AMU MA in Criminal Justice

Hello, I'm currently a BA student at TESC, should be finished April 2010. I've been reading a lot of the posts on AMU and most seem pretty favorable. However, I haven't seen any posts regarding their Masters program in CJ. Also, AMU doesn't seem to come up with much in the discussion for CJ programs in general. I have a few questions I hope can get answered.

1) How is the MA in CJ at AMU? AMU's MA in CJ doesn't seem to be mentioned much.

2) Is it feasible to finish this program in less than 1 year if I focus on studying, no job? Is 4 classes per 8 weeks a bad idea? I know most people take 1-2 with a full time job so I thought 4 might be doable without a job.

3)Is a MA in CJ for law enforcement a bad idea? Are people in law enforcement discouraged from getting a masters in CJ for some reason? (I noticed a lot of people in law enforcement getting masters in different areas)

Thank you in advance.

 

When I attended CSUDH quite a few law enforcement officers were enrolled the MA in Negotiation, Conflict resolution & Peacekeeping program - they said that prgram really helped them in their jobs plus tuition was paid by their departments. There is now a DL version of this course available
http://csudh.edu/negcon/

 

Thank you for the info. I actually looked into CSUDH since I plan on moving back to Cali and the school would be more recognized out there. That's great to hear that police officers were enrolled in that program. I'll have to take another look but I sometimes worry about those masters that are so unique how they may be perceived sometimes.

 

Thank you for the info. I did check out CSUDH but was turned off a little by the sound of the degree...would prefer CJ. But it's good to know law enforcement officers enrolled in that program. Do you know if that's something that can be done in a year? I know they go by a quarters system which sounds like it would be 4 12 week terms, not sure though.

 

Thank you for the info. When I was looking for Masters programs in CJ I did consider CSUDH since I lived in CA a long time and plan on moving back. However, the MA in Negotiation, Conflict , Resolution & Peacekeeping sounded almost too unique to the point I wasn't sure how a masters in that program would be perceived by employers. It's good to know that police officers actually enrolled in that program. I'll take another look. But is that a program that can be done in 1 year? I know they go by quarter systems which sounds like it could be done quicker possibly.

 

Hello Ian. I did look into CSUDH since I lived in Southern California a long time and plan on moving back. And when I move back at least out there the CSU system would be a familiar name with employers. However, the first time I saw an MA in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, & Peacekeeping on the CSUDH website I was a little turned off by the name of the degree compared to CJ. But now that you mentioned some police officers enrolling in that program it actually has seemed to grow on me. Although, I'm still not sure how employers will look at that since it's sounds unique. But I'll definitely give it another look even though I'm still leaning towards AMU. Can the CSUDH MA be done in a year?

I noticed you got a Masters at ERAU. Did you get it at their traditional campuses in FL or AZ or the Worldwide locations? I nearly went to the Worldwide branch in Long Beach CA when I was taking flying lessons out of Long Beach Flying Club.

 

Could they have used a longer name for that degree?

 

3)Is a MA in CJ for law enforcement a bad idea? Are people in law enforcement discouraged from getting a masters in CJ for some reason? (I noticed a lot of people in law enforcement getting masters in different areas)

taylor,

I wouldn't say that a master's degree in CJ is a bad idea for someone currently working in law enforcement. Most progressive law enforcement agencies support their officer's pursuit of additional education and many departments offer some type of tuition reimbursement or pay incentive for advanced degrees. I would think that most police officers seeking graduate CJ degrees are looking to round out their careers and become subject matter experts in their field of work and some are also looking at possibly teaching the subject in college sometime down the road.

Sometimes law enforcement officers choose other advanced degree programs due to their future career ambitions or personal interests. Many officers complete degrees in business, public administration or management in order to prepare themselves for future promotional opportunities. Others may have an interest in history, psychology, sociology or in my case HRD and wish to study something that is totally different than what they deal with on a daily basis. Many officers are looking to the future and preparing for life outside of law enforcement as well and that is possibly why they pursue various degree options in lieu of criminal justice or criminology.

abnrgr275

 

Taylor,

Some sound advice has been provided by previous posters. I believe a Masters in CJ (law enforcement) has its limitations; however, so do other academic disciplines. My subjective recommendation, if law enforcement is your career objective, CJ would be a viable selection. You don’t mention what your B.A. concentration will be in. But [if] your B.A. will be in the criminal justice area, I’d suggest perhaps another graduate-level pursuit (e.g., M.P.A. or M.B.A.). I believe this (M.P.A. or M.B.A.) choice could offer additional mid-level management opportunities either within the public or private sectors (e.g., more future options). Moreover, the M.B.A. probably has less limitation than the M.P.A. in that the M.B.A. is better recognized and could be more transferable even to the public sector vs. transferability of the M.P.A. to private sector.

