By Sloane M. Perron, Manager of Marketing Communications
On December 1st at 2:30pm EST, Anna Maria College will host a Criminal Justice Virtual Open House to give prospective students the opportunity to learn more about the college’s diverse range of online Criminal Justice degree options.
Presented by Dr. Doug Brown, Anna Maria College’s Director of Online Criminal Justice Undergraduate, Degree Completion, and Graduate Programs, the information session allows students to talk to one of Anna Maria’s experienced faculty and ask questions one-on-one.
Through Anna Maria’s online Criminal Justice program, students are able to achieve their goals in higher education while balancing hectic schedules full of work, family responsibilities, and other demands.
The classes are asynchronous, meaning that the assignments and lectures can be completed based on the student’s own availability.
“Although classes are structured, students can maintain their work schedule and complete a degree from home or work,” Brown said about the benefit of flexibility in learning, “This is especially helpful for those students with rotating work schedules who are unable to attend classes on campus due to a variety of competing factors.”
Online students are still fully immersed in the Anna Maria College community with access to all the resources and support services that traditional students enjoy. Special events, the Student Success Center, the Writing Center, and access to advisors are always there for online students.
Accessibility is at the forefront of Anna Maria College’s online Criminal Justice programs. By reducing time constraints and allowing for a wide range of schedules, students from all different backgrounds and life circumstances can earn a Criminal Justice degree. Additionally, the program is designed to be more financially accessible as well by being Quinn Bill certified for Massachusetts law enforcement, and offering tuition discounts for full time Law Enforcement, Corrections professionals, and Anna Maria College alumni.
As a current student at Anna Maria College, Captain James Peloquin ‘22 of the Westford, MA Police Department understands the balancing act that comes with being a professional working in the law enforcement field while actively earning an advanced degree. Peloquin is just one of four other Westford police officers who are completing their graduate courses at Anna Maria College.
Peloquin described the reasons why he chose to advance his career through Anna Maria College’s online Criminal Justice program.
“Price, length of semesters, and an online option were several factors. Two other issues were even more important. First, Anna Maria had a reputation for having a large amount of law enforcement officers complete the program. For me that was important because it meant that the course materials were definitely relatable to our profession for so many officers to go here,” Peloquin explained, “Secondly, I enrolled with three of my co-workers and having that support system throughout the entire process has been a huge lift.”
Through his master’s degree Peloquin will have more opportunities for promotions which will increase his income as well as open more door to him during the post retirement phase of his life.
According to Peloquin the accessibility of online courses was critical to his success in the program, “The flexibility of online courses is huge! I am not sure I could have completed it otherwise, certainly not in the time frame I would have completed if I had to commute. Being able to work on coursework anywhere I could get an internet connection was extremely valuable.”
As one of four Westford police officers earning their degrees at Anna Maria College, Peloquin highly recommends the Criminal Justice program to students interested in earning their Bachelor’s or Master’s degrees.
“I would encourage others to enroll and complete the program. The instructors, advisors and other students are there to help and support you through the process,” he said, “The content directly relates to the profession and helps build a stronger understanding of core concepts and issues.”
Prospective students interested in learning more about the benefits and structure of Anna Maria’s online Criminal Justice program can register for the Virtual Open House at: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/1016688008658/WN_wkmbR_fKRY-0uc5tbaS0kA
