MCPD: Earn Up to 60 Credits
Toward a Bachelor's Degree

There are four components that must be satisfied before you can become eligible for admission into the criminal justice bachelor's degree program's law enforcement track.

1. You must have graduated from a qualifying law enforcement academy.
2. You must have gone on to be employed as a full-time certified law enforcement officer with arrest powers in a U.S. state or political subdivision of a U.S state. 
3. You must have completed all post-academy field training required by the state or political subdivision. Please note that field training is not required by every state and political subdivision.  
4. You must be currently or recently employed as a certified law enforcement officer with arrest powers in a U.S. state or political subdivision of a U.S state.  

For purposes of this program, a "qualifying" police academy is one that is recognized by a U.S. state or political subdivision of a state as providing training that is or was, at the time of the applicant’s graduation, a sufficient credential for an individual to be certified as a law enforcement officer with arrest powers in the state or political subdivision of the state.*

*This description envisions an applicant who has gained an understanding of broad criminal justice principles by being trained to assume the role of a police officer with broad law enforcement duties. If it appears from a review of the documentation that the applicant’s training was designed for or sufficient only for assuming a narrow role in law enforcement, UMGC reserves the right to reject the applicant’s training as suitable for receiving the college credits.

Generally, part-time or reserve employment as a police officer does not qualify you for admission to this program. However, program staff can review the your training and employment record to determine your suitability for admission into the program.

To be eligible for the program, you must be separated from employment as a certified law enforcement officer with arrest powers no more than the period allowed by the certifying body associated with your original or most current law enforcement employer.

You must be eligible for re-employment as a certified law enforcement officer by your original or most recent law enforcement employer without the requirement that you attend another entrance level police academy.

States and political subdivisions vary on the length of time a once certified law enforcement officer may be separated from employment as a law enforcement officer before they would be required to complete another entrance level police academy. As an example, Maryland allows a law enforcement officer to be separated from employment as a law enforcement officer for up to three years before requiring the individual to attend another police academy to be recertified.

These articulated credits are added to your transcript after you complete 3 credits in the law enforcement track as a law enforcement track student. Courses completed prior to admission into the law enforcement track will not be accepted for this purpose.

Because all courses (including general education and elective courses) are outlined in the law enforcement track, only courses deemed substantially similar to a prescribed course will be considered for transfer.

Yes. Each course that makes up the remaining 60 credits of this bachelor's degree program (including general education and elective courses) is specifically outlined for law enforcement track students.