The Income Earning Advantage or Entering the Workforce Sooner
Columbia’s professional programs have a distinct earning advantage of programs in most traditional institutions. Columbia College’s professional programs take less time to complete than similar programs at most educational institutions. This means that graduates from Columbia College can be earning an income months ahead of counterparts from similar programs at most traditional institutions. Because our students are able to start at multiple times throughout the year and graduate sooner, they can enter the workforce sooner. As a result, Columbia’s graduates may start earning an income months before students from other colleges complete their programs. This gives them an earning advantage that can amount to thousands and thousands of dollars.
Academic Year
Accelerated Program
While maintaining the same number of hours of instruction, Columbia College has condensed each academic year of full-time post-secondary education in most of its professional programs into six months. During this period students cover what usually takes a full academic year to complete in traditionally delivered college/university programs.
Part-time Studies
Students who cannot participate in the full-time accelerated program can complete their entire program on a part-time basis in the daytime or evening. Students who may be interested only in a particular course may also enroll in individual courses as a part-time student. Contact this program’s Student Admission Advisor for details.
Course Delivery Schedule
Although most programs have a pre-determined course delivery schedule, it should be understood that classes may be rescheduled from time to time, depending on availability of classrooms, labs, and facilitators. Therefore, students must be available and prepared to attend classes during the time of day (morning, afternoon, evening and weekend) they are scheduled.
Pre-Class Activity
All professional programs have established student orientation sessions for new students prior to class commencement. There are normally homework assignments that are due at the start of their first day of classes.
Graduation Requirements
To graduate from the Criminal Justice Professional Certificate program students must successfully complete 11 Criminal Justice Professional Certificate coures, earn 33 credits, achieve an overall program average of at least 2.0 and complete 5 career workshops. To graduate from the Criminal Justice Professional Diploma Program, students must complete 11 diploma courses, earn 33 credits, and achieve an overall program grade point average of at least 2.0.
Graduate Success
In April of each year the College reports to Alberta Advanced Education on the success of its graduates in their field of training or their acceptance into another educational program. The College is proud to advise that last year over 90% of our professional program graduates were successful. Contact this program’s Student Program Advisor for further information.
Program Accreditation, Licensing, Membership and Professional Associations
Please refer to the section titled “Recognition of the College” for a complete list of organizations that accredit and license the college as well as those organizations of which it is a member or is a professional associate.
University Transfer
Criminal Justice Professional students should be aware that in addition to completing one or two years of study and then moving to the workplace, they may have the option of applying for transfer to selected universities and other colleges on a part-time or full-time basis. Interested students should contact Columbia’s Student Program Advisor and inquire about the status of transfer arrangements with selected educational institutions.