By Rachel Rundengan |Opinions Editor|
CSUSB ranked No.12 in U.S. for the criminal justice graduate program by College Choice.
A national ranking service has listed CSUSB’s online criminal justice master’s degree program No.12 among 50 other colleges and universities, such as University of California Irvine and Arizona State University, just to name a few.
CSUSB is also the only CSU to make its “Best Online Masters in Criminal Justice Degree Programs, 2016.”
A Master of Arts (MA) in Criminal Justice is available entirely online and is nearly identical to the on-campus program.
The only difference is that the online students must take a comprehensive exam at the end of the program in place of writing a thesis.
“We have built a very good program,” said Dr. Larry K. Gaines, professor and chair of the Criminal Justice Department.
“I think it has a lot to do with the quality of our faculty,” added Gaines.
The department has a highly qualified faculty that is recognized nationally.
Many of the faculty members received their doctorates from the strongest and most prestigious programs in the field.
Additionally, the department of Criminal Justice offers a wide range of courses to provide students with a comprehensive and solid background for entering this field of study.
In comparison to other schools and universities that offer this program, CSUSB provides a solid and functional program that allows students to work both theoretically and practically.
“Criminal Justice, the way we try to do it is blend theory with practice – whereas other schools, it is more practice, patrol procedures, more cops one on one,” said Gaines.
“And there are other programs that are very theoretical, and they don’t really look at the practical applications,” continued Gaines.
The program is open to students with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice or in other areas, such as psychology or anthropology.
The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice is made to serve the increasing number of individuals interested in advancing their education in the field of criminal justice.
Most of the required courses are offered online to accommodate various student schedules, whereas many of the elective courses are held in the classroom.
The MA degree can be completed fully online or with a combination of online and classroom courses.
The Criminal Justice Department programs in CSUSB have been recognized many times in the past years by U.S. News and World Reports, Best Colleges, and SuperScholar, just to name a few.
The program has gained a number of recognition because the faculty and the entire department work to help their students acquire the most that they can get.
“We are interested in what works; how can we reduce crime, how can we reduce disorder, what are some of the better rehabilitation programs for probationers and inmates in prisons, and then trying to figure out and see what actually works,” said Gaines
“And I think that’s what makes the program here great,” concluded Gaines.
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