"When I decided to pursue my masters degree,
UMass Lowell's program appealed to me because of the convenience
of taking courses online. I have a young family and work full time and it made it more convenient
for me to earn a graduate degree at this stage in my life."
"With an online Master's Degree in Criminal Justice, professionals in law enforcement, security and corrections have a convenient way to get a master's degree while continuing to work. The University of Massachusetts Lowell, well-known for its strong reputation in Criminal Justice education programs, offers a broad range of classes in leadership, administrative and management skills in crisis and emergency management, public policy, crime analysis, forensic psychology, and terrorism.
Students enrolled in the program complete a total of 11 courses (33 credits). The core curriculum consists of five required courses dealing with theory, research, scholarship, quantitative analysis, and criminal justice administration. Students choose another six courses from a list of electives, allowing them to focus their studies on areas that are best suited to their own particular career goals and objectives.
The Online Master's Degree in Criminal Justice serves four types of students: a) those seeking a master's degree as a prerequisite for entry into the criminal justice field; b) those currently in service in the criminal justice system who wish to broaden their skills and obtain job-related knowledge and expertise; c) those currently in the criminal justice system seeking to specialize and/or work in some other area of the system; and d) those currently in the system or pre-service who wish to obtain the training and expertise necessary to meet the growing need for teaching criminal justice.
UMass Lowell's Master's Degree in Criminal Justice is designed to meet the changing needs of the criminal justice community. By promoting an integrated, academically rigorous, and empirically oriented curriculum, the program helps working criminal justice professionals, and those planning on entering the field, develop the repertoire of professional skills necessary to better manage their current positions, assume leadership roles and/or continue doctoral training in criminal justice.
Master's Degree in Criminal Justice - Curriculum Outline
Total Number of Courses Required for the Master's Degree in Criminal Justice: 11
Total Number of Credit Hours Required for the Degree: 33
Criminal Justice Required Core Courses
Total Core Courses Required: 5
- 44.501 Criminal Justice Scholarship
- OR
- 44.570 Managing Criminal Justice Organizations - Available Spring 2012!
- OR
- 44.573 Law and Public Policy
- 44.503 Administration of Criminal Justice - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.521 Criminological Theory - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.580 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (formerly Quantitative Research) - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.590 Research Methods in Criminal Justice - Available Spring 2012!
Criminal Justice Elective Courses:
Choose 6 electives from the following list of online courses:*
- 44.513 Crisis and Emergency Management - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.522 Victimology - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.526 Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.541 Issues in Policing
- 44.542 Criminal Profiling - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.543 Forensic Psychology - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.545 Criminal Mind and Behavior - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.546 Mental Health and Criminal Justice - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.549 Terrorism/Counter-Terrorism - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.554 Threat Assessment and Risk Management
- 44.560 Gender, Race and Crime
- 44.563 Substance Abuse
- 44.567 Overview of Homeland Security - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.594 Crime Analysis and Mapping
- 44.622 Intimate Partner Violence - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.623 Responding to Child Maltreatment - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.624 Violence in America - Available Spring 2012!
- 44.646 Sex Offenses and Offenders
- 44.691 Directed Study in Criminal Justice
*Note: A larger selection of elective courses is available with courses held on-campus and at corporate locations, for those students who are interested in taking a mix of on-campus and online courses. Call 978-934-4106 or send an email to CJGradAdvisor@uml.edu for the extended list of on-campus courses. Additional electives may be available online at a later date. Check back periodically for program updates.
For Additional Information on this program, visit:
http://www.uml.edu/college/arts_sciences/criminaljustice/grad_programs.html
To Register for a Course
Call UMass Lowell Continuing Studies at 1 (800) 480-3190
To Apply into the Degree Program
Visit the Graduate Admissions website for a graduate degree application form at http://www.uml.edu/grad or call 1 (800) 656-GRAD
Please note: Graduate students will be assessed a "First Year Student Services Fee" upon matriculation into a graduate degree or certificate program. Please see the Accounts Receivable website for more information.
Course Descriptions
44.501 Criminal Justice Scholarship
This course is designed to improve the technical writing skills of criminal justice graduate students. Emphasis will be on the fundamentals of written (and oral) report preparation. 3 credits.
44.503 Administration of Criminal Justice
An examination of the administration of federal, state and local criminal justice agencies in the United States, including a focus on criminal law and procedure. 3 credits.
44.513 Crisis and Emergency Management
This course will provide a broad introduction to the critical challenges of disaster management. The course will address past and present strategies for reducing and responding to hazards posed by both manmade and natural disasters. Emphasis will be placed on what we can learn from the history of disasters, and on how we can apply those lessons to the management of future events. 3 credits.
44.521 Criminological Theory
A detailed examination of the best known and most influential theories of crime causation. Topics include: (1) theory construction, (2) hypothesis testing, (3) theory integration, and (4) the links among theory, research, and policy. 3 credits.
44.522 Victimology
An examination of the characteristics and life styles of crime victims and the impact of their victimization. The treatment of victims by the criminal justice system is examined along with possible reforms in approach. 3 credits.
44.526 Domestic Terrorism and Hate Crimes
This course examines bigotry and hate and how they are manifested in criminal behavior. Various groups who have been labeled as supporting or engaging in domestic terrorism are studied. Focus is placed on federal and state statutory laws and the dynamics of police, court, and corrections based responses to hate crimes and domestic terrorism. 3 credits.
