Robeson Community College has been ranked as one of the best schools for online degrees in a public service field by STEPS (Student Training & Education in Public Service). Only 13 percent of colleges and universities in the U.S. earned a spot on the rankings for the 2024 academic year. Robeson Community College ranked in the top 20 for the best online criminal justice degree, and in the top 50 for best online public service degree among community colleges in the United States.

“Our goal was to identify the best colleges with online degree programs where graduates can make a meaningful difference in their communities through education, public policy, and other career paths,” said Kyle Smith, a community outreach specialist at STEPS in a press release. “As more and more students gravitate towards online education, identifying flexible, affordable, and accredited degree programs that fit into students’ busy lives and make college more accessible is essential.”

Public service degrees give students the opportunity to pursue careers where they can support those most in need, both locally and globally. This includes fields such as teaching, social work, public administration, criminal justice, and public health.

“This is excellent news and we are so proud of our faculty and staff who work within the criminal justice program to provide quality instruction to our students,” stated RCC President Melissa Singler in a press release. “We knew that our criminal justice program was one of the best and this ranking just verifies what we already knew to be true.”

The criminal justice program at Robeson Community College has been developed to appeal more to those who work full-time jobs.

“We restructured the criminal justice program and made it more user-friendly for the end user,” stated RCC Executive Vice President Eric Freeman in a press release. “We increased access by offering classes completely online,” added Freeman. “We realized that the majority of those enrolled in this program of study are working full-time, most likely in law enforcement, so we have really tailored this program to fit more closely within their schedule and made it more flexible. This ranking proves that our efforts have paid off and it is great to hear that we are

hitting a high mark with our criminal justice program and our students.”

This ranking arrives at a time when enrollment in online degree programs remains high. The most recent data (Fall 2021) from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that 60 percent of students take at least one class online and 30 percent are enrolled exclusively in online courses.

The criminal justice program at Robeson Community College can be earned 100 percent completely online, allowing students to continue their education on their own time.

To learn more about the Criminal Justice Program at Robeson Community College, please visit https://www.robeson.edu/public-service/law/crimjustech/

Editor’s Note: The full press release received from RCC was edited down due to length. The full release can be read on the RCC website here.