M.S. in Criminal Justice Curriculum and Course Descriptions

Criminal Justice M.S. Program

The college awards the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in Criminal Justice.

NOTE: Enrollment in other than registered or otherwise approved programs may jeopardize a student’s eligibility for certain awards.

Vision Statement

The Master’s Degree Program in Criminal Justice is predicated on the democratic principles of the American constitution. Our aim is to produce graduates who will have a profound understanding of the world in which they live and the role that the criminal justice system plays in the advance of civilization.

Our graduates will be cognizant of the impact that globalization has had on America’s criminal justice system.

Our aim is to graduate extraordinary leaders with the necessary technical and managerial expertise to make a difference in the dangerous and changing world of the criminal justice system.

The Learning Community

Faculty and students create a learning environment that is mindful of the interdisciplinary nature of criminal justice. Students are expected to cultivate a love of learning and to be guided by the scientific method and intellectual rigor.

There is never an end to learning and we encourage students to read critically, exhaustively, and to refrain from embracing dogmatic approaches to learning. We seek to create a community of scholars and expect our students to be critical thinkers and to contribute to the literature on criminal justice.

M.S. In Criminal Justice

The interdisciplinary field of criminal justice has grown exponentially over the last two decades. This incredibly rich discipline seeks not solely to explain the dysfunctional aspects of society but to contribute to the civilizing of the larger society. The criminal justice professional has developed a social science arsenal that transcends the use of deadly force. The incorporation of crime reduction strategies, the burgeoning impact of forensics, and advance criminological theories have made the study of criminal justice exciting and gratifying.

Globalization has altered the landscape of the criminal justice system. Biological warfare, cyber crimes, international terrorism, human trafficking and drug cartels reflect the changing landscape of the criminal justice system.

The Criminal Justice System encompasses the field of Human Services and students in the Master’s Program are encouraged to opt for the Human Services concentration. Graduate students specializing in Criminal Justice can seek careers in law enforcement field with federal, state and city agencies. Career opportunities also exist in the variegated field of Human Services which would include working in child agencies, adoption agencies, elderly intervention programs, rehabilitation programs, etc.

The innovative curriculum of the Master of Science in Criminal Justice effectively prepares the criminal justice professional for the challenges of the twenty-first century.

Human Services Concentration

The Human Services Concentration aptly complements the Master’s in Criminal Justice. The concentration entails twelve credits from the following courses:

Master of Science – Criminal Justice

Recommended Semester Sequence

Semester I

Semester II

Semester III

Semester IV

Core Courses

Note: Courses are offered during each academic year based on student need and registration. Specific details may be obtained from the King Graduate School Office.

CJ- 615 Criminological Theory

3 credits

This course is designed so that students develop a knowledge of different theories used to explain criminal behavior. In addition to becoming versed in the different criminological theories, the assignments in the course will focus on the efficacy of the different theories and their usefulness in crime reduction strategies.

CJ -620 Research Methods and Data Analysis

3 credits

Prerequisite: An undergraduate course in either Research Methods or Statistics

Students will formulate hypotheses and research designs in order to develop mastery of empirical analysis. The course will include dissecting data-sets and putting together surveys to conduct empirical research. A research paper demonstrating an understanding of quantitative and qualitative research skills will be required.

CJ-630 The Supreme Court, U.S. Constitution, and Criminal Law

3 credits

Students will critically examine landmark cases and discuss the impact on the criminal justice system. Special attention will be given to the constitutional protection of civil liberties and the urgent need to maintain the social order.

CJ -640 Perspectives on Drugs, Alcohol and the Criminal Justice System

3 credits

A course on the different approaches to dealing with the twin plagues of alcoholism and drug addiction. The effects of the war on drugs and its impact on families and communities and the subsequent impact on the correctional system will be analyzed.

CJ -730 Comparative Criminal Justice Systems

3 credits

The study of other criminal justice systems will provide graduate students with a greater understanding of the American criminal justice system. Some countries have much lower homicide rates and much lower incarceration rates than the United States. Some regions like Latin America and the Caribbean have much higher homicide rates. The course will explore how culture, economic development, or under development can affect the level of crime.

CJ -740 Leadership, Ethics, and Management in Criminal Justice

3 credits

In all aspects of the criminal justice system – policing, corrections, and the courts, increased emphasis has been placed on bureaucratic efficiency and accountability to the larger society. The course will critically examine the different styles of leadership and their applicability to the criminal justice system. The exceptional leaders who have had the greatest impact on the field will be studied and critically analyzed.

CJ -755 Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

3 credits

The wanton destruction of people and property is a fundamental feature of terrorist organizations. The course will be divided into two parts (1) the study of terrorist organizations and (2) the use of intelligence and counter-terrorism strategies to contain and eliminate these threats. Students will examine the measures adopted by the government on all levels to enhance national security.

CJ -780 Public Policy Issues in Criminal Justice (Capstone course)

3 credits

The capstone course provides the student with the opportunity to synthesize theories about issues related to the criminal justice system. The competencies of students in critical thinking, analytical writing and in effective oral communication will be tested throughout the semester.

Elective Courses:

CJ -618 Crime Scene Investigation

3 credits

Police work has become increasingly scientific and the preservation of the crime scene often determines the validity of the evidence gathered. The obtaining of fingerprints, blood samples, DNA evidence, etc. is essential for successful prosecution of suspects. The course will emphasize the importance of the untampered nature of evidence and the developments in forensic science that haverevolutionalized the approach to crime scene investigations.

