In Michigan, there are two main employers of Corrections Officers. The largest employer is the Michigan Department of Corrections. Students interested in a career with the MDOC should follow one of three programs at Kellogg Community College.

The Associate of Applied Science in Corrections is designed for career entry and advancement opportunities within the MDOC, and other state and federal corrections agencies. The Associate Degree in Criminal Justice is designed for career entry and advancement opportunities in corrections and also meets the MACRAO requirements for easier transfers to a bachelor’s degree program.

The Corrections Certificate fulfills the state-mandated requirement for MDOC corrections officers to obtain 15 college credits in an approved curriculum. Having a Corrections Certificate (or one of our Corrections Associate degrees) also gives you a much better opportunity to pass the civil service test and will give you an educational bonus of 10 points in an overall hiring point system where 40 points is a perfect score.

The other main employer of corrections officers are county sheriff departments. Most of the 83 counties in Michigan have jails and hire corrections personnel to supervise inmates. State law requires that local corrections officers successfully complete a Michigan Sheriff's Coordinating and Training Council (MSCTC) 160 hour Local Correctional Academy.