By Drew Tucker, communications assistant
CAMPBELLSVILLE, Ky. — Campbellsville University's online criminal justice associate degree program has been ranked fourth in the nation by TheBestSchools.org.
“It is an honor that TheBestSchools.org has ranked our criminal justice online associate degree program as the fourth highest scoring program in the nation,” Allen Copenhaver, instructor and site coordinator of criminal justice administration at CU's Somerset Education Center, said.
“The Campbellsville University faculty know that the institutions that will succeed in the new era of online learning will be the ones that offer quality programs,” Dr. DeWayne Frazier, associate vice president for academic affairs, said. “This is one of the many reasons why we take pride in being ranked number four by TheBestSchools.org website.”
Other schools on the list include: Virginia College, Columbia College, Kaplan University, Liberty University Online, Florida Tech Online and Indiana Wesleyan University.
The website ranked institutions based on academic quality, program quality, university's reputation, courses offered, awards, rankings, faculty strength, and reputation for providing online programs.
“I take great pride in constructing and teaching courses that I can both be proud of and that students can gain a valuable learning experience from, so it is very rewarding to have these efforts recognized on a national level,” Copenhaver said.
“Our small class sizes allow me to not only give students individualized attention, but in such an environment I am able to learn from my students as well and pass this new-found knowledge on to future students,” he said.
The 60-credit program includes 30 criminal justice credits and 30 general education credits. Career paths include: criminal investigation, legal specialist, parole officer, bailiff, legal specialist, probation, psychology, paralegal, criminal law, public operations and procedures and more.
“The faculty and staff at CU receive great pleasure in making sure the programs we offer are high quality and grounded in strong academic rigor in a caring, Christian environment,” Frazier said.
“The online criminal justice program delivers superior quality in part because the faculty come from many diverse backgrounds, including law enforcement, community advocacy, theory, court systems and military,” he said.
“All faculty are trained in best practices of online engagement and are fully dedicated to student learning in a caring, Christian environment,” Frazier said.
The website said the program is “laying a strong, wide criminal justice base for career advancement.”
Campbellsville University is a widely acclaimed Kentucky-based Christian university with more than 3,600 students offering 63 undergraduate options, 17 master's degrees, five postgraduate areas and eight pre-professional programs. The website for complete information is campbellsville.edu.