Coast Guard Petty Officer 2nd Class Andrew Royse demonstrates how to handcuff a suspect as part of law enforcement training onboard the Coast Guard Cutter Forward during an African Maritime Law Enforcement Partnership (AMLEP) mission May 28, 2011. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Annie R. B. Elis.
Thomas Edison State University is one of only 10 institutions in the country selected to participate in a new program of U.S. Coast Guard that enables Coast Guard members to earn credit for their training and apply it toward a degree.
Thomas Edison State University is the only New Jersey school selected for the Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Enforcement College Partnership Program and has tailored its Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice and Bachelor of Science degree in Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness to maximize credit for Coast Guard training and Maritime Law Enforcement Academy courses.
“We are honored to be selected for this new initiative and look forward to serving Coast Guard members with degree programs that are tailored to their unique needs,” said Louis Martini, director of the college’s Office of Military & Veteran Education. “Our programs can prepare Coast Guard members for professional growth within the Coast Guard or for a civilian career after active duty service.”
The Coast Guard’s Maritime Law Enforcement College Partnership Program is a program of the Coast Guard’s Force Readiness Command, the Maritime Law Enforcement Academy and the Coast Guard Institute and is designed to assist Coast Guard law enforcement professionals in maximizing credit for their training.
The college has developed degree roadmaps that detail how specific training and courses transfer into the school’s criminal justice and homeland security programs, which can be completed entirely online and work around the schedules of active duty members.
“Coast Guard members can transfer up to 39 credits for Coast Guard and Maritime Law Enforcement Academy training that can be applied directly to their Thomas Edison State University degree,” said Dr. Susan Davenport, dean of the Heavin School of Arts and Sciences. “This includes 12 credits for general education requirements and six credits toward the area of study, or major.”
In addition to Thomas Edison State University, academic partners for the Maritime Law Enforcement College Partnership Program are American Military University; Bellevue University; Northcentral University; Penn State University; Roger Williams University; Saint Leo University; University of Maryland University College; Oklahoma University and Vincennes University.
For more information on the program, visit www.tesu.edu/coastguard.
Toni M. Terry, BA