AMU MA in Criminal Justice

Discussion in 'General Distance Learning Discussions' started by taylor, Dec 8, 2009.

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  1. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Hello, I have read a lot of favorable posts for AMU but have not seen anything for the MA in Criminal Justice specifically? Anybody enrolled in this program currently and can give me some feedback. Also, can a MA at AMU be completed in less than 1 year? I was planning on not working and focusing on school only for 9 months. Is taking 4 classes in 8 weeks a bad idea? I know most people work full time and do 1 or 2 classes so I thought 4 might be doable, that was my logic. Your opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance.
     
  2. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    This is a terrible idea. You MIGHT be able to take 4 16-week classes at one time. I have three classes this semester (MA History) and I'm cutting it down to two in the spring. I don't have much free time right now, although I do have some. I could have taken 4 classes if I was OK with zero free time for anything else.

    As for 4 8-week classes, no way. Not at the graduate level. A 16-week course requires about 12-15 hours of work per week. An 8-week course covers the same material in half the time so plan on 24-30 hours a week PER CLASS. 4 8-week classes would be anywhere from 100-120 hours of work a week. I don't think that is healthy or even possible. 4 16-week classes is 48-60 hours a week so that is possible.

    So to answer your question, yes, you could finish in a year if the scheduling worked out. Take either 4 16-week classes a semester x 3 or take 2 8-week classes at a time followed immediately by another 2 classes. Be prepared for no life either way, however.
     
  3. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Thank you bazonkers

    LOL! I have no life anyway right now. I plan on having a life after I'm done with my MA. You're probably right my plan may not be the healthiest. Ok, so 4 classes per 8 weeks is definitely out of the question. According to your math, that means if I were to take 3 classes per 8 weeks I'd be studying roughly 75-90 hours per week. That sounds horrifying too but I may be able to do that.

    Are you taking 3 classes per 8 weeks or 16 weeks now?
     
  4. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    If you're taking 3 classes or more per 8 weeks... You have to sleep with the textbooks. You have no life? I thought I saw you on Friday night at the bar. lol....j/k:rolleyes:
     
  5. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Tekman

    TEKMAN, I actually was thinking about an MA in CJ at Troy as well. However, I thought the program there would be longer because they're a B&M school. Not that I have anything against that. Personally, if time and money wasn't such a major factor I'd prefer to go to BU, UMassLowell, UCI, or Troy. I may be wrong but I have this perception that B&M schools with online programs are difficult to accelerate because their schedules have to coincide with their traditional campus. And also I would think the availability of classes every month or semester would be lacking compared to a completely online school. I noticed you went to 2 B&M for your degrees, so you could probably correct me if I'm wrong.
     
  6. taylor

    taylor New Member

    TEKMAN, I actually considered Troy for an MA in CJ. For some reason I'm apprehensive about B&M online programs because I think they would be longer to complete. I could be wrong. Personally, if time and money weren't factors I'd prefer to go to BU, UMassLowell, UCI, or Troy for my masters in cj.
     
  7. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Tekman

    I'm having problems replying for some reason, hope this one goes through. I actually considered Troy for a masters in cj as well. For some reason I'm apprehensive about going to a B&M with online programs as opposed to completely online schools. Not that I have anything against B&M's but I have this perception that B&M's would take longer to finish because their schedules usually have to coincide with their traditional campus and also class availability every semester is concerning to me. If time and price weren't so much a factor I'd probably go to BU, UMassLowell, UCI, UW Plattevile, or Troy for my masters in cj.
     
  8. bazonkers

    bazonkers New Member

    I'm taking 3 16-week classes and I find that I don't have enough time to go off on tangents related to the course material like I want to. I do what is required to get an A and then I'm burned out for the week and need a break. Being that I'm taking this degree to become better educated, I want to make sure I have the energy and desire to use my classes to learn as much as possible as opposed to a checklist of tasks to complete.
     
