Address:
500 Kennedy Drive (Cramer Building)
Rangely, CO 81648

For further details see:
cncc.edu/degrees/rangely/nps

Interested Students Should Contact:
Kathy Kottenstette
970-675-3337
Kathy.Kottenstette@cncc.edu

Course Schedule:

Classes beginning  Jan. 21, 2025

CNCC has been conducting Park Ranger Law Enforcement  Academies since 1990. The director is a retired federal agent and former Federal Law Enforcement Training Center supervisory instructor, and has trained thousands of successful law enforcement students over his 35-year career. Accompanying the instructor in training at CNCC PRLEA are many former FLETC instructors, NPS rangers, and law enforcement professionals who are experts in their disciplines to ensure your success in the program and the field of law enforcement. Graduating from the PRLEA at CNCC makes you eligible for a seasonal Type II law enforcement (ranger) position with the National Park Service. CNCC also offers an A.A.S. degree option with just a few additional courses when combined with the PRLEA, which accounts for 33 semester hours of college credit.

The academy is located in Northwestern Colorado, where countless outdoor recreational opportunities abound! From the CNCC campus, you can literally walk onto millions of acrea of public lands and immerse yourself in the great outdoors that surround the campus and town. Within three hours of Rangely, Colo., you will find the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Browns Park National Wildlife Refuge, Flamingo Gorge, Book Cliff Wilderness Area, Flat Tops Wilderness, Ashley National Forest, Rifle Falls State Park, Fantasy Canyon, Moab, Steamboat Springs, Canyonlands, Medicine Bow-Routt National Forest, Arches, Dinosaur, Colorado National Monument, and countless BLM and U.S. Forest Service lands. CNCC provides outdoor recreation equipment to students at no cost. It also boasts an on-campus climbing gym that provides free gear and lessons, and free membership to the recreation center (including weight room and pool) in Rangely.

The CNCC tuition conveniently includes housing (single occupancy) and meals (19 per week). Additional certificates included with the academy curriculum include TASER, radar, patrol rifle, and NHTSA DUI/SFST/HGN with wet lab.

The CNCC Academy is now eligible under FAFSA for all students as of May 2017. It is also eligible under the Colorado College Opportunity Fund and the GI Bill.

Additional add-on classes are also available in Wilderness First Aid (WFA) and Introduction to Sear and Rescue (ISAR) and SARTECH III certification. 

Address:
19 W. McConnell Drive
PO Box 15016
Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5016

For further details see:
prm.nau.edu/rangers

Interested Students Should Contact:
Michael O'Connor
(928) 523-8242
Patrick.oconnor@nau.edu

Course Schedule:
No Fall 2023 session
January 3, 2024 - April 26, 2024
August 5, 2024 - November 22, 2024

Northern Arizona University’s Park Ranger Training Program (PRTP) offers the National Park Service Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA, formerly known as the Seasonal Law Enforcement Training Program) curriculum plus enhanced education regarding the protection of natural and cultural resources. The program is directed by a career National Park Ranger with approximately 30 years’ experience and a doctorate in educational leadership. The PRTP instructor cadre includes more than 40 instructors with extensive land management and local agency law enforcement experience. NAU had graduated nearly 800 students from the program in its 20 year history.

NAU is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, within a short drive of nine units of the National Park System. This makes available outstanding opportunities to interact with supervisors in these parks to learn more about park operations and land management careers. As a part of coursework in resource protection, guided field trips to four of these units and formal meetings with park leaders are provided.

The class size is small with a maximum of 26 students admitted for each session. The program is approximately 16 weeks, with work full-time during the week and practical exercises scheduled on many weekends. Study is supported with extensive technology-enhanced (on-line) materials.

For those interested in a Bachelor of Science degree, the program constitutes the majority of work required for an emphasis (minor) in Park Protection. NAU also offers a Master of Science in Parks and Recreation Management for those aspiring to hold leadership positions in the NPS or other agencies.

