Daily Pioneer News

PLATTEVILLE-David Eklund has been a police officer with the Green Bay Police Department for 14 years. The past five years he has been a detective who finds himself working all different hours of the day. So, when he decided to pursue his master's degree in criminal justice, he needed to find a quality program that could accommodate his hectic schedule.

Preparing to graduate soon, Eklund found exactly what he wanted in UW-Platteville's online master's degree in criminal justice. Totaling 30 credits offered entirely online, the master of science in criminal justice program is a comprehensive, highly interactive solution for professionals who want a graduate degree and are looking for skills to advance to higher-level positions in their profession. Students are able to tailor the program to fit their knowledge and skills and meet their individual career goals.

Never having taken an online course before, Eklund admitted he had a few reservations initially. He was concerned the degree wouldn't be rigorous enough and wouldn't provide him with enough contact with his instructors and classmates. But, once he began the program, his concerns were immediately put to rest.

"It's a lot of hard work to get the degree," he said. "You can't just register for classes and expect to be done. Online courses are tougher than traditional classes in some ways because you have to be self-motivated. You have to want to do the readings and do the papers. You have to spend a lot of time at it."

As for building relationships with his advisor, instructors, and classmates, Eklund had contact with them from the beginning, and still receives email from a few of them. He is currently teaching part-time at a technical college using the information he learned through the program which has been beneficial in providing him with a wider knowledge base.

"I'm really glad I did this," he said. "But I'm glad it's almost over," he added with a laugh.

Those interested in learning more about distance education at UWP can visit the website (http://www.uwplatt.edu/disted) for a complete list of degree programs and available courses. You can also call 608-342-1468 or toll-free 800-363-5460 to request an informational packet about UWP distance education.