Lakeshore College offers faster, less costly degree in criminal justice

CLEVELAND, Wis. (WBAY) - Lakeshore Technical College is rolling out a faster and less expensive path to a bachelor’s degree for criminal justice students.

A new transfer agreement with Yavapai College in Arizona lets Lakeshore students finish a bachelor’s in about three years instead of four and do it fully online.

The degree uses a reduced credit, optimized format with no textbook fees, meaning significant savings for students.

“There’s a huge cost savings involved in this,” Yavapai College’s Mary Lou Mercado, Yavapai College’s vice president of workforce development and health service, said. “So they’ll attend here for two years. They’ll attend here for a year with Lakeshore Technical College, and that will equal their 92-optimized degree. And so there’s no textbooks associated with that. No textbook fees associated with it. So it will be very economical for them.”

College officials say it lets future officers stay local, keep working, and move into higher-level law enforcement roles faster.