CCSNH-Berlin has its first criminal justice graduate. Jason Osgood of Berlin was awarded his associate in applied science degree at the 38th commencement exercises on May 20, 2005. Osgood is the only student to complete the degree requirements because the program began in January 2004 and has only run three semesters. Osgood was able to earn his degree because he started the program at NH Technical Institute in September 2003 and transferred his credits to the Berlin campus, the following semester.
"Attending college in Concord was okay, but when I found out the Berlin campus had started offering the program, I decided to transfer so I could live at home. It was a smooth transition. Staff at both locations was very helpful and the transfer was painless," says Osgood. He goes on to say the Criminal Justice program is great. "It's a challenging program, but one I found to be incredibly interesting." Osgood believes the instructors are responsible for maintaining his interest. "We had instructors representing different areas of law enforcement and corrections, and that made the coursework interesting. Everyone was very knowledgeable in their subject area and each had personal experiences to share with the students. It was very valuable to get different perspectives," says Osgood.
Osgood says he enrolled in the program with the intention of pursuing a career as a police officer. But after attending some classes, his interest piqued in the area of corrections, so he shifted gears. "I just feel that corrections is a better fit for me" says Osgood.
The 2003 Berlin High graduate has been working security at Androscoggin Valley Hospital for nearly a year and believes when he applied for that position, he had the edge over other applicants because he was working on an associate degree in criminal justice. Now his associate degree is about to pay off in a bigger way. For the past several weeks, Osgood has been proceeding through the hiring process with the Northern New Hampshire Correctional Facility in Berlin and will participate in eight weeks of extensive training at the Police Standards and Training facility in Concord at the end of the summer.
"This is a great opportunity for me, I have been working hard for it, and all the hard work is paying off. There's just no end to the doors that can be opened by earning a college degree," says Osgood. The criminal justice program is one he would recommend to any students looking for an interesting career. "There's a growing need for law enforcement and correctional employees. The state prison, the potential federal prison and the changes in national security combine to create a high demand for employment in these fields. An associate degree in criminal justice puts you on the fast track for one of these rewarding and challenging jobs," says Osgood.
For information about how to enroll in the Criminal Justice program, please call the admissions office at CCSNH-Berlin at 752-1113 or 800-445-4525.
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