NR Law Enforcement A.A.S. Degree
Career Description
Students in the Natural Resources Law Enforcement Program learn skills that lead to becoming a conservation officer. Conservation officers work with fish and wildlife agencies, state parks, trails, forests, waters and wetlands, as well as work in educational activities within and throughout Minnesota. Conservation officers often work from 4x4 patrol vehicles, snowmobiles, ATV, and various watercrafts.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates will be able to:
1. Demonstrate field identification of regionally important mammals, birds and fish and their communities
2. Use a broad range of technological tools to research, document, map, measure, record and analyze data relevant to natural resources
3. Navigate and safely function in an outdoor workplace
4. Demonstrate knowledge of structure, process and relationships between law enforcement, the courts and correctional systems
5. Apply tactical skills, weapon safety, defense and arrest tactics, vehicle operation, crisis management and force options
6. Process crime scenes from preliminary stage through disposition
7. Function in a multicultural society as a mature, adaptable citizen, while meeting the needs and challenges of clients and communities
8. Interpret and apply theory, law, policy and practice as it relates to juvenile delinquency and deviant behavior
9. Demonstrate an understanding of the roles of the legislative, judicial and executive branches and how they relate to criminal law
10. Apply knowledge of criminal law, constitutional law and Minnesota traffic code
11. Demonstrate strong and effective written and oral communication skills
12. Understand the importance of ethics and ethical behavior in law enforcement
Special Program Requirements
Students must be able to complete skills portion of the program to become licensed. This involves several real-life crime-scene situations, firearms and physical proficiency, and law enforcement procedural practices.
Transfer Opportunities
Students have the opportunity to transfer to most four-year colleges that offer a Bachelor of Arts in Law Enforcement.
Employment Opportunities
The selection process for being a conservation officer in Minnesota includes a written exam, division interview, background investigation, functional capacity exam, psychological assessment and a medical evaluation. In addition, conservation officers must be a United States Citizen, possess a valid Minnesota driver’s license, have no felony convictions, have the ability to swim and possess a license or be eligible for licensing as a Minnesota peace officer at
the time of hire.
Natural Resource Law Enforcement, AAS - Program Planning Form (pdf)
A.A.S. CURRICULUM
Required Courses
CRJU 1101* Criminal Justice (3cr)
CRJU 1104* Juvenile Justice (3cr)
CRJU 2101* Criminal Law (3cr)
CRJU 2102* Criminal Procedures (4cr)
CRJU 2108* Criminal Investigations (3cr)
CRJU 2140* Law Enforcement & Behavioral Science (3cr)
NATR 1106 Intro to NR Law Enforcement (2cr)
NATR 1125 Ichthyology (3cr)
NATR 1130 Mammalogy (3cr)
NATR 1135 Ornithology (3cr)
NATR 1360 Animal Behavior (3cr)
NATR 2110 Herpetology (2cr)
Required Total 35 credits
General Education Courses
Student must complete the requirements listed in the AAS
Degree/General Education Transfer Curriculum document.
BIOL 2416 General Ecology (3cr)
ENGL 1410 Composition I (4cr)
POLS 1439 State & Local Government (3cr) OR
POLS 1435 American Government Politics (3cr)
SOCL 2405 Criminology (3cr)
SOCL 2481 Race Ethnicity & Oppression (3cr)
Choose one (1) of the following:
SPCH 1431 Fundamentals of Public Speaking (3cr)
SPCH 1421 Interpersonal Communication (3cr)
General Education Total 19 credits
Electives
Choose a minimum of eighteen (18) credits from following to
complete program:
CRJU 2114 Traffic Law (3cr)
CRJU 2124 Evidence Identification & Prep (4cr)
NATR 1112 Land Measurement (3cr)
NATR 1120 Dendrology (3cr)
NATR 1140 Limnology (3cr)
NATR 1200 Intro to Natural Resources (3cr)
NATR 1280 Intro to GPS & GIS (Arc View) (2cr)
NATR 2130* Wildlife Management (3cr)
NATR 2140* Fisheries Management (3cr)
Skills (offered at CLC-check w/coordinator) (10-14cr)
Total 18 credits
GRADUATION REQUIREMENT 72
*Denotes Prerequisites
Individual semester plans are determined between
instructor and student to best meet the student’s
needs.