Law Enforcement Academy - BasicAS Degree

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Community of interest
Health & Public Services
Award
AS Degree
Program code
17935.00AS
Department
Police Academy
CIP code
43.0107: Criminal Justice/Police Science.
TOP code
2105.50 - Police Academy*
The Law Enforcement Academy program is designed to prepare students to meet entry-level requirements for jobs in the law enforcement profession. The curriculum has sufficient breadth to allow students to pursue a career in a variety of agencies. Typically, the Basic Law Enforcement Academy begins in July and again in January. For the AS degree employable skills are developed in conjunction with General Education. Careers in law enforcement are constantly open statewide. Satisfactory completion of the Butte College Basic Law Enforcement Academy qualifies graduates to apply for these positions. The California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training designates 42 areas of law enforcement instruction designed to prepare academy graduates for entry-level law enforcement positions. Admission to the Program: Students are admitted by special application only. Admission to the program is based on scores on the POST Entry-Level Exam, completing a 1.5-mile run in 15 minutes or less, or another agency developed physical agility test, and other special requirements. Students must provide a California Department of Justice clearance within 90 days prior to the start of the course which confirms that the applicant has no felony or misdemeanor convictions which would prohibit possession of a firearm. For more information about the Butte College Law Enforcement-Basic program, or to apply for admission to the program, please go to our website: www.butte.edu/departments/careertech/publicsafety/law_enforcement.html
Program detailsAward, code, department, CIP/TOP

Program Snapshot

Community of interest
HPS Health & Public Services
Award
AS Degree
Program code
17935.00AS
Department
Police Academy
CIP code
43.0107: Criminal Justice/Police Science.
TOP code
2105.50 - Police Academy*

Next Steps

Map Class Schedule

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

Program Schedule ReportMeet with a counselor
Law Enforcement Academy - Basic
AS Degree — expand to learn about this award

The Associate of Science is typically awarded for Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) and Career Technical Education (CTE) programs. Like every Butte College associate degree, it has two parts: a general-education curriculum that gives you a broad base of knowledge, and an academic program where you specialize.

About General Education. GE is an integrated program of learning designed to foster intellectual curiosity, cultural understanding, critical thinking, creative reasoning, oral and written communication, and the capacity for ethical reasoning. By graduation, you'll have developed the ability to think critically, communicate clearly, apply quantitative reasoning, understand how the major academic disciplines ask their questions, comprehend diverse cultures and historical periods, and assess ethical problems — alongside the depth you build in your major.

See the 2025-26 Catalog for official program details

Semester-by-Semester Map

Admission to the Program: Students are admitted by special application only. Admission to the program is based on scores on the POST Entry-Level Exam, completing a 1.5-mile run in 15 minutes or less, or another agency developed physical agility test, and other special requirements. Students must provide a California Department of Justice clearance within 90 days prior to the start of the course which confirms that the applicant has no felony or misdemeanor convictions which would prohibit possession of a firearm.

Term 1

Class Schedules

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Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

37 units
AJLE 100
Law Enforcement Academy Physical Training
2 units
course details

This course conforms to the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Basic Law Enforcement Academy requirements for Learning Domain #32, Lifetime Fitness. The course provides an overview of physical fitness for a healthy lifestyle for peace officers. Topics include proper nutrition, common health problems, causes of stress, stress management and physical conditioning.

Corequisite: AJLE 130, AJLE 140 or AJLE 141

AJLE 140
Law Enforcement Academy
35 units
course details

This 23-week course prepares the student for a career as a peace officer under the authority of the California Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). The curriculum covers learning domains ranging from academic subjects on criminal law, investigation and patrol procedures to psychomotor skills on defensive tactics, firearms training, driving skills and officer-violator contacts. The successful completion of this course will allow the student to be employed as a peace officer in California (valid for three years after graduation) and lead to the issuance of a Basic Law Enforcement Certificate from P.O.S.T. after one year of approved field service at a law enforcement agency. Graded only.

Prerequisite: Students are admitted by special application only. Admission to the program is based on scores on the POST Entry-Level Exam, and other special requirements.

Corequisite: AJLE 100

Term 2

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

14–17 units

General Education: Area 1A

about Area 1A

English Composition

Baccalaureate-level academic writing — expository and argumentative. The foundation for every other course you'll write in.

General Education: Area 2

about Area 2

Mathematical Concepts and Quantitative Reasoning

College-level mathematics or quantitative reasoning — the toolkit behind science, business, and informed citizenship.

General Education: Area 4

about Area 4

Social and Behavioral Sciences

The systematic study of people as members of society — cultural anthropology, cultural geography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology — and the methods these disciplines use to ask their questions.

General Education: Area 6

about Area 6

Ethnic Studies

The histories, experiences, and contributions of the four autonomous disciplines: Black / African American / Africana studies, Native American studies, Chicano/a/x and Latino/a/x studies, and Asian American studies.

Elective (any course numbered 1-99 or C1000-C1999)

Only necessary if the 60 units needed to graduate have not been completed. Consider taking a Cal-GETC General Education course. Visit www.assist.org to see options.

