The Conservation Law Enforcement Associate of Arts degree is designed as a two year, 60 credit interdisciplinary, skill-based law enforcement program. The program is designed to prepare graduates to qualify for entry-level positions involving the protection of natural resources, sustainable management of wildlife resources by private and public sectors and the enforcement of laws and regulations governing these resources requiring knowledgeable and technically competent people. The Conservation Law Enforcement Program will provide students with the technical skills and knowledge base to prepare them for careers as natural resource officers and/or law enforcement professionals. Finally, the curriculum is specifically designed so that students are provided with a strong academic background in law enforcement which will materially assist graduates in the performance of their jobs and advancement in the conservation law enforcement field.

Students will leave our program well-prepared to enter the workforce with jobs possessing a two-year degree. This degree will provide graduates this unique background in criminal justice, along with environmental law, backcountry survival skills, and wildlife and land conservation, helping to greatly expand workforce development opportunities. Students must successfully complete the core courses with a “C-” or better to meet program requirements

Conservation Law Enforcement Program Outcomes:

This program is designed to help students develop the requisite skills for employment as conservation law enforcement officers. As such, students who successfully complete this program should be able to:

1. Explain the general principles of conservation protection and enforcement as they relate to constitutional law and federal natural resources law;
2. Create a holistic diagram of how human, natural, and cultural systems interact with each other at the national, state, and local levels;
3. Identify, analyze, and synthesize information pertinent to conservation, environmental, and natural resource issues;
4. Explain and apply sophisticated legal concepts in the context of natural resource protection and conservation enforcement.