The University of Tennessee at Martin has established the Law Enforcement Proficiency Program (LEPP), through which graduates of the Tennessee Law Enforcement Training Academy Basic Law Enforcement Course (or equivalent that provides professional certification through the Tennessee Peace Officer Standards and Training [POST] Commission) may earn 12 semester hours of academic credit. LEPP is designed to provide an incentive for criminal justice professionals to seek or continue higher education and, ultimately, obtain a bachelor’s degree. This program provides educational opportunities that are occupationally specific within the field of criminal justice and enhances students’ understanding of theoretical concepts by providing a context for practical cultural application.
Through LEPP, academy graduates may earn credit in select UT Martin Criminal Justice courses and apply this credit toward fulfillment of UT Martin baccalaureate degree requirements, including the requirements for the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice or Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree. Officers applying for LEPP credit must submit 1) evidence of successful completion of the basic police school, including dates of attendance, 2) a copy of their POST certificate, and 3) a report detailing the officer’s academy grades and overall average.
All officers receiving university credit through LEPP must meet UT Martin entrance criteria for Regular, Non-Traditional Adult, or Special Admission as defined in the current undergraduate catalog and be admitted to the university. In addition to the regular UT Martin application fee, a recording fee is required for each course in which LEPP credit is earned: and, the credit must be earned prior to the student’s last 30 hours before graduation from the university. In the event that students were not enrolled at UT Martin at the time of participation in any training program approved for inclusion in LEPP, academic credit may be granted retroactively once all entrance criteria have been met. Although students may be admitted to the university and receive credit under LEPP retroactively, they must have attended a basic police school that enables them to meet the current POST standards for state certification at the time of admission to the university.