Colorado Mesa University (CMU) offers students a variety of choices in fields to study. Some of the programs CMU offers even include Master’s Programs. However, one prominent area of study CMU currently doesn’t offer, but should, is law.
Criminal Justice is a huge field of study for many students at CMU. With the Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) Academy just down the street at Western Colorado Community College, it only makes sense. CMU should definitely add a law degree program.
A law degree program could be very beneficial to CMU. For starters, it would increase the diversity of degrees offered at CMU. It would also allow many students who may be interested in law school, an opportunity to speak with professors who teach the program directly without having to travel far.
Speaking of traveling, it would also keep students who pursue a law degree at CMU. Relocating is a hassle. Moving to another place for law school could be very stressful.
The main problem with having a law program, however, is that the amount of criminal justice professors is small. At the time of writing this article, I’m entirely certain there aren’t enough criminal justice professors for a Masters Program.
Not to mention out of the wonderful professors that teach Criminal Justice here on campus, some have been in law enforcement and some have PhDs. However, I’m pretty sure Professor Michael Delaney is the only professor with any type of law degree.
This begs the question, who will teach the classes for the program? Do you need to have a law degree to teach law school?
Besides Professor Delaney, the only other person I know who has a law degree (keyword being “I know”) is CMU President Timothy Foster.
I’m not sure on how law degree programs would work, but with the already stressful work load our professors take on, this could also mean many more classes to teach for both Professor Delaney and President Foster. This would also mean an exponentially increased workload for them both.
Even if they were to only teach law classes, this would still give an increased workload for the rest of the criminal justice professors.
The most beneficial way to bring a law degree to CMU would be to hire professors who could teach law and bring them to campus. This way, there wouldn’t necessarily be a significant increased workload on the criminal justice program.
The only other questions that would need to be worked out is: where would their faculty offices be and where would they teach these classes?