For additional information call the director at 928-523-8242 or visit the program’s web page at www.nau.edu/rangers.

Address:
2405 E. College Way
Mount Vernon, WA 98273-5899

For further details click here

Interested Students Should Contact:
Rick Mossman
(360) 416-7829
rick.mossman@skagit.edu

Course Schedule:
Fall: August 19, 2023 - December 14, 2023
Spring: January 6, 2024 - May 3, 2024

Skagit Valley Colleges PRLEA program is a rigorous 720 hours National Park Service approved academy held at the city of Mount Vernon, Washington State, campus. The park Ranger law enforcement academy meets the Land Management—Federal Law Enforcement Training Center curriculum and qualifies a cadet for a seasonal ranger commission with the National Park Service. This program also has been the main recruiting academy for Washington State Parks and numerous local city and county parks. As of October 2023, graduates from this academy qualify for one year to work with any law enforcement agency in the State of Washington, only needing to be sent to the State Equivalency Academy (two weeks) by the hiring agency. The college also offers a separate (optional) wildland fire class (qualifying you for a red card) and an (optional) Emergency Medical Responder class. These two classes are compatible with the academy. The college also offers an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) class both Spring and Fall semesters, but it is not compatible to take at the same time as the Park Ranger Academy. 

The seasonal law enforcement program is conducted in a full-time academy setting with a typical week consisting of a minimum of40+ hours. The Director is a retired career Chief Park Ranger having been in involved over 49 years with most aspects of rangering and National Park Management. The Mount Vernon campus is located 30 minutes from the beaches and parks of the Pacific coast and 30 minutes form the Cascade mountains and North Cascades National Park.

Protecting Americas treasures-its National Parks and natural areas-motivates our leadership and instructors to train you to the best you can be, and above all, successful on your first day on the job as a law enforcement protection park ranger.

Address:
Division of Public Safety Training Center - Law Enforcement Training Program
225 Industrial Park Loop
Franklin, NC 28734

For further details click here 

Prospective Applicants Should Contact:
Mitch Boudrot, LETP Director
(828) 306-7043
m_boudrot@southwesterncc.edu

Zach Dezarn, NPS-PRLEA Coordinator/Instructor
(828) 306-7055
z_dezarn@southwesterncc.edu

Founded in 1964, Southwestern Community College (SCC) takes pride in a history characterized by community involvement and collaboration resulting in excellent educational opportunities. SCC"s main campus is 50 miles southwest of Asheville, N.C., 90 miles southeast of Knoxville, Tenn., and 149 miles northeast of Atlanta, Georgia. SCC is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

The National Park Service - Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (NPS-PRLEA) is delivered through the Division of Public Safety Training Center's (PSTC) Law Enforcement Training Program (LETP), located in Franklin, N.C. The LETP is responsible for, and committed to, providing the highest level of training capabilities to those who serve, safeguard, and secure our communities within the state of North Carolina, our nations federal level of law enforcement, and essential personnel within the criminal justice system.

"Excellence Through Training"

Guided by integrity, our commitment to excellence, professionalism, the efficient management of resources and cultivation of strategic partnerships, the Law Enforcement Training Program (LETP) provides innovative research, timely consultation, comprehensive program development, exceptional education, realistic training, and continuous support for law enforcement professionals, expressed through our operational philosophy: esse quam videri and consistent with established standards.  The LETP encompasses basic through advanced law enforcement certification training, inclusive of annual in-service training, as established by the State of North Carolina Department of Justice - Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission, the State of North Carolina Department of Justice - Sheriff's Education & Training Standards Commission, and the National Park Service - Law Enforcement Training Center.  

The NPS-PRLEA training sessions are delivered twice a year (January-May and August-December) with a maximum class of 24 recruits per training session and approximately 780 scheduled training hours with optional course add-ons, including Woodland Operations and Wildland Fire. 

