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MA in CRJ Curriculum

Outline of courses  required to complete NU Ontario’s MA in Criminal Justice Administration program.

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 MA in Criminal Justice Administration Curriculum

The master of Art Degree in criminal justice administration consists of an 11-course sequence totalling 33 semester hours. All courses earn three credits. All classes are offered at 4 p.m. or later, and convenient class scheduling permits students to take two courses on some class evenings.  

The master’s degree program is designed for completion in one calendar year for full-time students at an accelerated pace. On average, full-time students take 3-4 courses per semester and finish in 1-2 years. On average, part-time students take 1-2 courses per semester and finish in 2-4 years.  International students must be enrolled as full-time students.  

Core Courses

This course is designed to provide an overview of significant criminal justice policies, practices, and decision making that cuts across the agencies of law enforcement, the courts, and corrections. Especially important for the student with little academic background in criminal justice, this course will offer insights into the common problems of regulating discretion, application of legal rules in practice, and implementation of public policy in non-system or independent criminal justice agencies. Three (3) Credit Hours.

An assessment of the management and administration of criminal justice agencies as a special problem of public administration. The differences between public and private sector management with special emphasis on approaches to organizational change, leadership and public service will be discussed. Individual and group behaviour in criminal justice organizations will be assessed as will integrity and commitment to values.

Three (3) Credit Hours.

This course is designed to provide the student with the necessary skills to analyze data and to evaluate published research. The course will cover the fundamental steps of hypothesis testing through more sophisticated multivariate techniques. Emphasis will be placed on identifying the appropriate statistical technique for a particular research question, the use of the computer to analyze the data, and the interpretation of results obtained. Three (3) Credit Hours.

How ethical considerations can and should affect every important decision in criminal justice. Some of these decisions include: police arrest decisions, prosecutor charging decisions, defendant plea decisions, defence strategy decisions, judicial evidentiary rulings, sentencing decisions, and probation and parole decisions. The results of unethical decisions will be examined in terms of deviance and civil and criminal liability faced by criminal justice professionals. Three (3) Credit Hours.

Research and planning techniques as they apply to policy making and evaluation in criminal justice agencies. Principles of research design, planning methods, and evaluation techniques will be presented. Emphasis will be placed on selection of the appropriate research design, planning method, or evaluation tool, given case studies of problems and issues faced by criminal justice agencies.Three (3) Credit Hours.

An examination of theories and typologies of criminal behaviour among intimates and strangers and its effects on victims. Since criminology is a multidisciplinary field, biological, psychological and social theories of crime will be discussed. The impact of violent crime will be emphasized. The focus of the course will be the development of the skills necessary to evaluate and apply criminological theories in criminal justice settings. Three (3) Credit Hours.

Potential Electives: Select Three

The passage of a law or program designed to address a particular problem is often assumed to resolve that issue. In actuality, however, the law itself may generate more problems than it solves. This course examines some of the problems in the application of laws that have come to light through the use of social science research, or that can be minimized through an empirical investigation of the problem. Three (3) Credit Hours.

The nature, extent and impact of illicit behaviour on the part of corporations, illicit organizations, government agencies, and employees. The causes, enforcement, prosecution, sentencing, and prevention of organized criminal behaviour will be examined. Political, white-collar, organized, and corporate crime are assessed, and their similarities and differences evaluated in terms of investigation, prosecution, defence, and sentencing strategies.. Three (3) Credit Hours.

This seminar is designed to examine a current issue in criminology and criminal justice of particular concern. Topics such as the future of crime and justice, mala prohibita offenses and their adjudication, or the criminal or juvenile justice system and contemporary social problems may be offered depending on the critical issues of the period. This course may be taken more than once as long as the subject matter differs.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This course examines the constitutional rules and principles that help shape the law of criminal procedure. The issues covered include: pretrial rights and proceedings, the adversarial system, interrogation and confessions, and search and seizure. Attention will be given to U.S. Supreme Court decisions that interpret and apply federal constitutional provisions to these issues.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This seminar is designed to examine a current issue in criminology and criminal justice of particular concern. Topics such as the future of crime and justice, mala prohibita offenses and their adjudication, or the criminal or juvenile justice system and contemporary social problems may be offered depending on the critical issues of the period. This course may be taken more than once as long as the subject matter differs.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This course will critically examine the philosophy and practice of restorative justice. It will begin with an overview of the philosophical framework, as well as some strengths and weaknesses, of our current justice system. The course will then cover the history, philosophy, and practices of restorative justice, including objections to this approach and methods and results of evaluating current programs.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This course considers the interrelationships among race, gender and class in the criminal justice system. Examined are the patterns and variations in crime across these variables. The assumptions, biases and relative strengths and weaknesses of theories of crime as applied across race and gender will be addressed. Attention will be given to women and minorities as offenders, victims and professionals in criminal justice with particular emphasis given to criminal justice sanctioning of crimes by and against women and minorities.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This seminar is designed to examine a current issue in criminology and criminal justice of particular concern. Topics such as the future of crime and justice, mala prohibita offenses and their adjudication, or the criminal or juvenile justice system and contemporary social problems may be offered depending on the critical issues of the period. This course may be taken more than once as long as the subject matter differs.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This class focuses on the extent, nature, causes, and consequences of domestic violence in the United States. We will focus on the complexities of domestic violence, including individual, societal, and historical factors, the implications of making distinctions in types of violence and perpetrators, and the relationship between institutional and individual responses.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

This seminar is designed to examine a current issue in criminology and criminal justice of particular concern. Topics such as the future of crime and justice, mala prohibita offenses and their adjudication, or the criminal or juvenile justice system and contemporary social problems may be offered depending on the critical issues of the period. This course may be taken more than once as long as the subject matter differs.
Three (3) Credit Hours.

Capstone Options: Select One

Option I

For students who select this option, the policy paper is a capstone course that provides the forum to apply critically the substance and method of the completed curriculum to a criminal justice problem of interest and public concern. The product of this course will be a policy paper that attempts to address the policy issue in contemporary society. Three (3) Credit Hours.

Three (3) Credit Hours.

Option II

For students who select this option, the masters thesis is a capstone course that offers the student the opportunity to apply critically the substance and method of the field to a specific criminal justice issue. The thesis is a research project that either tests an untested hypothesis or replicates research findings that are not conclusive. The product of this course will be a research thesis of publishable quality for a criminal justice journal.Three (3) Credit Hours.

For students who select this option, the masters thesis is a capstone course that offers the student the opportunity to apply critically the substance and method of the field to a specific criminal justice issue. The thesis is a research project that either tests an untested hypothesis or replicates research findings that are not conclusive. The product of this course will be a research thesis of publishable quality for a criminal justice journal.Three (3) Credit Hours.

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