Because many brick-and-mortar campuses have new policies and restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there has been a lower percentage of students living on campus and enrolled in in-person courses. The most common solution to reducing the risk seems to be to offer hybrid or online courses.
The civil unrest also sweeping across the world calls for law enforcement executives and legislators to reform the law enforcement profession—and many believe change begins with education.
Many law enforcement educational programs feel prepared for the task of guiding law enforcement through this time, as their professors have been teaching online classes for upward of 20 years and have continually adjusted their coursework to ensure it reflects the most relevant issues and concerns of officers.
Whether the students are enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program, the institutions focus on hiring leading experts in policing and crime prevention as faculty, as well as providing a vast network of alumni.
Graduate Programs
Many of the graduate programs offered for officers were created by law enforcement professionals for law enforcement professionals. Each university’s program, however, has its own take on what such a program entails.
The University of San Diego in California provides a fully online master of science degree in law enforcement and public safety leadership (MS-LEPSL). This program is focused on developing and refining leadership skills in the context of managing a public safety agency.
Prior to implementing the program, faculty members conducted more than 50 interviews with law enforcement leaders and associations to gather themes and understand what was lacking within education and training. Rather than focusing on a traditional criminal justice curriculum, this degree responds to the need for proper leadership development within officers.
The MS-LEPSL program was specifically designed with working professionals in mind. “[Officers] schedules are often busy and unpredictable… we understand they are likely to have personal and family commitments as well,” said academic director Erik Fritsvold, PhD. “We make proactive adjustments to curriculum and course requirements and scale back deadlines and assignments as is prudent during particularly demanding times for law enforcement.”1 Through tangible written assignments and discussion board participation, students take one seven-week course at a time and can login to their classroom at any time of the day. The entire degree can be completed in 20 months.
According to Fritsvold, 25 percent of enrollment has come through referrals from alumni and recommendations from chiefs or direct supervisors.
A program that also sees high enrollment counts through referrals and word of mouth from previous graduates is the master of science in legal studies at California University of Pennsylvania. Assistant professor Brian Kohlhepp said that with tracks in criminal justice, homeland security, or law and public policy, the program offers police leaders tools that they can utilize in their daily work immediately following graduation.2
Because students are placed in cohorts based on their concentration, faculty members help guide them on which courses they need for graduation soon after enrolling in the program. The online courses run in eight-week sessions, and the students need to complete 10 classes to graduate. In the full-time program, this can be completed in one year; however, there are additional options for part-time programs.
The California University of Pennsylvania’s program has academic alliances with the FBI National Academy, as well as FBI-LEEDA.
An early adopter of online education in the 2000s, the University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice offers a master of science degree program in addition to their recent bachelor of science program. The graduate program is a comprehensive 11-course curriculum designed to help students understand the conceptual and theoretical frameworks that inform the study of crime and criminal justice through experience-based learning, best practice approaches, and field collaborations.3
American Public University also provides students with a variety of programs within their School of Security and Global Studies. These include an associate of arts degree in criminal justice, a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice, and a bachelor of science degree in criminal justice, in addition to its master of arts degree in criminal justice.
Performed in an asynchronous environment, each course offered can be adjusted to fit the schedule of the student. Similar to the daily life of an officer, the coursework is discussion- and writing-based, leading to an improvement in communication skills among students.
Faculty members at the American Public University are constantly looking at ways to improve their existing programs so that they can better equip officers to be able to practice their new skills in the field. “My goal is not only to train officers of yesterday and today, but also the officers of tomorrow,” said Dr. Chuck Russo, criminal justice program director.4
Undergraduate Programs and Certificates
Although online classrooms seem to be suited for the lifestyle of a working professional, the climate of today’s world has students also looking for flexible undergraduate programs in criminal justice.
In many cases, the success and popularity of a school’s graduate program provided momentum to develop a fully online undergraduate program. This is the case for the University of Cincinnati Online.
Dr. Joseph Nedelec, director of the online master’s program, and Sue Bourke, director of the online bachelor’s program at University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice, explained that the school’s online bachelor of science degree is built around the same principles as the master of science program—providing the highest quality educational experience by giving students access to the same opportunities as on-campus students.
The University of Cincinnati School of Criminal Justice also offers certificates in crime and intelligence analysis, foundations in cybersecurity, and forensic populations.
For almost 10 years, the Missouri State University Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice has offered both undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition to the bachelor and master of science in criminology and criminal justice, the department offers graduate certificates in leadership and management and crime prevention. The faculty, including Dr. Bill Sandel, Dr. Mike Kyle, and Dr. Brett Garland, created fully online programs to reach out to students whose work schedules and life circumstances prevented them from taking advantage of traditional daytime and evening offerings.
A graduate from both programs, Sergeant Annesha Umbarger of the Springfield, Missouri, Police Department said, “Completing my bachelor’s and master’s program online allowed me to remain flexible with my schoolwork. If I had to complete my programs in a traditional seated class, I would not have been able to obtain my degrees.… Completing my degree online was without a doubt the best thing for me.”5
Nearly 45 percent of the students enrolled in Missouri State University’s undergraduate programs are interested or currently employed in law enforcement. Because of this, the department adjusted the curriculum to serve the students more effectively through an online format. The Criminal Investigations certificate was created in 2019, covering investigative principles and strategies, the application of forensic science techniques to case investigation, and motivational factors that drive criminal behavior.
The majority of the online undergraduate courses are three credit hours and are taught over a normal semester, although several are also offered in the summer. One-credit-hour courses focusing on specific topics such as hostage negotiations and active shooter events are also suggested. Most of the online classes are lecture based, but there is an emphasis placed on discussion-based learning.
From certificates and associate’s degrees to undergraduate and graduate programs, there are many options and specializations in which to choose from. As today’s officers are called to obtain higher education, they can look to online programs that have been built around the unpredictable schedules of the field.
Notes:
1Erik Fritsvold(academic director, University of San Diego), email interview, September 18, 2020.
2Brian Kohlhepp (assistant professor, California University of Pennsylvania), email interview, September 3, 2020.
3Joseph Nedelec (director of the online MS program, University of Cincinnati Online), email interview, September 25, 2020; Sue Bourke (director of the online BS program, University of Cincinnati Online), email interview, September 25, 2020.
4Chuck Russo (program director of criminal justice, American Public University System), telephone interview, October 5, 2020; Frank Tutalo (director of public relations, American Public University System), telephone interview, October 5, 2020; Mike Harbert (vice president of strategic markets and relationships, American Public University System), telephone interview, October 5, 2020.
5William Sandel (assistant professor, Missouri State University), email interview, October 12, 2020; Michael Kyle (assistant professor, Missouri State University), email interview, October 12, 2020; Brett Garland (criminology department head, Missouri State University), email interview, October 12, 2020.