Southwestern Community College has been dedicated to the delivery and improvement of the National Park Service – Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (NPS-PRLEA) program for prospective commissioned Law Enforcement Park Rangers, graduating over 2,689 candidates since the program's inception upon the main campus in Sylva, since 1978.

Address:
Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy
Temple University Ambler Campus
Haines House
580 Meetinghouse Road
Ambler, PA 19002

For further details click here

Interested Students Should Contact:
Dennis Madarang
Interim Director - PRLEA
dennis.madarang@temple.edu
 

Course Schedule:
Fall, 2024 (date to be announced in early 2024)
Fall, 2025 (date to be announced in early 2025)

(Applications will be accepted until approx. one month prior to academy start date, or until the class is full, whichever occurs first.)

The University College at Temple University offers the National Park Service Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA) and a certificate in National Park Service Management. Temple offers the PRLEA at its Ambler Campus, which is located in Montgomery County just 30 minutes north of Philadelphia. The PRLEA is more than 700 contact hours of instruction and is academically rigorous. Classes are conducted on a full-time basis, five days per week, eight hours per day, and require approximately 19 weeks to complete. Enrollment is comprised of up to 26 students in each class. All students commute to training each day, although local, off-campus housing options exist. Students are required to successfully complete numerous written examinations and skill performance evaluations in order to graduate. Proper demeanor, grooming, dress, punctuality, and attention to duty are a part of the training regimen. The 187-acre Ambler Campus is host to many law enforcement training resources and facilities including a confined space training simulator, trails and wooded areas including mock campground with a visitor center, a non-lethal training ammunition (NLTA) facility, residential and institutional buildings and spaces for tactical training, and a weight room, gym, and mat room.

The NPS PRLEA curriculum places particular emphasis on visitor and resource protection, federal law and procedure, authority and jurisdiction, natural and cultural resource management, officer safety and survival skills, and physical conditioning of instruction designed to prepare and enable students to obtain employment with the National Park Service as a seasonal Type II law enforcement ranger. In addition, completion of this program may meet the required training standard for other federal, state, and local land management / park service agencies. Upon successful completion of the PRLEA at Temple University, students are awarded a certificate of completion and participate in a graduation and an awards ceremony highlighting distinguished achievement in academics, marksmanship, driving, leadership and physical fitness.

Address:
1900 East Camp St.
Ely, Minnesota 55731

For further details click here
 

Interested Students Should Contact:
Admissions questions: Jeff Nelson
(218) 235-2193
jeff.nelson@minnesotanorth.edu
Program questions: Bennett Suave
(218) 235-2128
bennett.sauve@minnesotanorth.edu

Course Schedule:
August 19, 2024 - December 13, 2024

Offered every fall semester, the 700+ hour Park Ranger Law Enforcement Academy (PRLEA) is scheduled over a 17-week period beginning mid-August and running through mid-December. Cadets can expect a comprehensive training, with course components scheduled full-time, five days a week that will include several weekend days. Qualified instructors with a variety of backgrounds and from multiple agencies teach in their areas of expertise to contribute to a strong program with well-prepared graduates.   

This academy is a certificate program offered by Minnesota North College at the Vermilion campus.  Located in Ely, Minn., and adjacent to the Superior National Forest, this campus is literally at the doorstep of over 3 million acres of federal land that includes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A variety of outdoor leadership, resource management, and resource protection programs are available, with students earning two-year degrees (AA, AS, AAS), diplomas, and certificates. A park ranger skills program has been offered by Vermilion since 1988, with other law enforcement studies programs available prior to then. Minnesota North College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Vermilion PRLEA is a blended program that also meets the skills requirements of the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training.  Student housing is available, and many students choose to live at the Outdoor Learning Center (cabins on a Boundary Waters access lake).  This credit-based certificate program is financial aid eligible. Offered once a year, the class size is limited to 30 students.