The University of Central Arkansas will be collaborating with the Criminal Justice Institute to provide law enforcement officers specialized and supervisory courses in the Spring of 2012.
The two tracks that are open exclusively to law enforcement officers are: Law Enforcement Administration and Crime Scene Investigation. Officers can obtain Certificates of Proficiency, Technical Certificates and Associate of Applied Science degrees with general education classes.
UCA will join 20 other two and four-year colleges already collaborating in the CJI Higher Education program.
“I’m particularly grateful to Dean (Pat) Cantrell, who stepped up and offered to house this program within the College of Business,” said UCA Police Chief Larry James. “I have always encouraged law enforcement officers who are looking to position themselves for career advancement to earn degrees in business or public administration.”
Sometimes, it can be hard for police officers to make it to class because of their hectic schedules.
“Here in Arkansas, we are extremely fortunate to have the Criminal Justice Institute where law enforcement agencies can enroll officers in quality law enforcement education and training courses free of charge and at accessible locations to enhance job performance,” James said. “Credit for these courses which are taken on duty can be applied to general education courses taken at UCA during the day or evening, which reduces shift conflicts and jump-starts an officer’s higher education experience at a fraction of the regular cost.”
The general education component will consist of up to 27 hours of coursework. The officers have to go through the process of being accepted and admitted to UCA. After they are accepted, the officers will be eligible to participate in the program. UCA will transcript the completed courses at CJI without a tuition charge to the student. Normal UCA tuition and fees will apply to officers enrolled in the required general education courses.
For more information about the Higher Education Certificate and Degree programs, contact Dr. Mike Casey at mcasey@uca.edu or (501) 450-5348. – Lisa Burnett
