In a press conference held last Thursday, Troy University released news of three new doctoral programs.
“Troy University is proud to announce the launch of three innovative academic programs designed to meet critical workforce needs in Alabama and beyond,” said Dr. Kerry Palmer, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs. “These new offerings demonstrate our continued commitment to providing relevant forward thinking education that serves both our students and the industries that will employ them.”
The first of the new programs is a Ph.D. in criminology, developed in partnership with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, focusing on advanced criminal justice, leadership and research.
“The Doctor of Criminology program will prepare advanced criminologists for work in law enforcement agencies and in educational institutions,” Palmer said.
This 60-hour online program includes comprehensive research, training and specialized coursework designed to meet the evolving needs of criminal justice professionals.
Troy invited Colonel John Archer, representing Secretary Hal Taylor of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency with the Department of Public Safety, to speak on the importance of the new doctorate degree for criminology.
“Criminology is an academic area that seeks to explain criminal behavior,” Archer said.
“Within our society, criminology has a wide range of topics to include not only crime, causation, criminal justice in this also the how the criminal justice system operates and the impact of crime on individuals and our communities.”
Archer explained there are many career paths that students can pursue with an undergraduate degree in criminology, but leaders in law enforcement are looking for individuals with the skill set to interpret and comprehend large sets of data.
“For us, as leaders in law enforcement, what we're looking for is the assistance of someone who has the skill sets to take the crime data,” Archer said. “We are really great at report writing and data collection.
“I think this program fits really well to help law enforcement because we're doers, right?
We're going to go out and do the job. We need people to tell us where to go before the job occurs, right? We know this is going to happen in this area based on the data that we have, that's what we're looking for.”
Archer also mentioned that with a Ph.D. in criminology, students would be better equipped to handle fingerprinting and other intricate systems related to major crimes like murders.
They will also offer a PhD in global leadership, with a focus in healthcare leadership, offering a unique combination of leadership development and global healthcare perspectives.
“Our global healthcare and leadership doctorate offered in the College of Education represents a groundbreaking approach to healthcare administration,” Palmer said.
Rick Smith, CEO at Troy Regional Hospital, spoke on the need for healthcare professionals with leadership training.
“I'm excited that as Dr. Palmer mentioned, the global leadership and healthcare curriculum here will help prepare future leaders,” Smith said. “We talk about healthcare close to home, that's our mantra at Troy Regional.
“We believe that healthcare does start locally, but having a global aspect and a global view of what healthcare really is will help prepare future leaders far better than those in the past.”
Smith praised the new College of Health Sciences for its groundbreaking simulation labs, physical therapy and athletic training, calling Troy’s programs a “niche product.”
“We try to cultivate talent from within the region, if you will, and having a school such as this global leadership program will help draw students into the area and then give them the opportunity to stay here locally, providing healthcare for those in our community.”
The 63-hour program combines core leadership principles with specialized healthcare courses delivered in partnership with the College of Health Sciences.
Lastly, Troy is adding a master of business administration degree in data analytics, the first STEM focused program within the Sorrell College of Business.
The MBA in data analytics addresses the growing demand for management analysts in Alabama. This program will prepare professionals to lead in data-driven business environments, filling a critical gap in the states.
Palmer encourages students to pursue doctoral degrees in the face of the future.
“Doctoral degrees, first of all, help a person develop their abilities to think critically and solve problems,” Palmer said. “In reality, a Ph.D. is really a certificate that shows that the person holding it knows how to conduct quality research, and what we're seeing in many of these fields there's a real need for people who can interpret data.
“You have a lot of people out there gathering data, but we need people who have expertise in interpretation of data and in helping leaders make decisions with data. It becomes a marketable skill.”
These new programs are currently open for application.
Emma Wasden photos