Criminology & Criminal Justice: 5 year BS/MS Program

Niagara University’s BS/MS program provides qualified students with the opportunity for advanced education in the administration of various aspects of the criminal justice system. Incoming freshmen (who meet two of the following criteria:

90 percent or higher high school QPA, top 10 percent of graduating class, and/or a combined SAT score of 1100 or higher), senior social science majors and minors, and transfer students with a major or minor in criminal justice may take this option. BS/MS students take a maximum of nine credit hours of graduate course work in the criminal justice department during their senior year. These credits apply to both the undergraduate and the graduate degree. Thus, the program is designed to allow students to complete both their undergraduate and their graduate degrees in 10 semesters (five years) rather than the typical 12 semesters.

At the end of the five-year BS/MS program, students will have a sophisticated and critical understanding of criminal justice processes and related social, economic and political issues. The successful student will develop an appreciation for both quantitative and qualitative research and the relationship between research and policy in the administration of criminal justice. As a result, the successful candidate will be well-positioned in the marketplace for a variety of entry-level criminal justice-related positions, including employment as a practitioner or as a researcher in a government agency or a not-for-profit think tank.

Additionally, the successful BS/MS candidate will be well-suited to compete for admission into Ph.D.-granting institutions or law schools.

International and Interdisciplinary Perspective

Administration skills, computer application, professional ethics, and low student-faculty ratios are combined with interdisciplinary offerings in an international perspective. The courses are taught with an understanding that some students work in Canada.

Several criminal justice classes can be taken as electives in the university’s master’s in counseling program. This makes for an interesting student mix and an engaging classroom experience.

Faculty

All full-time faculty members have earned doctorates in criminology or a related field – a characteristic you will not find at any like institution. They are published authors and experts in a variety of specializations within the field, as well as experienced teachers and accomplished professionals who regularly make presentations at professional conferences. The faculty draws upon a wealth of knowledge and expertise, making the experience enlightening and enjoyable.

Special Features

NU’s BS/MS program is the only one of its kind in the region.
Graduate classes start at 4 p.m. or later.
Scheduling allows students to take two graduate classes in one evening.
Thesis optional

MS in Criminal Justice Administration (33 credits)*

Core Requirements (six courses)

CRJ 500    Seminar in System-/Wide Issues in Criminal Justice
CRJ 510    Seminar in Criminal Justice Management
CRJ 520    Introduction to Statistics
CRJ 530    Seminar in Professional Ethics and Liability
CRJ 540    Research, Planning and Evaluation Methods in Criminal Justice
Policy paper (three credits) OR Master’s thesis (six credits)

Seminar Electives: Students choose five electives or four electives with a master’s thesis. A partial list of electives is listed below:

Seminar in Theories of Crime
Seminar in Problems in the Application of Law and Legal Policy
Seminar in Organized and White Collar Crime
Seminar in Penal Policy and the Management of Offenders
Seminar in Comparative Crime and Justice
Race, Gender and Class in the Criminal Justice System
Seminar in Special Problems in Criminal Justice
Supervised readings in criminal justice

*Three of the courses listed above may be taken during senior year.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT

Dr. Talia Harmon, Ph.D.

Dept. of Criminology and Criminal Justice

Niagara University, NY 14109

716-286-8080

E-mail: tharmon@niagara.edu