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All your dreams can come to naught if you have enrolled for a program of a school that is not properly accredited or if it has accreditation from bodies that are themselves not accredited.
Imagine a situation where you have ended up paying thousands of dollars and spending hours on hard work to get a degree from a school that is not properly accredited. You did what you did despite all odds because you thought a college degree will get you that coveted job or promotion.
But if that degree is from a school that is not properly accredited, all you will probably find is a deafening silence. Nobody will be giving any importance to that hard-earned degree. All your efforts will have gone in vain.
If you had obtained the degree to apply for jobs, you will find yourself in an ‘apply, apply, no reply' situation. No jobs, no promotions! Simply because the degree you have is not recognized, it is not from an accredited school!
Okay! Let us assume you were not all that ambitious. All you wanted was an associate's so that you could get admission to an advanced start or advanced placement bachelor's degree program of a dream college of your choice. Perhaps, your girl friend is studying there.
But, if that associate's was from a non-accredited school, then that dream too will be shattered. Your girl friend's school, if it is a properly accredited one, will simply refuse to recognize your associate's degree. It will not allow any transfer of credits and it will say that if you really want a bachelor's degree from our school you will have to go through the full four years of our program – no advanced start for you.
That will mean that you have to join two years junior to your girl friend and that you will have to spend two more years in college even after your girl friend passes out with a bachelor's.
I hope you have got the picture now. Picking an accredited criminal justice program will definitely be the most important decision you ever make!
Most certainly yes! In fact, the flip side is: if you have NOT attended an accredited criminal justice program then the degree you have got after spending a good deal of money and effort is most likely a worthless piece of paper. It is from some “diploma mill” or the other that employers simply don't recognize.
Attending an accredited criminal justice program is very important. That's why it is perhaps, the most important thing to check when deciding which criminal justice program to attend. You have to find out whether your school and program is an accredited one or not.
The question is actually deeper than that. You should check whether the criminal justice school you are attending is accredited by one of the eight bodies recognized and authorized by the US Department of Education to do this job. Many schools are accredited by other bodies, but those accreditations are as good as non-accreditations. They are not recognized by employers.
Ultimately, a degree is only as good as the job that it can get you. If employers do not recognize the degree you have then that degree is worthless to you. It cannot get you any job – good, bad or ugly – period. And, if you don't have any job, there's no question of a better job – right?
For example, you may get a high-sounding degree from some unknown university accredited by an equally unknown accrediting body. Perhaps, even a PhD in criminal justice management, whatever that may mean! To most employers such a degree is nothing but a piece of worthless paper.
Accreditation is therefore, important. Accreditation guarantees that the school you are attending has been peer reviewed through site visits by a body authorized and recognized by the US federal government to do so. A properly accredited school therefore guarantees a certain minimum standard of education.
Employers too know that. So, when they see you have attended an accredited school they already know that your degree guarantees that you have a certain minimum skill and knowledge set. They are assured of that and your degree is meaningful to them.
A degree from a school not having proper accreditation is, on the other hand, a meaningless document to employers. It doesn't guarantee that you know or have a certain minimum knowledge or skill set. Neither do they have the time to go and find out how great your school is although it never felt it necessary to get accredited by bodies that matter.
Bottom line: Don't even think of attending a non-accredited criminal justice program because the degree that you will earn will be worthless. When you apply for jobs your resume will head for the dustbin rather than the ‘selected' tray!