2024-2025 Undergraduate Bulletin

Criminal Justice Management BS / MA in Criminal Justice

The Criminal Justice Management BS focuses on the development of leadership, supervision and analytic skills of students who aspire to executive positions in criminal justice agencies such as correctional facilities, courts, and emergency response and law enforcement agencies. The major is designed to introduce students to the American criminal justice system, expose students to management issues and methods, introduce ethical considerations, and provide students with basic academic and management skills that are needed for supervisory and executive positions.

The John Jay Criminal Justice MA 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, 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 Management BS Courses
27
General Education 42
Other Required Undergraduate Courses
3-6
Undergraduate Electives 23-26
Criminal Justice MA
30-36
Total Credits Required for B.S./M.A. Degrees 128-134

Undergraduate major coordinator. Professor Warren Eller, Department of Public Management (weller@jjay.cuny.edu)

Undergraduate advisor. Ms. Yvonne Purdie, Department of Public Management (212.237.8554, ypurdie@jjay.cuny.edu)


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

Graduate program advisor.
Ms. Jennifer Cadeau (646-781-5833, jcadeau@jjay.cuny.edu), Criminal Justice MA Program 

General Information.
Bachelor's/Masters Program application and eligibility requirements.

Additional information.
 Students who enroll in the B.S./M.A. program in September 2017 or thereafter must complete the program in the form presented here. Students who enrolled prior to that date may choose either the form shown here or the earlier version of the major, see the Graduate Program Advisor.

Criminal Justice Management Courses

Required
CJBS 101Introduction to the American Criminal Justice System

3

PAD 101Introduction to Public Administration

3

PAD 121Information in Public Administration

3

ENG 235Writing for Management, Business and Public Administration

3

LAW 203Constitutional Law

3

PAD 314Leadership, Supervision and Performance

3

PAD 318Decisions in Crises

3

PAD 348Justice Planning and Policy Analysis

PAD 445Seminar in Justice Administration and Planning

Subtotal: 27

Other Undergraduate Courses

Required depending on math placement
MAT 108Social Science Math

3

OR

MAT 141Pre-Calculus

3

STA 250Principles and Methods of Statistics

3

Advisor recomendation: MAT 108 or MAT 141 can fulfill the Required Core: Math and Quantitative Reasoning ares of the General Education Program.

Note: STA 250 must be completed when the student is an undergraduate

Subtotal: 3-6

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. Students can also opt to complete a minor.

Subtotal: 23-26

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 below. 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 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