The Fitchburg State University MSCJ online program was ideal after a 20+ year gap between my undergraduate and graduate degrees. For an adult learner, it provided flexibility to accommodate a busy professional schedule by offering remote, classroom, and hybrid options to ensure the challenge of the graduate degree journey was self-paced. Professors, advisors, and the school community were flexible and accessible - providing support and perspective through video conferences, phone conversations and in-person meetings to discuss relevant class topics and my individual professional development goals. I found the depth of professional diversity to be valuable. Each professor offered a practical experience that was current, informed, and credible beyond their academic perspective.  Invested in each student's comprehension of the curriculum, I found their willingness to debate refreshing and open-minded, leading by example to teach students "HOW" to think critically, not WHAT to think on any given topic.

The program offered a mix of student levels (new graduate and experienced criminal justice professionals) that set a stage for dynamic and varied dialogue across cultural and professional paths (police, social service, corrections, behavioral science, research etc.) and a range of generational perspectives from young students to the experienced police professional. It offered a range of academic, practical, and research-based learning that forced students to think critically,  communicate in a position, and offer informed feedback constructively during coursework on relevant topics that helped connect historical context to modern-day challenges in the criminal justice field. 

How did the program help you in your career today?

The curriculum provided professional context into the evolution of policing (law, research, policing models, etc.) and the critical role police play in our modern society driven by constitutional, societal, and legislative requirements. The context informs the navigation of the evolving field of police service, an ever-expanding role of the informed modern criminal justice professional that balances the traditional higher-standard of professional values with the cultural intelligence required to engage positively in the police legitimacy conversation. The Fitchburg State University MSCJ program opened the door for my individual professional development goals: promotional opportunities, teaching and training, and participation in regional, state, and federal policy development. Choosing Fitchburg State keeps my agency connected with the Fitchburg State MPTC-authorized 4+1 program, which is critical in staying operationally connected with the training and recruitment of the next generation of police candidates locally.   

• Research and program evaluation: Utilizing evidenced-based, peer-review networks to inform policy, program development and support grant funding efforts that protect my agency's police officers. 

• Networked connections: Leveraging local, state and federal relationships through professional organizations leveraged at Fitchburg State University to inform localized training and investment in regional efforts. 

• Multidisciplinary criminal justice perspective: Connecting the relevant challenges and developments from correctional, judicial and social service professions to expand my operational perspective. 

• Law and legislative processes: An understanding of governmental processes to monitor state and federal portals for changes that will affect our professional compliance; the development of policies, procedures, and standards implemented through POST.

• Diverse perspective: Exposure to multi-generational, multi-agency, culturally intelligent curriculum helps expand one's individual service perspective to think critically and engage in dialogue on policing in an objective way.  

What were the overall benefits in this program for you?

The program expanded my horizons by providing historical and practical context to governmental justice systems (judicial, police, and corrections), the legislative process, social movements and police operational models that inform a big-picture perspective of the higher standard expected of the modern criminal justice professional.

The program offered practical operational value in the curriculum surrounding policing models, ethics, crime causation, and program evaluation. The optimization of the skills developed and refined during the MSCJ journey - (research, critical thinking, problem-solving, peer networks, and writing) are carried forward in my daily operational responsibilities.