Criminal Justice, Bachelor of Arts / Master of Arts
The BA program in Criminal Justice (Crime Control and Prevention) views crime as a social problem and seeks to develop in its students the capacity to critically assess the normative structure of the existing criminal justice system with an aim to improving its condition and function. The emphasis of the major is on developing analytical skills, ethical reasoning, and a capacity for solving problems. It aspires to cultivate creative and original thinking about one of the most challenging social problems of our time.
The MA program in Criminal Justice has a large, diverse, and celebrated faculty who provide students with an advanced understanding of research and practice in the U.S. 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.
Criminal Justice MA Learning outcomes. Students will:
- Demonstrate the attainment of factual knowledge in criminal justice
- Demonstrate knowledge of the institutions, mechanisms and processes of criminal justice
- Demonstrate a thorough theoretical and philosophical understanding of crime and criminal justice policy-making
- Demonstrate an understanding of the constitutional and political contexts of criminal justice
- Formulate practical and meaningful research questions
- Properly use the principles of scientific inquiry
- Collect and interpret data
- Analyze the reliability and validity of data
- Draw conclusions appropriate to the findings of their research
- Apply theory to specific context
- Critically assess the workings of institutions, mechanisms and processes of criminal justice
- Apply their analytical skills to developments in criminal justice
- Use proper grammar and syntax in writing
- Present ideas in an organized manner
- Demonstrate a thorough understanding of the context, audience, and purpose for which they are writing or presenting
- Ground positions and arguments in scholarly research
Credits Required.
| Criminal Justice BA |
30 |
| General Education |
42 |
Other Required Courses
|
0-3
|
| Undergraduate Electives |
23-26
|
Criminal Justice MA
|
30-36
|
| Total Credits Required for B.A. Degree |
128-134 |
Undergraduate major coordinator. Professor Joel Capellan, Department of Criminal Justice (jcapellan@jjay.cuny.edu).
Graduate program director. Professor Valerie West, Department of Criminal Justice (vwest@jjay.cuny.edu).
Graduate advisors. Ms. Jennifer Cadeau (646.781.5833, jcadeau@jjay.cuny.edu), Criminal Justice MA Program.
General information. Bachelor's/Master's degrees including application and eligibility requirements.
Tuition and Financial Aid Information. This program is accelerated and intended for students to attend full-time (at least 12 cr. for undergraduate students, at least 9 cr. for graduate students). Full-time students pay undergraduate tuition rates until they complete 120 credits. Starting in the semester after 120 credits have been earned, credits will be charged at the graduate rate. Students that are below 120 credits and meet eligibility requirements, may continue to be considered for undergraduate federal and state financial aid programs including PELL and TAP. Once students complete 120 credits, they will no longer be eligible for undergraduate financial aid. Students may apply for federal loans at the graduate level to finance their completion of the joint degree.
If circumstances occur that require students to attend part-time, tuition rates will be determined by the level of the courses (undergraduate or graduate) they are registered for.
All students in the BA/MA joint degree programs are encouraged to consult with the Financial Aid Office about their eligibility for aid under federal and state guidelines and the Bursar’s Office about tuition charges when they are considering admission to these programs.
Additional information. Students who enrolled for the first time in the program in September 2017 or thereafter must complete the program in the form presented in this bulletin. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose the form shown here or the earlier version of the program, see the Graduate Advisor.
Criminal Justice BA Requirements
Required
| CJBA 110 | Major Issues in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJBA 111 | Introduction to Major Problems in Criminal Justice II | 3 |
| CJBA 210 | Criminal Responsibility | 3 |
| CJBA 230 | Understanding Criminal Behavior | 3 |
| CJBA 240 | Quantitative Inquiry of Problems in Criminal Justice I | 3 |
| CJBA 241 | Quantitative Inquiry of Problems in Criminal Justice II | 3 |
| CJBA 250 | Crime Prevention and Control | 3 |
| CJBA 260 | Research Methods in Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CJBA 410 | Senior Thesis I | 3 |
| CJBA 411 | Senior Thesis II | 3 |
Note: Students who completed
STA 250 can substitute that course for
CJBA 240 above. The statistics course (either
CJBA 240 or
STA 250) must be completed while the student is an undergraduate.
Total Credit Hours: 30
Other Required Courses
May be required depending on math placement
Advisors recommendation.
MAT 108 or
MAT 141 can fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning area of the General Education Program.
Total Credit Hours: 0-3
Undergraduate Electives
Students must complete 23-26 credits of electives to fulfill the undergraduate portion of the degree program. Students have free choice of electives being mindful of the liberal arts and sciences requirements for a BA degree (90 credits). Students can also opt to complete a minor with their electives.
Total Credit Hours: 23-26
Criminal Justice MA Program
Degree Requirements
Core Requirements
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.
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).
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.
CRJ Specializations Degree Requirements
Criminology and Deviance
Criminal Law and Procedure
Police Administration
Correction Administration
Terrorism Studies
Total Credit Hours: 30-36
Total Credit Hours: 128-134