Chesapeake College is offering a new fully online degree program designed to give law enforcement officers an opportunity to quickly and affordably earn an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice. Under the new program, officers can transfer credits from any accredited Maryland police academy to Chesapeake College and complete an A.A. degree in as little as 12 months.

The Chesapeake College program is offered entirely online to provide flexibility to working officers who are frequently unable to attend traditional classes due to shift work, court appearances and in-service training.

Developed by Chesapeake, the program addresses a significant career development need in Maryland’s law enforcement community.

“Police officers and the community benefit when law enforcement officers further their education,” said Bridget Lowrie, J.D., Chesapeake Associate Professor and Coordinator of Criminal Justice and Legal Studies who developed the program. “We’ve identified hundreds of Academy graduates working as officers on the Eastern Shore who could earn their degree by combining their academy certification with the highly respected curriculum we offer at Chesapeake.”

Combining credit classes from the Academy with an additional 29 credits in criminal justice, liberal arts, and science, law enforcement officers can finish their degree in one to two years based on their preferred pace of study. Qualifying students can also receive credit for their work experience.

“We are very excited about the launch of this new online criminal justice degree program. There are many police officers with a variety of credits who abandoned their pursuit of a degree due to their ever-changing schedules and work commitments,” said Caroline County Sheriff Randy Bounds. “With education, training and experience being key to their success in law enforcement, this program will give them the opportunity to pursue their degrees while fulfilling their roles at work. We are proud that two Caroline County Sheriff’s Office corporals are currently enrolled and we look forward to their graduation.”

The cost to complete the program is approximately $3,600 for students qualifying for resident tuition in Caroline, Dorchester, Kent, Queen Anne’s, and Talbot counties. Many students are eligible for financial assistance from their respective agencies, government entities or Chesapeake College.
Learn more about Chesapeake College’s new online Criminal Justice A.A. degree program or by contacting Angela DenHerder at [email protected] or call 410-827-5856.