Attending online school while being an officer

[x MAIT]

sdapplicant, I was able to use my GI Bill benefits the first year that I was on the CHP as an OJT benefit. That was a long time ago, but you might check and see if you can do it now.

[sdapplicant]

I am in the military right now and I am currently in the hiring process.

This question is towards actual CHP officers who can relate to my situation.

If I am lucky enough to attend the academy and graduate, and eventually become a CHP Officer. I would not like to let my GI Bill military benefits go to waste and I was thinking of enrolling in a local college and completing some of their online courses. All this in an effort to graduate with BA in Criminal Justice. Now, don't get me wrong, I do not plan on doing my homework while onduty but after work.

Are there any officers on this board who have attended online school after work?? How hard was it to go home and do homwork after a full day of patrol?

Being in the Marines I have been used to working 10-12 hour workdays for the past 4 years, but I know you cannot compare that to the CHP. Should I forget about attending school if I join CHP?

[Mac]

A lot of officers go to school before/after work. I know of at least a couple officers who completed law school after they came on the job. It's a PITA because of court, overtime, etc. and definitely cuts into your personal life, but it's do-able. IMO it's best to do it when you're in a position where you can stay on one particular shift for an extended period of time - that makes it a lot easier. Changing shifts in the middle of a semester can really play havoc with your school schedule.

[q4star]

I am hoping someone has some experience in my situation.

I am full time police officer with wife and kids, I have my AS degree but I want to get my BA because it helps with getting promotion plus I can tell my kids I did it.

My question is that I have looked at several online accreditted schools (checked with POST website) and I am looking at AMU (american military university).

Does anyone have experience in this?

Thanks

[23112]

Be sure to check http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/ to see if your school is accredited. You'll want a school whose accreditation is recognized by the Department of Education and CHEA. Many legit online schools are accredited by DETC, which is recognized by DOE and CHEA.

Do some reading about accreditation (the differences between regional and national), too. If you're getting a degree in CJ, then a national accredition would be just fine.

You'll want to ensure that your department accepts degrees from the institution you're considering, since you're partially doing this for promotional purposes.

Also, if you have even the slightest desire to pursue further education past this level, check a few schools where you might want to get a Masters degree will recognize your undergrad degree from the institution you're considering. Most of this info can be found on a school's website, or answered by a call to the school itself.

[q4star]

I observe anothe police website as well ( http://sfbayareacops.proboards.com/index.cgi )

bay area police officers including CHP

I got some good suggestions from them..I checked CA POST and they accept AMU as an accreditted university both nationally and regionally so I don't think my dept would have a problem...The US Marine Corps recommends them to soldiers for college education(I verified this ).

the above police forum is a good one to belong to also...

thank you and more input?

[RI_Hopeful]

I know its not LE but I work in juvenile corrections, full time (50+ hours a week) and am working on a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and Digital Forensics. The entire program is online from one of the best universities in Rhode Island. It can be tough, but I've managed. For me, the benefit to taking the classes online rather than in the classroom (which I could have at the same university) was the hoping of some day, and some day in the foreseeable future, to go to the academy. By doing things online I would be able to take an academic leave of absence, go to the academy, finish FT and then pick up where I left off.

[q4star]

which online college in RI?

[TahoeTex]

I'm in my final class for my Master's degree in Criminal Justice through AMU. I have had a terrific experience with them and highly recommend it for either undergrad or graduate studies.

It is very tough to want to do homework on RDOs but I make it work. I've even worked on homework on COZEEPs but don't tell my sgt! :wink:

[CHP Explorer]

First of all I don’t have any military experience but, when I was in the academy you can actually earn college credit for going to the academy. However, the college credit is non-transferable, and you can’t use it towards a degree. Basically you pay for the college credit if you wanted it and then use it for the GI bill to get some cash out of it.

In addition, I have been taking some online classes through a local community college. However, I waited until after my first year to start taking classes. Since we are on the 3/12 schedule I do my homework before I go to work. I also work with a few officer’s that are going to law school part-time.

[RI_Hopeful]

which online college in RI?

Roger Williams University:

http://www.rwu.edu/admission/grad/mscj/

They offer the Masters program in either online or classroom formats. When I enrolled in the program (I started in January of this year) I had already passed my QAP so I chose the online format which would provide me the flexibility to put my education on hold, move to California, and then pick up at a later date if I am fortunate enough to enter the academy. The Digital Forensics portion is a professional degree which I am completing as my electives for my MS degree. That program is offered entirely online, which is fitting seeing as it is Digital Forensics.

[aresfire]

Has anybody chosen to use the Post 9-11 GI bill on the job yet? If so, did you find it overwhelming to have to go to the campus for classes and work at the same time?

[gabriel]

Has anybody chosen to use the Post 9-11 GI bill on the job yet? If so, did you find it overwhelming to have to go to the campus for classes and work at the same time?

Who says you have to go to a campus to use the 9/11 GI Bill? Or perhaps the question is phrased oddly.

[joshr905]

In order to receive the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you must take at least one class on campus.

[gabriel]

In order to receive the Post 9/11 GI Bill, you must take at least one class on campus.

Odd. I guess I have some people to call out then.

[aresfire]

Wow! I didn't know I only had to go to one campus class! That makes life so much easier, I didn't want to use the Montgomery version but I just don't have the time for two on campus courses. One online course and one on campus course is definitely manageable and that's an extra $2000 a month for getting an education. I wish the Post 9-11 would pay for paramedic school and flight training but I cant complain because it's such a good deal.