ϳԹ's Master of Arts in Criminology: Online program has been selected among the top 10 online graduate criminal justice programs by U.S. News & World Report.
The selection is based on factors that include admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and academic and career support services offered to students.
In its evaluation, editors recognized that all of the IUP online graduate-level classes in this program are recorded and archived, “so that students can access lecture material at their convenience.” Editors also noted that the program draws a large number of working professionals to the program.
“It is an honor for the department and faculty to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as one of the top 10 programs in the country,” Robert Mutchnick, chair of the IUP Department of Criminology, said. “The faculty continue to demonstrate their commitment to educating our students by delivering very strong programs at the bachelor's, master's and doctoral levels.”
IUP's program was recognized for its high new-student retention rate, ranging from 100 percent to 98 percent from academic year 2010–11 to 2013–14. IUP was in the top quartile in the student engagement category and at the top of the third quartile for faculty credentials and training. Seven full-time faculty members teach the online courses.
A new delivery system for the online program will begin in fall 2015, allowing students in the program to complete requirements for the master's degree in one year. Program participants take courses in a cohort of 25 students. Graduates of the program work in a variety of areas, including at the federal, state, and local levels of law enforcement and corrections. Other graduates work for federal and county probation and parole offices and in juvenile justice.
IUP is consistently ranked as one of the nation's top doctoral universities by U.S. News & World Report. It has been included in the Princeton Review's Best Colleges guidebook for 14 years and has been included in Washington Monthly magazine's national rankings of schools based on their contributions to society.