Police Studies, Bachelor of Science
The Police Studies major provides a comprehensive understanding of the police in the American criminal justice system. It is a dynamic curriculum that responds to issues of diversity as well as innovations and changes in the social and technological arenas that inform police professionals. The Police Studies major focuses on the police as an institution with concentrations on management and administration, crime analysis and investigations. The major provides a solid academic foundation for those students who wish to pursue graduate study. The program also allows students to enter the workplace with the theoretical and applied knowledge to accomplish four simply stated but vitally essential mandates of fair and effective policing:
- To prevent and reduce crime and disorder in communities;
- To reduce the fear of crime in communities;
- To improve the quality of life in communities;
- To accomplish these goals in a fair and just fashion.
Learning outcomes. Students will:
- Use and critically evaluate a variety of practical and theoretical approaches relevant to policing.
- Use and critically evaluate a variety of practical/hands-on/research approaches relevant to policing.
- Analyze and assess the quality of operations and methods in policing.
- Integrate policing theory, research and policy in written reports and presentations.
- Explain and discuss the importance of diversity, ethical considerations and statutory requirements that police and law enforcement professionals encounter as community care takers and providers of public safety that impacts the level of crime and quality of life within the communities they serve.
Credits Required.
| Police Studies Major |
42-45 |
| General Education |
42 |
| Electives |
33-36 |
| Total Credits Required for B.S. Degree |
120 |
Coordinator. Professor Joseph Pollini, Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration (212.237.8409, jpollini@jjay.cuny.edu)
Advising resources. Sample Four-year Plan of Study
BS in Police Studies/MA in Criminal Justice Program. Qualified undergraduate students may enter the Baccalaureate/Master’s Program and thereby graduate with both a Bachelor’s in Police Studies and a Master’s in Criminal Justice. For additional information, please contact Ms. Janice Carrington, Criminal Justice MA Program (212.237.8418, jcarrington@jjay.cuny.edu).
Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time at the College or changed to this major in September 2017 or thereafter must complete the major in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the major. A copy of the earlier version may be obtained in the 2016-17 Undergraduate Bulletin.
Foundational Course
Required
| CJBS 101 | Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System | 3 |
PART ONE. CORE COURSES
Required
| PSC 101 | Introduction to Police Studies | 3 |
| PSC 202 | Police and Diversity | 3 |
| PSC 255 | Research Methods in Policing | 3 |
| PSC 300 | Police Management and Administration in the U.S. | 3 |
| PSC 321 | Police Ethics | 3 |
| PSC 324 | Police Use of Force: Legal, Theoretical and Practical Implications | 3 |
| PSC 401 | Capstone Seminar in Police Problems | 3 |
| LAW 203 | Constitutional Law | 3 |
ANT 130 will be taken instead of PSC 202 by students who are part of the NYPD Leadership Program.
Students with law enforcement experience may obtain an exemption for PSC 101, see the Major Coordinator. If the exemption is received, students will take an additional elective to complete the major.
Note: CRJ 321/PHI 321 Police Ethics is now PSC 321
Total Credit Hours: 24
PART TWO. LAW FOUNDATIONS
Select one
| LAW 202 | Law and Evidence | 3 |
| LAW 204 | Criminal Law of New York | 3 |
| LAW 206 | The American Judiciary | 3 |
| LAW 209 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| LAW 212 | The Criminal Process and the Criminal Procedure Law | 3 |
| LAW 301 | Jurisprudence | 3 |
| LAW 313/POL 313 | The Law and Politics of Race Relations | 3 |
| LAW 320 | Seminar in the Law of Search and Seizure | 3 |
| LAW 340 | Employment Discrimination Law, Affirmative Action and Police Organization | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 3
PART THREE. OPTIONAL INTERNSHIP
A highly recommended elective
| CJBS 377 | Internships for Criminal Justice, Law and Policing | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 0-3
Part Four. Concentrations
Students must select one concentration and complete four courses. At least one course must be at the 300-level and one course must be at the 400-level.
Concentration A. Policing Administration, Management and Operations
Concentration A. focuses on issues related to police leadership and how they influence the daily management and operations of police organizations. Students will be introduced to the basic principles that guide police deployment in the communities they serve and focus on the scarcity of resources that plaque the police organizational decision-making process.
Select four. At least one course must be at the 300-level and one at the 400-level.
| PSC 227 | Police Training Programs: Goals, Content and Administration | 3 |
| PSC 260 | Evidence-based and Problem-Oriented Policing | 3 |
| PSC 271/PSY 271 | Psychological Foundations of Police Work | 3 |
| PSC 306 | Police Work with Juveniles | 3 |
| PSC 309 | Comparative Police Systems | 3 |
| PSC 337 | Chinese Americans in Policing | 3 |
| PSC 340 | Planning for Police Operations and Management | 3 |
| PSC 350 | Police Labor Relations | 3 |
| PSC 355 | Money and the Police Manager | 3 |
| PSC 405 | Organized Crime in America | 3 |
Concentration B. Crime Analysis and Intelligence
The Crime Analysis and Intelligence concentration will provide the students with basic knowledge behind operational distribution of resources in police organizations. In the knowledge driven era that requires accountability and transparency, on the part of police organizations that deploy its resources, it is critical for the communities to understand the analytically driven deployment rationales.
Select four. At least one course must be at the 300-level and one at the 400-level.
| PSC 1XX | Introduction to Criminal Intelligence and Analysis | 3 |
| PSC 216 | Crime Mapping | 3 |
| PSC 260 | Evidence-based and Problem-Oriented Policing | 3 |
| PSC 2XX | Investigating Particular Forms of Crime | 3 |
| PSC 3XX | Crime Analysis and Environmental Criminology | 3 |
| PSC 415 | Seminar on Terrorism | 3 |
| PSC 4XX | Predictive Policing | 3 |
Concentration C. Investigative Science
The Investigative Science track will offer a realistic and empirically driven layer of depiction of the way police work is perceived by the general public. Much of what is perceived as effective and efficient police work is derived from various popular, yet fictitious, media accounts. The Investigative Science track will demystify the way police investigative functions are actually performed in the field and provide the students with some base line understanding of the criminal investigative processes.
Select four. At least one course must be at the 300-level and one at the 400-level.
| PSC 107 | Introduction to Criminal Investigations | 3 |
| PSC 260 | Evidence-based and Problem-Oriented Policing | 3 |
| PSC 2YY | Investigative Analysis: Methodology and Tradecraft | 3 |
| PSC 3YY | International Police Cooperation | 3 |
| PSC 415 | Seminar on Terrorism | 3 |
Total Credit Hours: 12
Total Credit Hours: 42-45