Josh Hanley, a Washington County probation officer, has been enrolled in Waynesburg University’s Masters of Arts in Criminal Investigation Program since June 2018. One of the reasons he enrolled was to gain more professional knowledge in criminal investigation.

“I am always looking to further my education inside the criminal justice field,” Hanley said.

Hanley chose this program specifically because he graduated from Waynesburg in 2010 and he knew Adam Jack, chairperson of the Criminal Justice and Social Sciences Department.

Since Hanley’s enrollment into Waynesburg’s MACI Program, it has been ranked by Online Masters as top five in the nation for “Best Online Masters” programs and was recognized as the “Most Customizable” when compared to similar programs in the country.

Online Masters is a group of professionals that uses research and data analysis to find the nation’s best online masters programs. The organization bases the ranking and awards on academic quality, student success and affordability.

This is the first time Waynesburg’s MACI Program has been nationally ranked.

“We are honored to be listed with such an elite group of educational institutions,” Jack said. “This is national validation of what we have been telling students, that we are one of the best programs in the country.”

TheMACI Program is different from other schools because it’s 100 percent online and utilizes professionals in the industry to teach the courses.

“We are a very rare type of program that blends flexible curriculum with unique courses taught by Federal Agents, Police Officers, Attorneys, etc..,” Jack said. “We tailored this program to fit the working Law Enforcement Professionals, in both the curriculum and the format of the courses.”

This program was started by Adam Jack and James Tanda, instructor of criminal justice, about five years ago. When they created the MACI Program, they knew it would be something special.

“This award means that our vision of a unique investigation centered program has evolved into a top-notch, student-centered program,” Jack said.

Because this is a fairly new program, there will be many more changes in the future as it continues to develop.

“Our advisory board, consisting of the top law enforcement professionals in the region, continue to advise us on new trends and industry standards so that we can remain at the top,” Jack said.

This year alone, courses on gangs, organized crime, and specialized and complex criminal investigations were added to the program.

Because of the hard work put into developing the MACI Program, many students like Hanley are benefiting greatly. The national awards the program received has given much confidence to the students enrolled in the program.

“It’s outstanding,” Hanley said. “It really shows the dedication the instructors put into the courses and the level of education that
they have.”