Correctional Officer Certificate

The job of a Correctional Officer can be challenging as well as very rewarding. Officers within Delaware are very diverse and have several opportunities for various positions within the state's Department of Correction (DOC). They are currently offered a 25 year retirement with competitive pay and benefits.

This certificate program provides critical information regarding the scope and nature of correctional officer duties, interactions with the various agencies and other branches of government, the various cultures and norms within society, interviewing skills, ethical considerations within public safety, communication skills, and crisis intervention and prevention knowledge.

Graduates of this certificate program will receive priority employment consideration by the Department of Correction and will be able to apply their credits towards a two-year degree in criminal justice at Delaware Tech. Graduates who are hired by the DOC and complete the training academy will earn additional college credits towards this degree.

If you are interested in pursuing a career as a Correctional Officer, in the criminal justice system, the Delaware Department of Correction is in need of certified correctional officers, and this certificate program has been created for applicants who wish to obtain this career.

This program is offered at the Dover, Georgetown, and Stanton campuses.

What You Can Do

In this program, you will gain the knowledge, skills and abilities to prepare you for a position of a:

• Correctional officer

What You Will Earn

Competitive starting salaries range from $40,000 - $43,000 with overtime potential.

What You Will Learn

Program Graduate Competencies

The Program Graduate Competencies listed below identify the major learning goals related to your specific program of study and identify the knowledge and skills you will have when you graduate to be successful in your chosen field.

1. Examine criminal justice professionalism in the performance of duties.
2. Review the function and interaction of criminal justice agencies and organizations.
3. Apply interviewing, counseling, and crisis intervention techniques with diverse criminal justice populations.
4. Review knowledge of causation and correction to juvenile and adult offenders.
5. Study the legal principles and practices of criminal and constitutional law.

Core Curriculum Competencies

The Core Curriculum Competencies listed below identify what you will be able to do as a graduate, regardless of your program of study. You will acquire these core competencies through general education courses and program-specific coursework. You will be expected to use relevant technology to achieve these outcomes:

1. Apply clear and effective communication skills.
2. Use critical thinking to solve problems.
3. Collaborate to achieve a common goal.
4. Demonstrate professional and ethical conduct.
5. Use information literacy for effective vocational and/or academic research.
6. Apply quantitative reasoning and/or scientific inquiry to solve practical problems.