College Adding New Degree Program

By Noah Bierman, The Miami Herald

Mar. 22–Miami Dade College took another small step toward becoming a four-year school Tuesday when a state board approved a new bachelor’s degree program for law enforcement officers.

The vast majority of MDC students still pursue two-year associate degrees and noncredit courses. But the school — which dropped "community" out of its name in 2003 when it offered a bachelor of arts degree in education — has been taking steps recently toward offering more four-year bachelor’s degrees.

"This is another opportunity to be part of the solution to a workforce need," said Jose Vicente, president of MDC’s North campus, which will house the new law enforcement degree program beginning in August.

The new program approved Tuesday by the Florida Board of Education is officially called an applied science degree in public safety management. The school will train and help certify police officers, prison and security guards, probation officers and crime scene investigators.

The program differs from others in the state in that students will earn their law enforcement certification with their degrees, a process that otherwise can require an extra year or more, said Ron Grimming, director of MDC’s School of Criminal Justice.

Several community colleges throughout Florida have been offering four-year degrees in recent years. Leaders of the state’s 11 public universities have at times questioned whether their missions were overlapping with community colleges, which are overseen by a different governing board.

Florida International University’s interim provost, Ronald Berkman, said new four-year programs should be approved if there’s a community need and universities are unable to fill it through either expansion or partnerships with the community colleges.

He said a joint law enforcement facility with MDC has not met expectations in its use.

Vicente said MDC remains committed to partnerships with FIU and other universities in which students take their first two years at MDC before moving on.

"It is important to note that Miami Dade College is not going to be developing baccalaureate degrees for the sake of developing them," Vicente said, explaining that new programs will be based on needs of the area’s workforce.

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