A new agreement will allow Allen Community College graduates to finish a bachelor’s degree in criminal jnustice in as little as 12 months.
The agreement between Newman University and the Kansas Association of Community Colleges, the statewide association representing the 19 community colleges and three technical colleges in Kansas, was signed Aug. 31, according to an ACC press release.
The program is designed for two groups. Allen graduates seeking a bachelor’s degree and working public safety professionals in southeast Kansas who already have an established career in criminal justice, but lack a bachelor’s degree.
Here’s how it works:
Newman’s criminal justice program requires 120 credit hours to earn a bachelor of science degree.
Allen graduates with associate degrees in either arts or science, can transfer up to 60 of those hours. Newman then awards up to 30 hours of credit for prior learning, leaving roughly 30 hours to finish at Newman.
Most full-time students can earn those credits in two semesters plus a summer or intervening term.
The prior learning credit is what makes the timeline work for people already in the field.
Newman will evaluate law enforcement basic training through the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center and Kansas CPOST certifications, military training and occupations on a Joint Services Transcript, employer and industry training, current professional certifications, and standardized exams such as CLEP and DSST.
“This partnership creates a valuable opportunity for Allen Community College graduates and working professionals to complete a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice quickly, affordably and without losing hard-earned credits,” Allen President Dr. Lyvier Leffler said in a news release.
Cost is built into the agreement.
Every Allen graduate admitted to the pathway receives a $20,000 Newman scholarship.
Newman also matches, dollar for dollar, any federal Pell Grant or State of Kansas financial aid the student applies to the program.
“A lot of people in Kansas law enforcement are two or three semesters from a bachelor’s degree and don’t know it,” said Alden Stout, vice president for academic affairs at Newman University. “They’ve been trained at the academy, they’ve served in the military, they’ve earned certifications, and none of it has ever been counted.
“This agreement counts it,” he continued. “Then it gets them to the finish line in about a year without asking them to leave the job or the community they serve.”
For more information, visit allencc.edu and newmanu.edu/academics/criminal-justice.
