Criminology and Criminal Justice M.A.

Full-time 4+1 (current students only)
     • Application Deadline: October 1
     • Enrollment Deadline: December 1

Part-time
     Summer:
          • Application Deadline: May 1
          • Enrollment Deadline: May 8
      Spring:
          • Application Deadline: January 9
          • Enrollment Deadline: January 16
      Fall:
          • Application Deadline: August 8
          • Enrollment Deadline: August 15

CJ 465/600- Advanced Crim. Theory (4 credits)

This course provides a detailed examination of the most influential and empirically supported theories of crime causation and the correlates of crime. Topics include: theory construction, theory integration, research, and policy. 
Full-term; fall and spring
 

CJ 500- Advanced Research Design (4 credits)

This course is designed to explore various data-driven options for conducting original research. Students will build quantitative literacy while exploring simple analytical tools afforded by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR)

Accelerated; summer and fall
 

CJ 490/620- Descriptive & Inferential Stats (4 credits)

This course is designed to explore various data driven options for conducting original research. The objective for this course is to provide the student with the opportunity to address fundamental questions concerning crime causation and/or society's response to crime based on governmental reports, academic journals, books and databases. Students will develop their research question and provide a proposal for their thesis. This will include training for protecting human research. 

Accelerated; spring and summer 
 

CJ 630- Law & Justice Seminar (4 credits)

This course will examine the relationship between the law, behavior, and social order. Emphasis is placed on how individuals operate within and against the American system of law. 

Full-term; fall and spring 
 

CJ 650- Victimization Seminar (4 credits)

The course will provide an overview of victimization based on age, race, gender, and location. Emphasis will be centered on examining patterns of victimization, typologies concerning victimization and the rights of victims, including the criminal justice system's responses to victimization and victim needs.

Accelerated; summer and fall 
 

CJ 510- Administration of Justice (4 credits)

The course provides students with a critical examination of the key components of the criminal justice system and reviews the administrations of federal, state, and local agencies, including a focus on managing the justice organization.

Accelerated; fall and spring 

CJ 700- Master’s Thesis I (4 credits)

This course represents a student's initial thesis enrollment. Students will work on their independent research and will receive approval by a faculty committee under the supervision of one faculty member. The thesis requires students to develop, design, and complete an original research project.

Full-term; fall or when needed
 

CJ 710- Master’s Thesis II (4 credits)

This course represents the student's last thesis enrollment. Students will continue to work on their original research project, culminating in an oral defense of their thesis before the thesis committee and the public.

Full-term; spring or when needed 
 

CJ 610- Understanding Crime Data (4 credits)

The purpose of this course is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to the study of crime and related criminal justice processes. The course will cover topics such as the collection and use of data related to corrections, victims, law enforcement, crime type, international crimes, and then independent organizations – to name a few. Students will gain knowledge on frequently used data sources and collection methods found in published scholarly work, and those which inform practice in the field of criminal justice. Students will examine various data sources and apply the gathered data to real-world applications.

Accelerated; summer
 

CJ 655- Crime Mapping (4 credits)

This course provides students with a historical view of the spatial distribution of crime and how it has been examined practically and explained theoretically over time. Research regarding concepts such as crime concentration, targeted responses, diffusion, and displacement will be examined. Students will be provided the opportunity to master skills in crime mapping techniques to create and display the phenomena of crime using software such as QGIS.

Accelerated; fall and spring 
 

CJ 685- Internship (4 credits)

Criminal Justice students may be selected to spend one semester interning with a Criminal Justice agency. The student must spend an average of 10 hours per week with the agency.

Full-term; fall, summer, and spring
 

CJ 640 Drug Law Enforcement & Mass Incarceration (4 credits)

This seminar examines the impact of America’s War on Drugs, from its inception in 1972 through the present day. We begin by examining how riots in the 1960s led to a more militarized approach to urban law enforcement, particularly Special Weapons and Tactics units (SWAT). Students will learn how police procedures initially designed for extraordinary circumstances—such as the Watts Rebellion, which erupted in Los Angeles in 1965—came to be used during drug raids, beginning in the late 1980s. We explore how drug arrests and convictions have disproportionately impacted Black and brown communities, despite evidence indicating similarities in drug usage across racial lines, during the first half of the course. We then examine how marijuana policy is evolving in states across the country—particularly since 1996, when California first legalized medical marijuana—with several states implementing restorative justice-based reforms designed to address the racially disparate impact of marijuana enforcement. The course concludes by exploring how Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin and black tar heroin produced in Mexico converged to create a national overdose crisis. Despite state interdiction efforts, the prevalence of fentanyl in street opioids has increased, with drug-induced fatalities exceeding record highs during each of the past two years through April 2021 (the most recent years for which Centers for Disease Control Data are available).

Accelerated; fall and spring 
 

CJ 660- Issues & Trends (4 credits) 

This course provides a comprehensive review of extant issues and recent trends observed and encountered by the criminal justice system by focusing on how law enforcement, courts, and corrections have handled these various issues and how legislators have changed corresponding laws.

Accelerated; spring
 

CJ 515- Advanced Fourth Amendment Seminar (2 credits)

This graduate course examines police use of technology and the legal constructs applicable to police surveillance and data collection. Law enforcement agencies increasingly use sophisticated techniques to combat crime, apprehend criminals, and surveil community members. This course will examine the legal issues relating to wide range of police technologies, such as license plate readers, drones, facial recognition, home security cameras, cell site simulators, and gunshot detection sensors. Students will think critically about how police use of technology potentially affects individual privacy, liberty, and dignity. Particular attention will be given to issues of police surveillance relating to the Fourth Amendment.

Accelerated; summer and spring 
 

CJ 665- Criminal Mind (2 credits)

In this course, we will delve into the psyche of criminals relevant to criminal behavior. We will explore the emotions, behaviors, and factors that contribute to various criminal acts, including both violent and nonviolent ones. By examining scientific evidence and current criminological theories, students will gain a deeper understanding of the origins and evidence of violence. Laws, past and current response of the criminal justice system to repeat offenders are explored with emphasis placed those who suffer from mental illness and the response from the justice system. Ultimately, we will learn who criminals are and how to effectively reduce or respond to their behavior.

Accelerated; fall and spring 
 

CJ 675 Forensic (2 credits)

This is a two-credit chemistry course designed for Criminal Justice graduate students interested in forensics. Students will explore the theory and practice of forensics toxicology through chemical and scientific principles. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to act as informed citizens and apply scientific concepts within the criminal justice system.

Accelerated; spring