Careers fight crime
Shannon Moffatt
Issue date: 3/8/10 Section: News
Students interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice can begin at Brookhaven College.
Since the fall semester of 2009, Brookhaven has offered five courses toward an Associate in Arts with a Field of Study in Criminal Justice. The program is designed for students who want to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at a four-year college.
Vargha Manshadi, Brookhaven adviser, said students are able to earn their associate degree with a Field of Study in Criminal Justice, which is about 63 credit hours, and continue to a university.
The five classes are part of the Texas Common Course Numbering System, which guarantees transfer to all public four-year colleges and universities in Texas.
Thom Parr, criminal justice professor, said before he became an instructor, he was a police officer for 12 years in Ardmore, Okla. at the Ardmore Police Department.
Parr said criminology is a sociology class that teaches the theoretical part, whereas criminal justice is applied and more hands-on.
"It helps them to be socialized from a civilian to law enforcement, kind of like going from being a civilian to a soldier," he said. "There's a different way to think."
Donovan Hammerberg and Bill Jones, both criminal justice majors at Brookhaven, plan to be police officers and eventually work for the federal government. Quin Reed, criminal justice major at Dallas Baptist University and part-time Brookhaven student, said he plans to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The Dallas County Community College District already offered criminal justice classes at Cedar Valley, Mountain View and Eastfield colleges. All of these colleges are located in the southern and eastern areas of Dallas County.
Micheal Dennehy, executive dean of social sciences and world languages, put together a proposal to bring the criminal justice program to students in North Dallas.
Sam Govea, associate dean of social science, said the program at Brookhaven has almost 200 students in its second semester, compared to 50 students last semester.
Since the fall semester of 2009, Brookhaven has offered five courses toward an Associate in Arts with a Field of Study in Criminal Justice. The program is designed for students who want to earn a bachelor's degree in criminal justice at a four-year college.
Vargha Manshadi, Brookhaven adviser, said students are able to earn their associate degree with a Field of Study in Criminal Justice, which is about 63 credit hours, and continue to a university.
The five classes are part of the Texas Common Course Numbering System, which guarantees transfer to all public four-year colleges and universities in Texas.
Thom Parr, criminal justice professor, said before he became an instructor, he was a police officer for 12 years in Ardmore, Okla. at the Ardmore Police Department.
Parr said criminology is a sociology class that teaches the theoretical part, whereas criminal justice is applied and more hands-on.
"It helps them to be socialized from a civilian to law enforcement, kind of like going from being a civilian to a soldier," he said. "There's a different way to think."
Donovan Hammerberg and Bill Jones, both criminal justice majors at Brookhaven, plan to be police officers and eventually work for the federal government. Quin Reed, criminal justice major at Dallas Baptist University and part-time Brookhaven student, said he plans to work for the Drug Enforcement Agency.
The Dallas County Community College District already offered criminal justice classes at Cedar Valley, Mountain View and Eastfield colleges. All of these colleges are located in the southern and eastern areas of Dallas County.
Micheal Dennehy, executive dean of social sciences and world languages, put together a proposal to bring the criminal justice program to students in North Dallas.
Sam Govea, associate dean of social science, said the program at Brookhaven has almost 200 students in its second semester, compared to 50 students last semester.
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