U-M-D partners with OCC for criminal justice studies

Updated 11:00 AM November 10, 2003

U-M-D partners with OCC for criminal justice studies

By Jennifer Sroka
U-M-Dearborn

A new partnership will make it easier for students earning associate degrees in criminal justice at Oakland Community College (OCC) to seek a bachelor's degree in criminal justice studies at U-M-Dearborn.

The agreement allows OCC students seamlessly to transfer up to 62 credit hours toward an undergraduate degree at U-M-Dearborn. OCC has four programs in its criminal justice curriculum: law enforcement, corrections, police evidence technology and security.

"This program is a nice example of how two institutions can work together to provide the best for our students," says U-M-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little.

"This agreement is a powerful inducement for our graduates to continue their education and make themselves far more marketable," says OCC Chancellor Mary Spangler.

In addition to helping OCC degree students, the partnership will benefit incoming U-M-Dearborn freshmen entering the criminal justice degree program. The University requires 19-20 hours in areas that are not offered in its curriculum. The agreement will allow these students to take those criminal justice core courses at OCC without loss of credit.

Another highlight of the partnership is that U-M-Dearborn students may apply their financial aid toward credit hours at OCC. Usually a student's financial aid package is applied only to courses taken at his or her home campus.

"This program is a nice example of how two institutions can work together to provide the best for our students." —U-M-Dearborn Chancellor Daniel Little.

U-M-Dearborn's criminal justice studies program, which currently enrolls 80 students, has shown dramatic growth since its creation in 2001, says Professor Donald Anderson, chair of the Department of Social Sciences.

"Faculty and counselors at the community college level are excited with the career options our program opens to their students and are becoming our best recruiters," Anderson says. "And transfer students have been very impressed with the quality of our faculty and courses, and have become some of our best ambassadors."

For more information about the criminal justice studies program at U-M-Dearborn, contact Anderson at (313) 593-5096. For more information about OCC's program, contact David Adams, executive director of marketing, at (248) 341-2020.

U-M-D partners with OCC for criminal justice studies

More Stories