Term 3

Class Schedules

Pick a term:

Fall 2026Winter 2027Spring 2027Summer 2027

This will open the term course schedule not including GE requirements.

9–11 units

General Education: Area 1B

about Area 1B

Oral Communication and Critical Thinking

Baccalaureate-level oral communication and/or critical thinking — speaking with structure to a live audience, analyzing arguments, identifying assumptions.

General Education: Area 3

about Area 3

Arts and Humanities

How people and cultures, across time, respond to themselves and the world through artistic and cultural creative production. Visual and performing arts, art history, foreign languages, literature, philosophy, religion.

General Education: Area 5

about Area 5

Physical and Biological Sciences

The physical universe, its life forms, and its natural phenomena — astronomy, biology, chemistry, geology, meteorology, oceanography, physics — taught alongside the scientific method that makes them work.

Career Connections

2-Year Degree Paths

Entry points students may pursue after associate-level study, technical preparation, or licensure pathways.

Example roles: 4

  • Private Detectives and Investigators
  • Police and Sheriff's Patrol Officers
  • Detectives and Criminal Investigators

4-Year Degree Paths

Roles that more often open up after transfer and a bachelor's degree.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the 4-year pathway for this program.

Graduate School Paths

Advanced roles commonly associated with graduate, professional, or post-baccalaureate study.

No locally mapped occupations in the current dataset are grouped into the graduate-school pathway for this program.

Local Job Market

Private Detectives and InvestigatorsSOC 33-902127 nearby openings

Search keyword used: investigator · Search window: last 30 days, 25-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $71,652/yr

Top employers in sample

  • Butte County 4
  • Tyme Maidu Tribe 3
  • Victor Careers 2
  • Adventist Health 1
  • Air Methods 1

Where the postings are

  • Chico, Butte County 6
  • Thermalito, Butte County 5
  • Las Plumas, Butte County 3
  • Butte Creek, Butte County 2
  • Linda, Yuba County 2

Sample current postings

  1. Helicopter PilotAir Methods · Live Oak, Sutter County · today
  2. Safety Program Manager, ExpertPacific Gas And Electric Company · Chico, Butte County · 2 days ago
  3. Deputy Sheriff TraineeButte County · Thermalito, Butte County · 2 days ago
  4. Drop Technician 2 - Chico, CARace Communications · Chico, Butte County · 3 days ago
  5. Security Guard (Guard)Armed Guard Private Security · Chico, Butte County · 3 days ago

See all openings on Adzuna

Police and Sheriff's Patrol OfficersSOC 33-30511 nearby opening

Search keyword used: police officer · Search window: last 30 days, 25-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $62,112/yr

Top employers in sample

  • Online Employment System 1

Where the postings are

  • Chico, Butte County 1

Sample current postings

  1. Police Officer or Police Officer CadetOnline Employment System · Chico, Butte County · 4 weeks ago

See all openings on Adzuna

Detectives and Criminal InvestigatorsSOC 33-302110 nearby openings

Search keyword used: detective · Search window: last 30 days, 25-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $45,156/yr

Top employers in sample

  • Enloe Medical Center 2
  • Adventist Health 1
  • Armed Guard Private Security 1
  • Cooperative Agricultural Support Services Authorit 1
  • Curative 1

Where the postings are

  • Chico, Butte County 7
  • Las Plumas, Butte County 1
  • Linda, Yuba County 1
  • Live Oak, Sutter County 1

Sample current postings

  1. Radiology - Breast PhysicianCurative · Chico, Butte County · 1 day ago
  2. Security & Compliance EngineerMaximus · Chico, Butte County · 2 days ago
  3. Security Guard (Guard)Armed Guard Private Security · Chico, Butte County · 3 days ago
  4. Security Officer (Graveyard Shift)Tyme Maidu Tribe · Las Plumas, Butte County · 7 days ago
  5. Personal Banker or Senior Banker - Chico Esplanade $1000 sign-on bonus opportunity!Tri Counties Bank · Chico, Butte County · 7 days ago

See all openings on Adzuna

BailiffsSOC 33-30112 nearby openings

Search keyword used: bailiff · Search window: last 60 days, 50-mile radius · Avg listed salary: $95,284/yr

Top employers in sample

  • Butte County 2

Where the postings are

  • Thermalito, Butte County 2

Sample current postings

  1. Deputy Sheriff -POSTButte County · Thermalito, Butte County · 4 weeks ago
  2. Deputy Sheriff (Lateral)Butte County · Thermalito, Butte County · 4 weeks ago

See all openings on Adzuna

Posting counts come from Adzuna's index of US job boards, covering the last up to 60 days within up to 50 miles of ZIP 95965. Coverage and salary visibility vary by employer. Empty searches expand the radius and posting window before the section gives up.

Source Notes

Course sequencing is generated from the Acadia Program Mapper cache. Career groupings use local CIP-to-SOC mappings and BLS occupation data when available. Confirm education plans with Counseling and Advising.

Live wage data was not available from the BLS helper for the mapped occupations, so some pay fields may be blank.

Last generated 2026-06-12T23:20+00:00