A Viable Alternative to Campus

Steve Madsen, of Racine, Wisconsin, appreciated the flexibility of the Master of Criminal Justice online program.

"The program really fit into my schedule, working a full-time job [as a police officer] and raising two kids.  It was nice to be able to do the schoolwork at my convenience," said Madsen.

"It was an outstanding program. The staff and instructors really helped me through it. It was really easy to call and talk to someone or email. I got all the help I needed. It really made the whole experience a lot easier," said Madsen.

Doreen Trueden, of Madison, Wisconsin, also needed an alternative to attending courses on campus. She needed courses that would fit into her busy schedule.

"I work full-time. I have three kids.  I needed the flexibility to be able to work on my course work at 2 in the morning or 6 at night," said Trueden. "The online [Project Management] program was so flexible, yet structured enough with a calendar and the same semester set as a traditional college."

Trueden, who has been a UWP student on and off for almost 20 years, believes that without the distance learning programs, she wouldn't have earned any degree (she earned both undergraduate and graduate degrees at a distance from UWP).

"If I would have had to attend class on campus, I probably wouldn't have earned a bachelor's degree, and I know that I would never have gotten a graduate degree," acknowledged Trueden. 

Mike Snow, of Cedar Grove, Wisconsin, believes he would not have been able to earn a degree it if he had not discovered UWP's Criminal Justice online graduate program.

"Given my location and busy work schedule [as a police sergeant], attending on-campus wouldn't have worked for me," said Snow.

Snow enjoyed the interaction he had with other students through the online courses, which exposed him to people from different professions and law agencies. 

"It has been really interesting to get some different perspectives on law enforcement and criminal justice overall," said Snow. 

A Challenge

Kristine Thomas, of Fayetteville, North Carolina, found the distance learning courses for the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program to be challenging, which she didn't expect before she enrolled. 

"Starting [the program], I was a little bit worried that doing it online wouldn't be as challenging as the traditional on-campus experience," Thomas admitted. "What I have found is that I've made excellent friends and developed excellent relationships with my professors online. The learning process was much more challenging and rewarding than I initially thought that it would be."

Like Thomas, James Conroy, of Toms River, New Jersey, learned that an online course is not a leisure walk in the park.

"Online courses require you to be more disciplined, to engage in conversation, and to critique your fellow students--something that is infrequent in a classroom setting," said Conroy.

As one of the first students to be admitted in the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program, Conroy was able to witness its development, and he values being a part of its evolution.

Learning on the Go

Jaryn McNeill, of Davenport, Iowa, appreciated not having to be in a classroom to  learn.  Because she travels a lot for her job as an industrial engineer for Deere & Company, she needed courses that could go wherever she had to go.

"The online courses [for the Master of Engineering online program] allowed me to travel for my job and work on my master's," explained McNeill.

Except for a few incidents in which her computer broke and she panicked about not meeting course deadlines, McNeill enjoyed her experience as a UWP student and found that the online courses provided her with the knowledge she needs to advance in her profession.

Paul Seehafer, of Garrisonville, Virginia, found the online courses offered in the Master of Science in Criminal Justice online program to be accessible to those without advanced technical skills.

"I have an average level of computer saviness, but I was able to navigate successfully through 99% of my classes," said Seehafer.

During his studies, Seehafer was activated by the military but was able to continue working on his degree while he served his country because his distance learning courses were mobile.

Ryan Melbard, of Oak Creek, Wisconsin, took advantage of his commute to his job to work on his courses.

"I ride the bus to and from work, which gave me two hours a day to do my homework," said Melbard. "The distance learning courses provided the flexibility that I needed as someone who works full-time." 

Mix and Match Classes

Marcus Weemes, of Platteville, Wisconsin, combined both on-campus and distance learning courses to achieve his goal of earning a Master of Science in Project Management.

"I am from the area, so taking some classes on campus as well as distance education courses has really been nice for my schedule and getting things done," said Weemes. "I was able to work at my pace, as opposed to being in class every single day at a specific time." 

Interacting with Others

As a business person, William Haskins, of Lancaster, Wisconsin, was intrigued by the online study process, which he felt resembled the way corporations organize and present information. 

"The online courses were all structured well," said Haskins. "I saw a lot of valuable interaction in them. It was fun to be able to work with professors both online and offline."

Deborah Gosa, of Janesville, Wisconsin, was impressed with the faculty and staff at UW-Platteville.

"I got immediate responses from the instructors and staff. They all helped me a lot," said Gosa, who worked on her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration for almost 10 years.