Joseph McLaughlin

"I earned my bachelor’s in criminal justice summa cum laude in 2017 while working full-time for the NYPD. Now, I’m working toward my master’s in criminal justice."

Joseph McLaughlin is a police officer with the NYPD, but he's got two goals on the horizon right now. “I want to be better prepared for retirement, and I know that when I leave the department I will need a degree to transition to another career. Plus, I want to be an inspiration for my young daughter.”

Fortunately for Joseph, Monroe’s online program allowed him the flexibility he needed to earn his degree while working full time and being available to his family.

Making the choice to come to Monroe was especially easy because the Police Benevolent Association pays 50 percent of Joseph’s tuition, the best reimbursement plan available.

“I earned my bachelor’s in criminal justice summa cum laude in 2017 while working full-time for the NYPD. Now I'm working toward my master's in criminal justice,” says Joseph. "All of my classes are online, giving me the opportunity to work school into my life. And because of my work experience, Monroe allowed me to translate my real-world experience into credits.

“Earning my degree has helped at work and I was recently promoted to the role of internal compliance officer. The NYPD has changed so much since I started 17 years ago, and now I’m able to keep up and get ahead.”

Looking to the future, Joseph wants to use his own experience with the NYPD and teach criminal justice classes online.

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