Criminal Justice Professional Program

Regina Armstrong, Ph.D., Program Director

To accommodate the scheduling needs of criminal justice working professionals, The University of Olivet offers an asynchronous degree completion program in Criminal Justice. This program is open to officers who possess an associate’s degree, completed a Michigan Commission on

Law Enforcement Standards (MCOLES) Police Academy, and have at least two years of work experience in the field of criminal justice.

Students seeking a Bachelor of Arts degree in the criminal justice professional program can earn advanced credit through the combination of an associate’s degree, MCOLES Police Academy Training, and Prior Learning Assessment. Transfer credit will be evaluated by the assistant dean for academic records. The total number of credits accepted cannot be determined until a full evaluation of official documentation has been completed.

The University of Olivet offers credit through Prior Learning Assessment to students who can document university-level knowledge gained through paid employment, special training or volunteer experience. This documentation must occur prior to the completion of their first semester at The University of Olivet (see Awarding of Academic Credit for more information). The University of Olivet also accepts up to 15 semester hours of credit for MCOLES training. The maximum total of credits earned through courses completed at other educational institutions, MCOLES training, and Prior Learning Assessment is 90 semester hours.

Criminal Justice Professional Program Learning Outcomes

With the completion of this degree program, the following learning outcomes can be expected:

• Students can articulate and apply criminal law and procedures to the criminal justice environment to deter legal ramifications to the criminal justice practitioner.
• Students can identify and explain the prevention, treatment, and control strategies available to the criminal justice practitioner to enforce the laws of society.
• Students can acknowledge differences, analyzing discriminatory behaviors, and formulating strategies to encourage positive relationships within the community.
• Students can identify differing systems of relationships between the police and communities they patrol and provide intervention strategies to improve current relations.