Would an MLS qualify me to teach college?

Hey guys,

I have said before that I am interested in teaching Criminal Justice at the college or junior college level or even a vocational school. I have been looking at a lot of schools and a lot of degree plans and have found the following:

North Central University: MBA with emphasis in CJ with 18 graduate hours which would technically qualify me to teach however since it is a "business" degree, I would probably never be the schools first choice. About a $12 to $13,000 degree.

University of Phoenix: has a Masters of Science in the Administration of Justice and Security which is ALL about law enforcement, 36 hours of it and would likely qualify me to teach and since my degree would be specific to that discipline, likely to better suit me than an MBA. Cost: around $22,000

However I have just found a school called Fort Hayes State University that offers a Masters of Liberal Studies in Criminal Justice with a minimum of 18 hours in CJ and an internship in the CJ field or research project. Cost, around $6000

Would an MLS be just as likely to qualify me to teach as an MS in CJ or would it be more like the MBA where you would "technically" be qualified, but likely not get hired?

 

Well, methinks that there are two different things going on here.

One is whether you would meet the minimum technically correct standards of the accreditation agencies. I couldn't find the regs of the other five regional accreditors but the Southern Association
requires their undergrad profs to have a doctor's degree or master's degree in their teaching field or a master's degree with a concentration in their teaching field (with a minimum of 18 hours in the concentration). So that's where the 18-hour thing comes in. So, yes, the MLS - CJ qualifies you for the position just like the MA - CJ, MBA - CJ, MCJ, MPA - CJ, & MS - CJ.

The other is whether your prospective department chair might bark at such a strange beast as an MLS - CJ. There was an earlier thread on here about the MBA - CJ and some of the guys with cop degrees looked a bit askance at the MBA - CJ and there were even a few who weren't quite sure about the MPA - CJ. Ask around at a few of the CJ programs in your area.

 

Yeah to be honest with you Ted, I have looked around at the local schools quite a bit and the way it works out is usually like this:

MA-CJ = rarely
MS-CJ or MS-CJA = quite often
a few Phds etc.

So far I have YET to see an MBA-CJ or an MLS-CJ. Though I have seen some JD and MPA's teaching CJ courses.

I am still looking around...I have been drawn to the NCU program for a RA MBA, but after soul searching...I have to admit, I don't have any business working in business, at least right now. I love criminal justice.

As for the MLS program, that tuition is Ashworth College cheap, thus it is very tempting to jump on it...however it probably will not get me where I would like to go.

U of P MS in AJS is a lot more likely to get me there because #1, it is a school everyone has heard of and #2 it is a degree specific to the field I would like to instruct in, however it is $22,000...which hurts.

I'm still up for opinions...

 

I made the following point in a previous post in another thread and while I don't want to keep wacking that poor horse, for the sake of future readers of this thread I would like to point out that meeting the minimum qualifications for a job is a far cry from actually getting the job. In a competitive market minimum qualifications won't be adequate. I'm not trying to be discouraging, just realistic. I realize that everyone has to start just where they are and then work towards their goals. I also realize that in many places there are people with PhDs competing for those community college jobs. Keep at it but be realistic.
Jack

 

thanks guys for all the answers....

There is no one size fits all degree, got it. I think the U of P degree is probably the one best suited for my needs. I probably will end up trying for a Phd if I decide that teaching full time is my bag...however right now I am looking to continue working in law enforcement and to teach either part time or as an adjunct instructor somewhere...I like the idea of teaching practical reality and real world job application much more than the idea of climbing into the ivory tower of academia and instructing full time. Not that there's anything wrong with that, I just don't see myself doing it.

I appreciate everyones reply and patience. Thanks.

 

There is a large selection of criminal justice dl master's programs in all price ranges. You can get a cj degree for less than 22k from some decent schools. If your goal is to teach then your safest bet is to get a master's in criminal justice.

 

Troy University offers a 30 semester hour MSCJ degree completely online. The total price of the 10-course degree program comes out to roughly $8700 not including books.

Troy offers five, 10-week terms per year and if you can handle two classes per term you should be able to complete the program in less than a year.

Troy also allows you to transfer up to 12 semester hours of credit into their MSCJ program, so if you complete 4 graduate CJ classes at FHSU or another lower-priced school the final cost for the degree at Troy will be well under $8000.

abnrgr275

 

anthonym....I am still looking around, so far it appears as if U of P is the top contender.

I looked up Troy and it appears that you need a BS from a RA school.

My BS is NA from Kaplan University formerly College for Professional Studies. Though they are now regionally accredited and I will be graduating in 6 months, technically my degree is NA.

I have also looked at Capella but their degree is a Masters in Human Services with a "specialization" in CJ...may as well get the MLS if I'm going for that.

I have also considered Norwich...which looks solid but is a tad more expensive and requires a comprehensive final...which I have to admit, I fear, loathe and despise comprehensive finals encompassing multiple subjects...

 

friendorfoe,

"My BS is NA from Kaplan University formerly College for Professional Studies. Though they are now regionally accredited and I will be graduating in 6 months, technically my degree is NA."

I could be wrong on this, but I believe if your school is regionally accredited when you graduate you technically have an RA degree. Either way, take a look at this information from the Troy University 2005-2006 Graduate Catalog:


ADMISSION CLASSIFICATIONS

• UNCONDITIONAL ADMISSION - MASTER'S DEGREE

To qualify for unconditional admission to a master's degree program, applicants must meet the following requirements:

Hold a master's or higher degree from a regionally accredited university. No test score or letter of recommendation is required for those who hold a master’s or higher degree from accredited institutions. All official transcripts must be provided.

