The Command College of South Carolina at Anderson University is designed to prepare executive leaders in the field of criminal justice to deal with the complexities and challenges of managing justice system agencies in an organizationally sound and ethical manner. The curriculum is intended to provide extensive exposure to relevant graduate-level material that is specifically engineered for professionals in management positions. At the completion of the program, graduates will be awarded a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice.
The schedule for the Fall term begins with an orientation session in early August. Course objectives are discussed, initial assignments are made, and books are distributed. Following this is a multi-week interactive study period followed by the last class session in the first week of August from 8:00 AM until 5:00 PM on Wednesday and Thursday for one cohort, and on Tuesday and Wednesday for the other cohort. Subsequent two-day class sessions are held in September, October and November. Spring term classes take place in the last week of January, February, March, and April. During the summer of the first year, there is one course where two-day sessions are held in late May and late June. All classes are held on the Anderson University campus.
Participants progress through the program in a cohort, or a consistent group of students. Coursework is offered in a sequential manner, and each course is a blend of traditional classroom instruction and online interaction. Courses carry four (4) semester hours each. All participants are expected to enroll in two (2) courses each fall and spring and one (1) course during the interim summer term. Accordingly, participants should complete the program in 20 months.
Each course is taught using the same basic design. Participants are contacted before the beginning of the term and informed of the reading assignments for the first class session. They attend four intensive, on campus, 2-day sessions throughout the course, and work independently between sessions while communicating with the instructor, and each other, via the online portion of the course. Regular term sessions are 16 weeks long with four in-class sessions, and the summer term is 8 weeks with two in-class sessions.
All on campus classes take place at Anderson University. Lunch is provided during each of the two days, and refreshments are available throughout each session. Text materials are developed by the instructors and consist of standard textbooks, readings and other resources. All courses require one or more written research projects or papers, and the capstone course requires a major project. Exams are given at the conclusion of each course.
The online component is designed to provide flexibility for both the participants and the instructor, but is also rigorous. Participants receive reading assignments before each term and are expected to read the assigned materials prior to the first on campus class session. After each of the on campus sessions in each course, assignments are given that require participants to read material and/or conduct research. Between sessions, written assignments are to be submitted to the instructor online for grading. In addition, chat rooms and forums may be held where participants and the instructor exchange ideas and/or discuss concepts. Participants are graded, not only on their participation in these online chat rooms and forums, but also on the quality of their input.
Contact Information:
Graduate and Evening Admissions
Anderson University
316 Boulevard, Anderson, SC 29621
Phone: 864-231-2020 or 1-800-542-3594
Fax: 864-231-2115
Email: grad@andersonuniversity.edu