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[felipe]

I am new to this discussion group and I bid you all a hello from a currently scorching Washington, D.C.!

I am full-time attorney practicing in the area of Criminal Law. I am also an adjunct professor in the criminal justice program at an area junior college. My background is in education having receiving a b.s. in teaching from the University of Maryland years ago. Subsequently, i was a high school instructor for eight years before deciding to attend law school @ Georgetown Law in D.C. My goal is to get back to teaching full-time and close and/or limit my law practice. I have noted that most schools have a "J.D. is not a terminal degree" policy. Hence, I am considering getting my master's  in criminal justice (as a start) on-line (I'm looking at cj programs @: U. of Cincinnati; Boston College; and Bowling Green).

. . . many questions from this rookie: is this the way to go to pursue a full-time job?; are any of you currently doing this? . . feedback?? . . .any of you know of the reputation of any of the schools that I have mentioned?

thank you in advance for any and all comments.

pag
Silver Spring, Md.

[j_source]

Depends on what and where you want to teach.  A law school has different requirements than a cc, an SLAC, or an R1.  Online degrees are still suspect - whether or not they should be is irrelevant.  If your goal is to teach criminal justice at the widest range of institutions, I'd suggest a PhD in Crim Jus in a residential program, even if you have to do it part time.  The more you deviate from a traditional degree, the more you limit your chances of getting a tt job. 

[zharkov]

Just to clarify, a master's in CJ isn't a terminal degree either.  I'd tend to agree about online degrees, but one from a top school like BC would be more accepted than from from a less-known school.

Some schools do seem to consider the JD a terminal degree, and in fact, I think a poster had noted that the ABA had some publication or policy to that effect.

[larryc]

What J_Source said. We could use some clarification as to your ultimate goal. Is it to teach in a CJ program? A law school? At what type of institution?

You could get a TT position with a JD and an MA at my school, a small regional college in the midwest. Elsewhere it might be more difficult.

[j_source]

You couldn't get a tt at my SLAC with a master's and a JD to teach anything, including Business Law.

[felipe]

thank you for your input. I am looking for a FT/TT position in Social Studies/Criminal Justice Department @ either a university or junior college.

I will take to heart the cautionary notes on an on-line vis-a-vis an actual departmental program. However, I was exploring the  on-line alternative because it might offer a more flexibilty in my schedule given what I am currently trying to accomplish with an added burden of being the parent of a special needs child with much required at home. However, i would not wish to even entertain the investment of time and money if it were not a means to an end.

thank you all again for your comments.

pag

[dr_stones]

Unless you do tax, a JD is pretty much terminal.

[georgia_guy]

If you decide to go with an online master's degree, make sure you know they are not all equal. A degree from the schools you mentioned, all of which also have campus programs, and good reputations, will carry far more weight than some online degrees.

As others have noted, a master's degree is not terminal. However, in some limited fields, a JD can be. In business, for example, a JD is considered academic qualification for business law professors.

If you do opt for the online master's degree, please make sure to go with a campus program for your Ph.D.

[mirandaf]

thank you for your input. I am looking for a FT/TT position in Social Studies/Criminal Justice Department @ either a university or junior college.

The criminal justice field is split, sort of, between the sociologists and the lawyers. If you could find a teaching-focused college or university with less of a focus on research, you might be able to get hired as you are now. If they don't accept the JD as an appropriate degree for faculty to have, as opposed to the PhD, they'll probably say that right up front in position announcement. (In fact, I've seen ads that say just that.) Criminal justice departments with a legal focus will offer courses like 'The Role of the Prosecutor' and 'Constitutional Law.' With the more research-focused criminal justice departments, the ones that have doctoral programs, they're more likely to be populated by sociologists with PhDs (and some DSW's and political scientists and such) who may not regard the JD degree/program as having enough of a research focus (i.e., no dissertation). That said, I know some lawyers who teach in criminal justice programs. You might be fine just as you are now. Good luck.

[larryc]

The criminal justice field is split, sort of, between the sociologists and the lawyers.

Except at my school where it is dominated by ex-cops with dubious MAs!

Take a look at the faculty pages at some department websites and see what kinds of qualifications the more recently hired people have. That will get you a far better idea of what you need than will our answers here.

[felipe]

thanks to al who opined. this is most helpful. . and even encouraging.

[larryc]

Good luck Felipe.  And please employ the shift key appropriately when you post to this forum. You will find that presenting yourself professionally is all-important in our line of work.