I need to know whether or not the criminal justice master's degree in a good thing to enroll in. Is there anyone that is currently taking any courses through Ashworth and if there challenging? I am also interested in using the degree in a policy agency and was wondering if there are any people that are currently in the program and have had approval from there departments or police agencies. The tuition looks very reasonable. I hope to hear from some students that are involved with Ashworth and to help me to make a decision. Thanks.
I completed the AS in CJ from Ashworth and there are a TON of threads concerning them. 1.) Accredited school, so most police departments and states will accept it, as well as the federal government. Texas Commision on law enforcement will not count it as an approved post secondary institution due to the NA and not RA. No worries, most states are not as backwards as Texas in this regard. 2.) Ashworth gives you a student number, treats you like a number and runs you through the program like cattle. Forget the concept of individualized attention....though for the price, it is what it is...an accredited degree. 3.) There may be better options in the same price range...the two that come to mind are Southwest University and Andrew Jackson University. Some food for thought... I recommend the search feature as well.
Hi potpourri and welcome to a great DL board. My wife and daughter are both taking Ashworth classes. My wife is in the the psych program and my daughter is in the cj program. My daughter finds the work harder and more challenging than previous B&M cj work at Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL. I find the psych courses my wife is taking very demanding and challenging. They are very scientific and current and void of junk science and fad psychology. Hope this helps. Since Ashworth is only NA, please check with all potential employers to make sure the degree will be acceptable to them. Also, make sure you check any potential colleges you may wish to tranfer to, to see if they will accept Ashworth credits. Many will not.
Congratualtions and good luck. Again check with potential employers and schools if you thinking of using the degree for work or continuing your education in an RA school.
Congratulations Congratulations Potpourri, and good luck. I am also enrolled in the master’s degree in criminal justice. Personally, all my email messages regarding my studies have been responded within a day or two to my satisfaction. I did not take any course through Ashworth at the associate’s level, but (at least for me at the master’s level) I am being treated like a student and not like a number (fortunately for me – so far so good).
Re: Congratulations Hi criminaliste, I would be interested in your expanded thoughts about the Master's program in Criminal Justice. I am very much interested in this program myself.
Hi Jimmy, I considered Ashworth because it was accredited and because of the price. I do not need a regionally accredited degree. I am currently taking my second course “Ethics and justice”. The textbook is “Ethics in crime and justice – Dilemmas & decisions” from Joycelyn M. Pollock. The first course was “Graduate level skill building”. The first course is required before being able to continue with the studies. The graduate level skill building course is composed of nine (9) assignments but only the first six are mandatory to complete in order to begin the second course. All assignments (first course) have three (3) activities to complete (questions or projects). During that course, I email some questions via the “student services web site”, and I received information to my satisfaction. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you more about the second course in relation of support or help from instructors because I did not have any question yet. Therefore, I can tell you that the assignments are challenging; there is a lot of reading and writing. There are six (6) assignments (involving reading and research on the web) and a stand-alone project. The course has been written by Jonathan B. Zeitlin who earned a bachelor in English in 1992, a master’s of Philosophy, and a J.D. (juris doctor) in 2001. He worked as a police officer before being a prosecuting attorney. Now, he is with the F.B.I. as a special agent. He wrote the graduate student learning guide accompanying the textbook. I earned a bachelor in criminology (1986) and a law degree (1990), and I can tell you that I will learn something with that degree (master’s in criminal justice) as well; it is not easy but it is enjoyable and well organized. I am enjoying reading the textbook because I already found similar examples (experiences) happening in my professional life. Do not hesitate if you have any more questions. Here it is 09:30PM, and I am tired after a long day at work; I will read any response tomorrow during my lunch break.
Thank you criminaliste, I really appreciate the time and post. I wish you the best in this program. Now go and get a good night's rest.