OR

Hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited university with a minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 (4.0 scale) or a 3.0 grade point average on the last 30 semester hours. All hours attempted in the term in which the 30 semester hours were reached will be used to calculate the grade point average. Students entering licensure and professional programs must meet specified grade point average requirements.

OR

Hold a baccalaureate degree from an unaccredited or otherwise accredited college or university with a minimum overall undergraduate grade point average of 2.5 (4.0 scale) or a 3.0 grade point average on the last 30 semester hours. All hours attempted in the term in which the 30 semester hours were reached will be used to calculate the grade point average. (See Unaccredited or Otherwise Accredited Baccalaureate Degree Holders - Student Admission requirements.)

Note: Students seeking advanced degrees in teacher education programs must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.

AND

Have an acceptable score on the appropriate entrance exam (official test score required.) Note: Students entering licensure and professional programs must meet specified grade point average requirements and stated test score minimums. Consult the specific program for admission score requirements.

AND

Provide an official Troy University Letter of Recommendation that addresses the individual’s potential for success in the selected graduate program as well as his/her written and oral communication skills. (Note: A letter submitted to meet specific program requirements may be used for admission to the Graduate School to satisfy this admission requirement.)

AND

Meet the unconditional requirements of a program. See specific programs for details. Some programs have higher standards.


• CONDITIONAL ADMISSION - MASTER'S DEGREE

Conditional admission may be granted under certain circumstances to applicants who cannot satisfy all unconditional admission requirements. Not applicable for Ed.S. students.


• UNACCREDITED OR OTHERWISE ACCREDITED BACCALAUREATE DEGREE HOLDERS - STUDENT ADMISSION

Students must submit an official transcript(s) with degree(s) posted at least one semester/term prior to the desired date of registration. The appropriate academic college and the Graduate Council will evaluate all submitted transcripts using commonly accepted practices and guidelines. The applicant will be required to submit a copy of the college’s catalog and other information as needed. Only upon the approval of the Graduate Council may a student begin taking graduate courses at Troy University. Should the student be inadvertently (without the University knowing that the baccalaureate degree is from an unaccredited or otherwise accredited institution) admitted into classes prior to baccalaureate degree approval and the evaluation indicates that the student is not eligible for admission, the student will be withdrawn from the class or classes, or receive non-degree credit for the class or classes for which he/she is improperly registered. (Note: Students seeking advanced degrees in teacher education or nursing programs must hold a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited college or university.)


According to the above information, it appears that you would have a very good chance of getting accepted into Troy's MSCJ program with an NA bachelor's degree.

I would give them a call if I were you and see how flexible they are, so far my experiences with the folks at Troy lead me to believe that you would have a very good chance at being accepted.

abnrgr275

 

At the risk of stating the obvious, you DO get to apply to more than one school at a time. Go ahead, give it a try. I bet you'll get in.
Jack

 

Thanks guys, I'll call them tomorrow.

 

There was a fellow who posts here, I think it was Buckwheat who had problems with Ft. Hays MLS program, I think it had something to do with inexperienced, unresponsive and unreasonable instructors in the interdisciplinary core courses. It was bad enough that this person switched to another program. As I recall he was happy with the quality of instruction in his specialization, which was history.

There are also a couple of programs at Mountain State University which may answer:

http://www.mountainstate.edu/majors/onlinecatalogs/graduate/programs/CriminalJusticeAdministration.aspx

http://www.mountainstate.edu/majors/onlinecatalogs/graduate/programs/IDS.aspx

I see they require a Bachelors from a regionally accredited university for unconditional admission, however there is a provisional admission which may let you in the door with your NA degree.

 

If your goal is to teach Criminal Justice, then you should go for a MA/MS/MCJ in Criminal Justice. As someone else said, a MLS would technically qualify you to teach, but you're going to be at a disadvantage when competing against people with the MA/MS/MCJ degrees.

Check out my link below for a pretty comprehensive list of RA graduate CJ degrees.

 

Add this to the Criminal Justice degree mix. This is down the road from me about an hour and is a good school.

http://www.stcloudstate.edu/continuingstudies/distance/degrees.asp#scsuonline

 

Depends on the MLS.

I'd take an MLS from Harvard or Dartmouth or Georgetown over an MS from South Eastern Central Podunk U.

 

With the shape of the academic job market now, I'd say NO! For which, see Invisible Adjunct, passim. (She's now in law school, by the way.)

Our adjuncts are PhDs (okay there's an MA in Adult Ed., too, but it's a sweetheart deal: lots of politics involved). And at the community college down the road, everyone interviewed for a post in history last year (I was one of them) had a PhD and lots of teaching experience.

jon

 

Oh, history's brutal.

At my CC, the guy who landed the history post had two Masters, a PhD, years of teaching experience--and to boot, he's extremely handsome in a tweed jacket professorly way (disclaimer: I am a flaming heterosexual--but even I was able to notice that this guy had it going).

And all that for maybe $40K or so a year. I know kids fresh out of UG who don't know left from right who go into tech sales jobs or programming or engineering and make tens of thousands more than that out of the gate.

 

Harvard and Dartmouth don't offer the M.L.S. degree, Harvard Extension offers the A.L.M. and Dartmouth the M.A.L.S. degree. I don't know about Georgetown.

In either case (Harvard or Dartmouth), those degrees would have very limited utility when applying for a Criminal Justice teaching job (which is what the original question was), since neither degree is available with a CJ concentration.

 

Georgetown offers the MALS. And, if I recall correctly, there was a thread from when I was still a newbie about Georgetown offering a DLS.