BTW, Sam Houston State University (SHSU) offers a New online M.S. in Criminal Justice Leadership and Management degree and is a “highly” recognized university within the CJ field. Moreover, their (SHSU) program is probably tuition competitive with AMU and is certainly well-known in comparison to AMU. "The College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University is one of the largest and oldest criminal justice programs in the nation." http://www.cjcenter.org/

 

abnrgr275,

Is there any reason you got your MPA at Troy and are pursuing a Masters in CJ at Louisville? How do you like the CJ program at Louisville I haven't heard or read much about their program. I'm assuming their tuition is a lot more than Troy?

Also, this may sound from left field but have you heard anything or have any opinions about the CJ masters at CSUSB (Cal State San Bernardino)? Since, you mentioned some pro's about Troy, I'm back to researching other possible B&M with online degree programs with tuitions comparable to AMU before I make my decision.

Also, when you applied to Troy are sending recommendations required?

Thank you again. I could spend days looking at college websites but it almost can't compare to the value of information from somebody who's been there done that.

 

As a police officer in Australia with long standing, I tell younger officers to diversify their educational background. I suggest that they do something which has an outside application, but is also useful in the organization. Some do law, others education degrees, some do business, and a swag of other degrees.

It broadens their view of the world, brings new skills into policing, and provides them with alternate employment prospects if something happens to their policing career. Policing does have an element of uncertainty and careers can change in seconds. Family situations can also change and require an officer to rethink the work situation.

I have had some limited experience with AMU and found them to totally professional and a good school. If you decide to do Justice Studies, then the school is good from my point of view.

 

Hello Major, thanks for pointing out SHSU, I am looking into other options again other than AMU now. I will check out their program. My BA is in Liberal Arts. I purposely went through Liberal Arts because I planned on getting a Masters and being more focused. I debated whether to switch to CJ for my undergrad but I knew it would prolong my graduation date since I had changed majors several times Econ and Psychology when I was younger. I have taken 2 CJ classes so far and have enjoyed it. An MBA is not an option for me since that area of study doesn't interest me, as useful as it may be. I also think the MBA is a lot more "snobbish" compared to other masters degrees. If an MBA is not from some highly ranked or recognized school it seems to be slighted by many. I may consider Public Administration though but definitely leaning more towards CJ still. Thank you for your thoughts.

 

ebbwvale,

Glad your experiences with AMU has been positive. It's still a school I'm considering.

 

From my perspective in the fire service (similar field with specialized graduate degree options), I found that I did not want to limit myself to the field with a graduate degree when I have a sufficient UG background in fire service adminstration/science. I have chosen to expand my graduate education outside of the fire service for versatility reasons. Public adminstration for example offers the same foundational elements, but provides more options if for some reason I had to leave the fire service.

 

Truckie, I see what you're saying about a Masters in PA. Yes, the degree definitely sounds more versatile. Now, not only do I have to rethink which school I want to attend but I also have to think which graduate degree I want to pursue. I did notice AMU has the same amount of credit requirements for either program, however, Troy has 6 more credits I would have to take and possibly 3 more credits of prereq for the PA program there, ouch.

 

You are very welcome. I'm somewhat partial to Sam Houston in that I completed my undergraduate studies (business admn.) there; nonetheless, they have a truly fine and well recognized College of Criminal Justice. The State department of corrections is headquartered there in Huntsville along with several penitentiary units. All traditional (resident) CJ students serve internships at one of the prison units as a corrections officer. I wish you the very best in your academic endeavors.

 

taylor,

I concur with major56 that Sam Houston State University has one of the most well-known CJ programs in the country and many of their Ph.D. graduates go on to teach at other highly regarded schools. The online CJ program at CSU-San Bernardino also looks solid and they have assembled a very impressive list of CJ faculty.

As far as the Troy MSCJ program, I believe you are required to submit one or two letters of recommendation and their eCampus web site should detail the admission requirements. I believe I had to submit a letter of recommendation for Troy's MPA program when I applied.

abnrgr275

P.S. - ebbwvale, I researched and wrote about the Australian Federal Police in a Comparative CJ Systems class a few years ago and was quite impressed with the responsibilities the agency has over there in your country. It was interesting to compare that agency to how Federal law enforcement is handled here in the U.S. with our numerous agencies spread throughout various departments.

 

abnrgr275 thanks for the info and also responding to my pm.

 

Taylor,

In that there are many CJ online options to choose from, 2-additional considerations might be: the M.S. in Juvenile Justice (MSCJ Online) offered by Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Prairie View is the second oldest university in Texas and is a member of the Texas A&M University system. There are 2-options: 1) 36-hours of course work or 2) 30-hours course work with a 6-hour thesis. Moreover, Tarleton State University (also a Texas A&M system member) offers the M.C.J. (Master of Criminal Justice) degree in the online format. Both universities should be very competitive regarding tuition.




http://www.pvamu.edu/pages/436.asp

http://www.tarleton.edu/electroniccampus/MCJCriminalJustice.html

 

major 56 thank you for pointing those schools out to me. I noticed you're an alum at all those schools. It's amazing to see people with multiple masters degrees. I'd be ecstactic with just one. I also should update you with much thought and feedback from this forum I'm leaning towards an MPA instead of a Masters in CJ now. I'm pretty sure the schools you mentioned would also have an MPA as well so I'll make sure to check them out. Thanks again.