2021-2022 Graduate Bulletin

Criminal Justice, Master of Arts

Program Director: Professor Heath Grant

The John Jay Criminal Justice Master of Arts Program has a large, diverse, and celebrated faculty who provide students with an advanced understanding of research and practice in the US criminal justice system and related issues. Core classes provide a mastery of the major works and theories of criminology, policing, corrections, judicial studies, quantitative research methods and policy analysis. 

Students are able to select from numerous electives to build a specialization in Criminology and Deviance, Criminal Law and Procedure, Police or Corrections Administration, and Terrorism Studies. Among the many available electives are courses such as Crime Mapping, Cybercrime, Crime Scene Investigation, Social Aspects of Alcohol and Drug Use, Homeland Security and Terrorism, and Criminal Law. Students are also able to select electives to earn Advanced Certificates in Terrorism Studies, Crime Prevention and Analysis, Criminal Investigation, and Race and Criminal Justice. Additionally, the program allows interested students to participate in faculty research or undertake internships with criminal justice employers for credit.

The program is designed for:

  • Those who wish to obtain a credential for entry into criminal justice professions.
  • Those already employed in the criminal justice system, who wish to learn about job-related research and further their criminal justice careers.
  • Those employed in the criminal justice system, who want to teach.
  • Those interested in an academic career in higher education, who wish to obtain a master’s degree before entering a doctoral program.

This program may also be completed fully online.

For information on the doctoral program in Criminal Justice, please reference the 'Doctoral Programs' section of this bulletin. 

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Criminal Justice requires 36 credits consisting of five required core courses, three courses in a specialization, and four elective courses. Students must also pass a qualifying examination. Students meeting certain conditions may complete the degree in 30 credits plus a thesis.

Core Requirements

CRJ 710Issues in Criminal Justice I

3

CRJ 711Issues in Criminal Justice II: Policing and Corrections

3

CRJ 715Research Design and Methods

3

CRJ 716Statistical Software in Criminal Justice

3

Qualifying Exam

CRJ 730Policy Analysis in Criminal Justice

3

Total Credit Hours:15

Qualifying Exam Prerequisites:

The Qualifying Exam must be taken after CRJ 715 and CRJ 716, before taking CRJ 730, and before completing 24 credits of coursework.

A student must have an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher to be eligible to take the Qualifying Exam.

All students are required to register for the Qualifying Exam.

A student who is not registered for the Qualifying Exam prior to the exam date will not be allowed to take the exam.

A student must pass the Qualifying Exam before entering the final required core class, CRJ 730.

A student is allowed a second attempt at passing the Qualifying Exam. Any student who fails the Qualifying Exam twice may be dismissed from the program. However, in unusual circumstances and at the discretion of the program director, a student may be permitted to take the examination a third time, provided that a plan of study has been approved by the CRJ program director. Students taking the Qualifying Exam in a semester in which they are not registered for classes must register for Maintenance of Matriculation (MAM) in order to sit for the exam.

Specializations

Students must take three classes (9 credits) in one of five specialization areas listed. The specialization lists provided are not intended to be exhaustive. The program director has discretion to substitute other courses, including courses in the 800-level series, to satisfy the specialization requirement. Students should consult with the program director before taking a course for specialization credit when that course is not on the specialization list. Dual specializations are permissible if the student has fulfilled the requirements of both specializations, but the same electives may not be used for two specializations.

Total Credit Hours:9

Free Electives

Students must take four additional classes from any of the graduate courses offered at John Jay. Students may choose to take CRJ 793 Comprehensive Review as one of their electives to help prepare for the exam. Students choosing the thesis option do not need to meet the electives requirement (see below).

