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Brianna
Student
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Is the "Degree in Three" program worth it ?
There is a "Degree in Three" program that allows me to utilize the Summer session in order to graduate in 3 years. My major is Criminal Justice. Has anyone utilized a program like this before and if so, what are your experiences with it? Thank you. #Fall25
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Michelle M.
Actress
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Brianna !
There seems to be new fangled education structures popping up a lot and I would, without hesitation, advise to not do the Degree in Three Program.
You will have to bunch up your courses taking many per semester including summers, to fulfill the 120 credits needed. A student is required to enter the college for this program with college credit from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, or Running Start programs which helps them meet the program’s eligibility criteria. They say it saves you money, but I don't see how since you have to pay for 120 credits whether you go for 3 years or 4.
Your education should never be rushed, short changed or something to cut corners with. For your Criminal Justice path you will need to pace yourself, strive for high grades, have many opportunities for networking, projects, volunteer work, trainings and not cut those short by a year because many contacts you meet in four years could be important to your career and sometimes it takes time to develop those important connections.
If the reason that you'd want to rush your education is because you don't care much for school yet want a college degree to qualify you for a career, then I advise enrolling in a community college for an Associates Degree in Administration of Justice and thereafter just go to The Police Academy for your law enforcement training. This way, you'd only have to be in college for two years. While a High School diploma or GED is the minimum requirement for entry level positions in many jurisdictions, an increasing number of agencies are requiring at least an Associates Degree or a specified number of college credits.
So give this a lot of consideration and think about what you can make a strong commitment to. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !
There seems to be new fangled education structures popping up a lot and I would, without hesitation, advise to not do the Degree in Three Program.
You will have to bunch up your courses taking many per semester including summers, to fulfill the 120 credits needed. A student is required to enter the college for this program with college credit from Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual enrollment, or Running Start programs which helps them meet the program’s eligibility criteria. They say it saves you money, but I don't see how since you have to pay for 120 credits whether you go for 3 years or 4.
Your education should never be rushed, short changed or something to cut corners with. For your Criminal Justice path you will need to pace yourself, strive for high grades, have many opportunities for networking, projects, volunteer work, trainings and not cut those short by a year because many contacts you meet in four years could be important to your career and sometimes it takes time to develop those important connections.
If the reason that you'd want to rush your education is because you don't care much for school yet want a college degree to qualify you for a career, then I advise enrolling in a community college for an Associates Degree in Administration of Justice and thereafter just go to The Police Academy for your law enforcement training. This way, you'd only have to be in college for two years. While a High School diploma or GED is the minimum requirement for entry level positions in many jurisdictions, an increasing number of agencies are requiring at least an Associates Degree or a specified number of college credits.
So give this a lot of consideration and think about what you can make a strong commitment to. I hope this helps and I wish you all the best !