CJ -650 The Sociology of Juvenile Delinquency

3 credits

This course will examine the patterns of juvenile delinquency and assess how changes in the family structure impact on sub-cultural deviance and juvenile delinquency. Public policy measures to rehabilitate juvenile delinquents will be critically examined. The course will highlight best practices.

CJ -655 Race, Class and Crime in America

3 credits

The course will examine race, class and ethnicity in the criminal justice system. The literature on the particular forms of policing in multicultural and urban communities will be read and critically analyzed. Emphasis will be placed on inner city communities, sentencing disparities and the disproportionate representation of minorities in the penal system.

CJ -660 Statistics for Criminal Justice

3 credits

This course will provide students with a grounding in the basic tools used in quantitative analysis in the field of criminal justice along with an introduction to the statistical issues involved in the design and logic of research. Students will learn to use various non-parametric tests of significance and will be introduced to the fundamentals of correlation and regression. Although students will make use of a standard statistical software package (SPSS), they will also learn the computation of several measures and statistical tests in order to enhance understanding of the concepts that underlie them. The emphasis in the course, however, will be on comprehension, not computation.

CJ -690 - CJ-695 Internship in Criminal Justice

3 credits

This course is designed to observe learned theory in a practical setting. Police agencies, para-professional positions in probation, correctional counseling, juvenile facilities, custodial and non-custodial correctional facilities, detention centers, and similar agencies are most appropriate. Students employed in Criminal Justice will develop a specialized internship with their existing agencies. Classes will meet on a regular basis to assess student progress and share individual experiences.

CJ-718 The Psychology of Criminal Behavior

3 credits

The course will explore psychological theory and research findings to further our understanding of criminal behavior with a particular focus on the developmental, cognitive-behavioral aspects of the offender. Students will analyze the psychological, social, economic, political and ecological factors that impact on criminal behavior.

CJ-720 Computer Applications and Crime Mapping

3 credits

Crime Mapping has become an essential technique for the control of crime in modern police departments. A geographical-based information system such as Crimestat is used to guide anti-crime strategies, and crime mapping data are used to determine clustering and the designation of hot spots. Students will develop expertise in crime mapping and apply criminological theory to crime reduction strategies. Written assignments will be given so students can demonstrate these research skills.

CJ -725 Organized Crime and Transnational Crime

3 credits

This course will explore the roots and guile of organized crime elements and how globalization has facilitated the emergence of transnational organized crime syndicates that are engaged in the flow of drugs, the transfer of funds, the illegal arms trade, and human trafficking. New measures to break up these crime syndicates like RICO laws will be assessed.

CJ- 735 International Perspectives on the Death Penalty

3 credits

The course entails a study of legal and social history of the death penalty and how it is applied in different parts of the world. Students will examine controversial cases, and the way capital punishment is used to prop up political regimes. Students will learn about the troubling issues of race, class and religion. The course will also examine the widespread use of capital punishment in particular countries and the abolishment of the death penalty in other regions of the world.

CJ-750 Crisis Management and Disaster Preparedness

3 credits

The brittle nature of the social order is evident when we examine the impact of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, the riots in Crown Heights, Brooklyn and in Los Angeles. Supervisory law enforcement personnel are perennially faced with natural and unnatural disasters.

CJ-760 Community Violence: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

3 credits

The course examines the proliferation of community violence in an age of globalization. The failure of the state to establish legitimate control has created a vacuum that has been filled by community groups that are tantamount to a state in a state. The course examines the rising phenomenon of inter-community violence, intra-community violence, and violence against the state. Violence can be caused by religious, ethnic, or racial rivalries. Measures by the state to reassert its legitimacy and reduce violence will be examined within the context of globalization.

CJ -765 Child Development, Trauma and the Criminal Justice System

3 credits

The course is designed so that students will gain theoretical and practical knowledge of cognitive, socio-emotional, and physical development from infancy through adolescence and family styles of parenting and discipline, the impact of trauma on juvenile’s development and behavior, and the best practices in forensic interviewing. Students will also critically examine various roles that human services personnel play in juvenile and adult criminal justice system.

CJ -770 Urban Poverty and the Family

3 credits

This course will examine the persistence of poverty in America and the recent impact on inner city communities when work disappears. The course will encompass an analysis of neighborhoods where there is a concentration of poverty and the disintegration of once viable institutions. Special attention will be given to recommended policy reforms and the literature on community efficacy.

CJ -775 Counseling Psychology and Human Services

3 credits

This course deals with improving the lives of people served by the criminal justice system and the human services system. Some of the clients served by the criminal justice system and human services experience crisis and distress. It is very important to focus on these clients in a caring way to alleviate the crisis. The human services practitioner responds to these clients daily. This course provides an understanding of the problems human services practitioners encounter dealing with people in crisis, the issues the people in crisis are facing, and how these practitioners can work with other professionals to improve the lives of these clients.

CJ -790 Master’s Thesis

6 credits

Students have the option of completing four elective courses or two elective courses and the Master’s thesis for 6 credits. Students are encouraged to make a decision before they complete 24 credits regarding whether or not they intend to pursue the thesis option. In order to be eligible for the thesis option, students must have maintained a minimum GPA of 3.5 at the completion of 24 credits in the program. Students will be assigned to a thesis advisor who will work with the student in developing the hypothesis, research design, and the bibliography. The thesis topic chosen will be related in some aspect to the material covered in the core courses.