  9. taylor

    taylor New Member

    I understand what you're saying. Even now, trying to finish up my BA I'm taking so many classes and CLEPs to the point I feel like I'm cheating myself and I wish I could slow down and enjoy it more. I'm assuming you have a full time job...actually hoping... so my plans of taking 2-3 classes per 8 weeks don't seem so ludicrous. Thanks for the feedback.
     
  10. TEKMAN

    TEKMAN Semper Fi!

    Taylor,

    Troy University charges only $65.00 more per credit compares to American Military University. The MSCJ required 33 credits, which can be done in a year. They offers 5 terms per year (semester), which you can take 2 courses per term, and 3 courses on the last term. Each term last 10 weeks. I completed my Bachelor degree from Troy in 24 months while on active duty. I am sure you can do it without having a job.

    Troy University: $365.00 x 33 = $12,045.00
    American Military University: $300.00 x 36 = $10,800.00

    BTW, our football team is doing better this year. We're going for GMAC Bowl against Central Michigan University.

    Oh, If Money is the factor. Then why is not Andrew Jackson University's Master of Science in Criminal Justice on sponsor tuition? The school offers free tuition until December 31; however, administrative fees and books are applied.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 8, 2009
  11. taylor

    taylor New Member

    TEKMAN, Thanks for the price breakdown. But I think I'll probably go with AMU because of the following factors:

    1) 8 week terms, can add classes every month
    2) price even though it's not a significant difference
    3) non proctored exams...I think I read that somewhere.

    Although, I definitely can't knock Troy. Troy has proctored exams, correct? TESC has proctored exams but I'd prefer to not leave the confines of my house for my masters.

    Your comment about Andrew Jackson...I think they're not regionally accredited, therefore, I'll probably pass.

    GO TROY!!! Didn't Eric Dickerson go to SMU? I never heard of their football program since.
     
  12. taylor

    taylor New Member

    Thank you TEKMAN. Just testing to see if this posts.
     
  13. abnrgr275

    abnrgr275 Member

    taylor,

    Troy University's M.S. in Criminal Justice is a 30 semester hour program. At $365 per semester hour this degree would run you $10,950 which puts it at a slightly higher price point as compared to AMU's program. Troy's eCampus has 5 terms per year and each class is 9-weeks long so if you took two classes per term you could complete the degree program in one year. That is very manageable and every one of the required courses for the MSCJ program is offered in each term so you wouldn't need to worry about waiting for the core courses to be offered sometime down the road in the future.

    I completed my M.P.A. at Troy and would highly recommend their M.S. in Criminal Justice program as it is a B & M school and is well known due to its numerous extension sites in the southeast and along the east coast. As TEKMAN pointed out, Troy's football team is also fairly successful and they have placed several big-name players in the NFL which also helps to promote the school. Troy's eCampus also allows you to utilize an at-home proctor device which hooks up to your computer so you can take the midterm and final exams at your own home instead of having to find an approved proctor. Troy also allows up to 12 semester hours in transfer credit to apply towards their MSCJ degree, so you could take a few classes at AMU and transfer them over to Troy if you wanted to save a few bucks on tuition.

    abnrgr275
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 10, 2009
  14. taylor

    taylor New Member

    abgnr275, Great advice! Decisions, decision's just when I thought I had my mind made up on AMU, you've thrown out some useful knowledge about Troy that makes it more appealing again. The B&M factor seems great because as much as I like distant learning at TESC there's always people who discriminate against strictly online schools and some of them unfortunately are my friends. Also, with Troy I would have to take 10 classes as opposed to 12. Another main reason I was leaning towards AMU was the fact it has unproctered exams. At TESC the midterms and finals are proctored and I would prefer to not go through this again...inconvenient for me to drive an hour one way to test. I could've sworn I read somewhere on Troy's website of utilizing proctors, I had no idea about this at home proctor device. Can you ellaborate more on this process. Do I still need to find a proctor for this way of testing? And what's your honest opinion of taking 3 classes per term if I was not working? I'm somewhat clueless about the level of difficulty of graduate courses, not sure how much more intensive they are compared to upper level undergrad classes.

    You have 1 masters and are going for 2 more simutaneously, talk about dedication. How do you do it?

    Thanks for passing on this helpful info.
     

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