Stanislaus State’s Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and Online Master of Business Administration (OMBA) programs have been ranked in the top 20 in their respective categories by the bestaccreditedcolleges.org website.
The OMBA program was ranked No. 19 out of 49 programs, and the criminal justice degree program was ranked No. 20 out of 50 programs.
The website says only programs at accredited, non-profit public and private schools are ranked, and rankings are determined using an objective, proprietary ranking system that combines current data points from the U.S. Department of Education with school-specific details. Its methodology considers accessibility, affordability, faculty and quality of instruction, financial aid awards and return on investment.
Word of the rankings was greeted enthusiastically in the College of Business Administration and the Department of Criminal Justice.
“We are honored to be included in this ranking,” said Terence Pitre, dean of the College of Business Administration. “It is evidence of the University’s ongoing commitment to providing students with a quality business education and in-demand skill set that will give them an edge in the competitive job market.”
In the Department of Criminal Justice, Professor and Chair Phyllis Gerstenfeld credited excellent faculty and students for the quality of the program.
“I’m really proud of our program,” Gerstenfeld said. “We have a talented faculty with a wide range of backgrounds and research areas, and we have excellent students who bring with them a diversity of interests and who truly want to serve their communities.”
Stan State is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The University’s College of Business is also accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), a global nonprofit association that has accredited the top 5% of business schools worldwide and provides business education intelligence, learning and development services to its member organizations and accreditees.
The OMBA program offers immersive instruction and emphasizes cutting-edge curriculum and real-world coursework taught by experienced faculty. Students can focus on a broad range of topics, including finance, accounting, human resource management, operations, computer information systems and marketing.
Stan State’s Criminal Justice program offers a bachelor's degree with concentrations in law enforcement, corrections, forensic science, juvenile justice and criminal legal studies. The curriculum provides a broad, multidisciplinary exploration of the complex criminal justice system. Courses are taught by faculty who incorporate knowledge and techniques from a wide variety of academic and applied disciplines.
The program also offers minors in pre-law, forensic science and criminal justice, and a Master of Arts in Criminal Justice with a program that meets the standards set by the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS).
