2023-2024 Undergraduate Bulletin

Police Studies, Bachelor of Science / Criminal Justice, Master of Arts

The Police Studies BS 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.
The John Jay Criminal Justice MA 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, and Criminal Investigation. The Program also allows interested students to participate in faculty research or undertake internships with criminal justice employers for credit.

Undergraduate 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 BS
24
General Education 42
Other Required Undergraduate Courses
3-6
Undergraduate Electives 20-35
Criminal Justice MA
30-36
Total Credits Required for B.S./M.S. Degree 128-134

Undergraduate Major Coordinator. Professor Arthur Storch (212.393.6842, astorch@jjay.cuny.edu) and Professor Jon Shane (jshane@jjay.cuny.edu), Department of Law, Police Science and Criminal Justice Administration 

Graduate Program Director. Professor Valerie West, Department of Criminal Justice (vwest@jjay.cuny.edu)

Graduate Program Advisor. Dr. Janice Carrington (212-237-8418, jcarrington@jjay.cuny.edu) and Jennifer Cadeau (646-781-5833, jcadeau@jjay.cuny.edu), Criminal Justice MA Program

Baccalaureate/Master Programs. General information including qualifications and application process. 

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 program.  See the Graduate Program Advisor.

Police Studies BS Core Courses

Required

PSC 101Introduction to Police Studies

3

PSC 202Police and Diversity

3

PSC 255Research Methods in Policing

3

PSC 260Evidence-based and Problem-Oriented Policing

3

PSC 321Police Ethics

3

PSC 324Police Use of Force: Legal, Theoretical and Practical Implications

3

PSC 401Capstone Seminar in Police Problems

3

LAW 203Constitutional Law

3

PSC 321 Police Ethics was CRJ 321/PHI 321

Subtotal: 24

Other Required Courses

May be required depending on math placement
MAT 108Social Science Math

3

OR

MAT 141Pre-Calculus

3

STA 250Principles and Methods of Statistics

3

Advisors recommendation: MAT 108 or MAT 141 can fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning ares of the College's General Education Program.

Note: Students must complete STA 250 when they are undergraduates.

Subtotal: 3-6

Undergraduate Electives

Students must complete 20-35 credits of electives to fulfill the undergraduate portion of the degree program. Students have free choice of electives. Students can also opt to complete a minor.

Subtotal: 20-35

Criminal Justice MA Program

Degree Requirements

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

CRJ 730Policy Analysis in Criminal Justice

3

Total Credit Hours:15

The Qualifying Exam prerequisites:

The two-part Qualifying Exam must be taken after completing the two required core CRJ courses, CRJ 715 and CRJ 716, and before completing 24 credits of coursework. Upon completion of CRJ 715 and CRJ 716, both parts of the exam must be taken in the same semester.  

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 both parts of the Qualifying Exam before entering the final required core class, CRJ 730.

A student is allowed a second attempt at passing each part of the Qualifying Exam. Any student who fails a part of 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 a part of 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 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 733The Constitution and Criminal Justice

3

CRJ 734Criminal Law

3

CRJ 735Prosecuting Crime

3

CRJ 736Seminar in Civil Rights and Civil Liberties

3

CRJ 752The Law and High Technology Crime

3

CRJ 768Law and Society

3

CRJ 785The American Jury

3

CRJ 789Violence Across the Globe

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

Subtotal: 30-36

Total Credit Hours: 128-134