit.Prerequisites: none
400 Level
Credits: 3
This course will cover the basic techniques of writing reports, memoranda, forms, and other documents used in the law enforcement profession. This is a writing-intensive course that will not only fulfill MN POST Report Writing requirements, but will also require students to compose numerous documents and respond to writing feedback throughout the semester.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
The course will examine ethics and leadership theory, interpretation, and application. Concepts such as vision, ownership, integrity, accountability, attitude, teamwork capability, monitoring, evaluation, and decision making will be interpreted through case studies of ethics and leadership in criminal justice.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
Senior Seminar is a capstone course that is specifically designed for Law Enforcement students to be eligible to become licensed peace officers. This course will assist the student in several areas to include preparation for the MN POST test, interviewing skills, critical thinking and decision making skills, group work and presentations, scenario based learning and application of law to the scenarios.Prerequisites: Admission to the program.
Credits: 4
A comparison of criminal justice philosophies, structures, and procedures found in various countries around the world. Same as POL 449.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
History, philosophy, techniques and countermeasures to terroristic and law intensity threats to public order. Both domestic and international terror. The blurring of the lines between low intensity conflict/terrorism and multinational high intensity crime. Same as POL 425.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course explores the history, development and current role of federal law enforcement in the United States. This course also explores the history, implementation, and role of Homeland Security, along with the integration of purpose, action, and enforcement between Homeland Security, federal law enforcement, and local law enforcement with a lens of legal, policy, and cooperation strategies at the federal, state, and local levels.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 3
This course complements the learning experience of traveling on a faculty led study abroad trip. The focus will be a comparison of terrorism, political violence, and counter-terrorism activities in the United States to the same activities in the visited countries based on readings, research, observation, and participation. Instructor permission is required to register for this course.Prerequisites: Must be accepted into a faculty led study abroad trip.
Credits: 3
This course complements the learning experience of traveling on a faculty led study abroad trip. The focus will be on a comparison of international justice systems in a variety of countries based on readings, research, observation, and participation. Instructor permission is required to register for this course.Prerequisites: Must be registered and approved for a faculty-led study abroad program.
Credits: 4
Legal procedures by which state and federal administrative agencies exercise legislative, judicial and executive powers. Emphasis is placed on the constitutional position of administrative agencies, the rule making process, the power of agencies to decide rights and obligations concerning individual cases, and judicial control of administrative action.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Review of selected U.S. Supreme Court decisions relating to the powers of the President, Congress and the Judiciary, as well as the division of power between the states and the federal government. Focus is on case briefing, underlying rationales, and the development of individual analytical abilities.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
Review of selected United States Supreme Court decisions interpreting important freedoms contained in the Bill of Rights and the 14th Amendment. Focus is on the rationale which underlies decisions and its impact on American political social processes. Provides an opportunity to exercise and develop individual analytical abilities through analysis of Court's reasoning. Same as POL 454.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 4
An examination of the structure, jurisdiction and processes of federal and state courts. Emphasis is placed on selection of judges and justices and on the dynamics of judicial decision-making. Same as POL 475.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
This course explores topics in criminal justice beyond what is covered in the existing curriculum. Students study specialized topics of current importance in the field. Specific topics will change depending on the term and instructor. May be retaken with a change of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
This course explores topics in law enforcement beyond what is covered in the existing curriculum. Students study specialized topics of current importance in the field. Specific topics will change depending on the term and instructor. May be retaken with a change of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-12
Field placement with a criminal justice agency or related organization. Provides a learning experience in which the student can integrate and apply knowledge and theory derived from curriculum. Can only be taken P/N, must have permission to register.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-12
Field placement with a law enforcement agency or related organization. Provides a learning experience in which the student can integrate and apply knowledge and theory derived from curriculum. P/N only.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
Advanced study and research on topics not currently available in existing courses. May be repeated with a change of topic. Requires advisor and instructor approval of topic.Prerequisites: none
Credits: 1-3
Advanced study and research on topics not currently available in existing courses. May be repeated with a change of topic. Requires advisor and instructor approval of topic.Prerequisites: none
