Indiana University of
Pennsylvania’s online Master of Arts in Criminology program has been ranked in
the top 10 of online graduate criminal justice programs by U.S. News &
World Report for the third year in a row.
IUP’s selection as number eight in
the rankings is based on factors that include admissions selectivity, faculty
credentials, selectivity, student engagement, 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.
“To be recognized as one of the top 10 programs in the country for a third consecutive year is a distinct honor,”
Robert Mutchnick, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal
Justice, said. “The program has continued to grow in terms of numbers and
quality under the direction of [faculty member] Jennifer Gossett, and the
U.S. News and World Report ranking is a testament to Gossett’s leadership.”
Editors recognized the program’s high
new-student retention rate of 98 percent, its three-year graduation rate of 95
percent, and the fact that the faculty and curricula for online and on-campus
students is the same. The ranking also recognized that all of the instructional
faculty teaching in the online program have a PhD or other terminal degree
and are full-time faculty. Ten full-time faculty members teach in the online program.
A new delivery system for the
online program began 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 15
years and has been included in Washington
Monthly magazine’s national rankings of schools based on their
contributions to society.