44.541 Issues in Policing
3 credits.
44.542 Criminal Profiling
This course provides an overview of the development and characteristics of violent offenders, some of whom will evolve to be criminal psychopaths. The class will provide an analytical understanding of the unique characteristics of serial type criminals and the methodologies utilized to perpetrate their crimes. 3 credits.
44.543 Forensic Psychology
This course applies psychological theories, principles, and research to issues of concern to the criminal justice system. Specific attention is paid to the intersection of the mental health and criminal justice systems. 3 credits.
44.545 Criminal Mind and Behavior
This course is designed to address a broad range of topics relevant to criminal behavior and the development of the so called criminal personality. Factors that are considered to influence the evolution of criminal mentality are examined and the laws and the past and current response of the criminal justice system to repeat offenders are explored. 3 credits.
44.546 Mental Health and Criminal Justice
The course focuses on how and why individuals with serious mental illness become involved in the criminal justice system, and on how the criminal justice and public mental health systems respond to that involvement. Topics include law enforcement responses, court-based strategies, mental health and corrections, community supervision of individuals with mental illness, violence and mental disorder, and unique challenges associated with female and juvenile populations. 3 credits.
44.549 Terrorism/Counter-Terrorism
In order to combat "terrorism" one must be aware of what it is and is not. This course will explore "terrorism" in its totality as it occurred in the past, is occurring in the present, and how it will occur in the future. Various dominant International Terrorist groups are examined relative to their ideology, organizational behavior, and method(s) of operation. There is a heavy emphasis on the impact terrorism has and will have upon the Criminal Justice system relative to investigative processes. 3 credits.
44.554 Threat Assessment and Risk Management
The goal of this course is to enhance the understanding by students and professionals and increase their level of expertise regarding risk management and the impact of terrorism on economic and other critical infrastructures in the United States. The course will provide them the tools (operational and statistical) and technology required to mitigate these risks. The secondary purpose of this course is to examine and critically discuss current and future methods to create an effective overarching look at best practices in security management. 3 credits.
44.560 Gender, Race and Crime
The implications of criminal laws, criminal justice practices and programs. Focus on inequalities based on gender, race and class. 3 credits.
44.563 Substance Abuse
This course examines the dynamics of substance abuse, the interrelationship between substance abuse and crime, and the use of both criminal and civil law to deal with the problems posed by substance abuse. 3 credits.
44.567 Overview of Homeland Security
The U.S. has embraced the homeland security monolith without a full understanding of what it encompasses. This course provides a comprehensive overview of homeland security and homeland defense as underaken in the United States since 9/11. The course critically examines the current body of knowledge with a specific focus on understanding security threats, the sources of these threats, and the reasons for these threats. The roles of the key players at the federal, state and local levels, the policies and procedures enacted since 9/11, and the homeland security system in practice are also examined. 3 credits.
44.570 Managing Criminal Justice Organizations
A range of criminal justice management issues are addressed, including organizational structure, purpose, rewards and relationships, leadership and management styles, and the development of effective change strategies by criminal justice agencies. The complex role of the criminal justice manager in both the adult and juvenile justice system is emphasized. 3 credits.
44.573 Law and Public Policy
This course is designed to provide an in-depth investigation of the interrelationship between law and public policy and the role that values play in establishing law and public policy. An examination is conducted of the function of both criminal and civil law in achieving societal objectives. 3 credits.
44.580 Descriptive and Inferential Statistics (formerly Quantitative Research)
Students are introduced to a variety of statistical techniques applicable to problem solving in the criminal justice system. This course is designed for both producers and consumers of criminal justice research. 3 credits.
44.590 Research Methods in Criminal Justice
Students are introduced to the essential elements of criminal justice research, including criminal justice data sources, conceptualization and measurement, the use of experimental and quasi-experimental designs, survey research, document studies, and ethnographies. The use of computers as a research tool is covered. 3 credits.
44.594 Crime Analysis and Mapping
This course examines the use of new technologies to analyze crime patterns and develop crime prevention strategies. Students study theories that explain the geographic distribution of crime and learn how to use Geographic Information Systems to study crime in ways that draw upon theory as well as how to apply GIS techniques in the law enforcement and corrections fields. 3 credits.
44.622 Intimate Partner Violence
Examines the causes and consequences of intimate partner violence as well as the latest research regarding the criminal justice response. 3 credits.
44.623 Responding to Child Maltreatment
Introduction to empirical findings and theoretical perspectives concerned with the maltreatment of children and youth. Includes an examination of prevalence rates, risk factors, consequences, and system responses. 3 credits.
44.624 Violence in America
This course provides students with an in-depth analysis of the causes, context, and control of a wide range of violent crimes. 3 credits.
44.646 Sex Offenses and Offenders
This course examines the nature of sex offenses as well as the mind of the sex offender, and focuses on motives, possible victims, and rehabilitation. The responses of the mental health and criminal justice systems are examined and the effectiveness of those responses is assessed. 3 credits.
44.691 Directed Study in Criminal Justice
This course is designed as an independent study of a subject not offered in the standard curriculum. 3 credits.
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