Total Credit Hours:12

Thesis Option

Students who complete CRJ 715 and CRJ 716 with an A- average or better may choose to write a thesis instead of taking four elective courses. Students choosing the thesis option must first take CRJ 717 Reading in Research and receive an A- or better. Students must obtain permission from the program director to pursue the thesis option after completing CRJ 717. If permission is granted, they must take CRJ 791 Thesis Prospectus as an Independent Study with their thesis advisor who must be a member of the graduate faculty. Finally, students must submit a thesis approved by their advisor and a second reader within no more than one year after completing CRJ 791. Students choosing the thesis option will complete a total of 30 credits for the master’s degree, six fewer credits than those students who do not write a thesis. However, writing a thesis is a substantial undertaking usually requiring more work than that required by two additional courses.

Total Credit Hours:6

CRJ Specializations Degree Requirements

Criminology and Deviance

CRJ 701Sociology of Crime

3

CRJ 712Sex Crimes

3

CRJ 713White-Collar Crime

3

CRJ 714Social Aspects of Alcohol and Drug Use

3

CRJ 727/FCM 727Cybercriminology

3

CRJ 729Drugs, Crime and the Criminal Justice System

3

CRJ 738Perspectives on Race and Crime in America

3

CRJ 739Crime Mapping

3

CRJ 761Youth Crime and Delinquency Control

3

CRJ 765Social Movements, Revolution, and Terrorism

3

CRJ 766Sociology of Delinquency

3

CRJ 767Gangs in American Society

3

CRJ 769Deviant Behavior

3

CRJ 770Advanced Criminology

3

CRJ 771Special Topics in Criminal Justice

3

CRJ 778Victimology

3

CRJ 779The Female Offender in Western Society

3

CRJ 783Crime and the Media

3

CRJ 784Organized Crime

3

CRJ 796The History of Crime

3

Criminal Law and Procedure

CRJ 708Law, Evidence and Ethics

3

CRJ 725Capital Punishment

3

CRJ 789Violence Across the Globe

3

CRJ 733The Constitution and Criminal Justice

3

CRJ 734Criminal Law

3

CRJ 735Prosecuting Crime

3

CRJ 736Seminar in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

3

CRJ 752/FCM 752The Law and High Technology Crime

3

CRJ 768Law and Society

3

CRJ 785The American Jury

3

PAD 741Administrative Law and Regulation

3

PAD 760Court Administration

3

Police Administration

CRJ 738Perspectives on Race and Crime in America

3

CRJ 739Crime Mapping

3

CRJ 742Police Ethics

3

CRJ 745Legal Aspects of Undercover Activity

3

CRJ 751Crime Scene Investigation

3

CRJ 756Critical Issues in Policing

3

CRJ 757Police and the Community

3

CRJ 759Comparative Police Administration

3

CRJ 760History of Police Administration

3

CRJ 761Youth Crime and Delinquency Control

3

CRJ 762Investigation of Violent Crime

3

CRJ 771Special Topics in Criminal Justice

3

CRJ 783Crime and the Media

3

CRJ 786Problem-Oriented Policing

3

CRJ 787Seminar in Crime Analysis and Crime Prevention

3

Correction Administration

CRJ 703Critical Issues in Punishment

3

CRJ 704Probation and Parole: Theory and Practice

3

CRJ 728Critical Issues in Corrections

3

CRJ 729Drugs, Crime and the Criminal Justice System

3

CRJ 738Perspectives on Race and Crime in America

3

CRJ 739Crime Mapping

3

CRJ 749 Ethics of Punishment

3

CRJ 758Public Health Challenges in Criminal Justice: An Epidemiological Approach

3

Terrorism Studies

CRJ 744Terrorism and Politics

3

CRJ 746Terrorism and Apocalyptic Violence

3

CRJ 748Counter Terrorism Policy for Law Enforcement

3

CRJ 765Social Movements, Revolution, and Terrorism

3

CRJ 772Seminar in Terrorism Studies

1.5

CRJ 776Intensive Seminar in Terrorism Studies

3

CRJ 784Organized Crime

3

CRJ 797Homeland Security and International Relations

3

CRJ 798Homeland Security and Terrorism

3

PSY 729Terrorism

3

Total Credit Hours: 30-36